More than 50 people were in attendance for the first Unite North Main meeting that took place Tuesday, Nov. 24.

JAMESTOWN – More than 50 people were at the Lillian V. Ney Renaissance Center in downtown Jamestown Tuesday night to participate in the first public meeting involving the future of North Main Street.

The Unite North Main project was launched last month by the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation (JRC) to improve one of the city’s busiest gateway corridors. A master plan for the first phase of the project is being conducted by Clark Patterson Lee architecture and design firm.

• RELATED: Officials Announce Details of North Main Street Corridor Improvement Study

Associate Brian Kulpa says Tuesday’s meeting was really the starting point in an effort to collect information from the community and residents who live on or near the corridor.

“We’re tyring to figure out, ‘What do the residents, what do the business owner and what do the property owners want out of that corridor?'” Kulpa says. “We’ve teased a little about ‘What if this were a possibility?’ and we want to see where people stood on some of those items. What kind of visuals and what kind of aesthetics people want in that corridor.”

Brian Kupla from Clark Patterson Lee

Not only did the meeting give Clark Patterson Lee an opportunity to learn what some residents would like and wouldn’t like in terms of aesthetics for the corridor, it also gave them an opportunity to offer concerns.

“I think people are maybe a little apprehensive at first, saying ‘Hey, what are we getting involved with here? Where’s this going? Where’s the money coming from?’ All those questions that are normal,” Kulpa explains. “What we want to do is, through the process, generate excitement, generate enthusiasm, but also generate trust. We really are here, not serving the head, but the rest of the body, and making sure people understand this is their neighborhood plan.”

Those in attendance were presented with more than six dozen different images dealing with everything from intersection layout to street and lamp posts designs and were given the opportunity to rate each one on a scale of 1 to 5. Residents were also invited to offer some concerns about the current corridor, which included pedestrian safety, heavy truck traffic and speeding.

Kulpa says all that information will be processed in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the agency will also be working during the winter assessing individual portions of the corridor. A second public meeting is also scheduled for February 12, when the community will be updated on the progress of the plan as well as have an opportunity to offer more input.

In addition, a website is being set up and will be launched in the coming weeks, which will also give residents a chance to learn more about the study and offer input.

The Unite North Main project is being funded by grants from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation, Northwest Savings Bank, and the Chautauqua County Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization Trust Fund.

The meeting is part of “Unite North Main,” a project launched last month by the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation (JRC) to improve one of the city’s busiest gateway corridors. A master plan for the street is the project’s first phase and will be completed during the winter by Clark Patterson Lee, a design firm with an office on North Main Street.

“The goal of Unite North Main is to identify and ultimately implement strategies to improve residential quality of life along the corridor, to make the roadway more functional, safe, and attractive, and to boost the overall impression that local residents and visitors have when they travel the street,” said Greg Lindquist, JRC’s executive director. “Improving North Main Street, and using it as a template for improving the city’s other gateway corridors, is crucial to the overall success of our downtown and neighborhood revitalization efforts.”

The public meeting on November 24 – the first of several public engagement efforts that are being planned as part of the project – will give residents an opportunity to describe what they see as challenges and opportunities along North Main Street.

“We see this as a multi-year effort involving numerous community partners on a wide range of big projects and small projects,” said Peter Lombardi, JRC’s Senior Planning Consultant. “Participation by residents, property owners, businesses, and other institutions along North Main Street, as well as the broader community, will determine the success of the project.”

The plan for North Main Street is being funded by grants from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation, Northwest Savings Bank, and the Chautauqua County Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization Trust Fund.

For more information about the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation, please visit www.jamestownrenaissance.org or call 716-664-2477 ext 226.

The Jamestown Renaissance Corporation is a nonprofit organization that supports downtown and neighborhood revitalization in Jamestown, NY, by promoting reinvestment, stakeholder engagement, and innovation.

Greg Lindquist and Peter Lombardi of the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation provide details of the ‘Unite North Main’ project as Joe Rollman from Clark Paterson Lee, Jim Domagola of Northwest Savings Bank, and Brian Kulpa of Clark Patterson Lee look on.

JAMESTOWN – A study will soon be underway to determine what improvements can be made to one of the busiest corridors leading into downtown Jamestown.

On Thursday the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation held a press conference at the Clark Patterson Lee planning and architecture firm on N. Main St. to announce the agency has been selected to lead the ‘Unite North Main‘ project – a study on what can be done to improve the North Main Street corridor from the city line to Sixth St. in downtown Jamestown.

• VIEW UNITE NORTH MAIN TALKING POINTS

The portion of N. Main St. that will be covered in the Unite North Main project.

JRC deputy director Peter Lombardi said that North Main Street sees thousands of vehicles on a daily basis – many of which include visitors to the city.

“The [Jamestown] Urban Design Plan and the Neighborhood Revitalization Plan both identify the need to focus on gateway improvements,” Lombardi said. “I would say that one of the strengths that JRC can bring to the table in terms of focusing on this particular gateway is that with our downtown work and our neighborhood work, we’ve been able to show that it’s not the million dollar project that makes confidence happen and can turn things around. This will involve far-ranging funding partners eventually, including possibly the state or federal governments.”

Lombardi added that the corridor study will not only identify big ticket projects, but also smaller efforts that when combined, can go a long way to improving the appearance of the corridor.

“What we’ll be able to identify through this planning process is not just potentially million dollar projects over the next several years, but also $500 projects – a small landscaping project or some small signage projects, fixing up a porch that is projecting the wrong message to those who travel along North Main Street.”

Clark Patterson Lee associate Joe Rollman said that while the study process hasn’t yet gotten underway, his agency is already aware of the unique challenges found along the stretch of roadway.

“There’s a number of very awkward intersections, which would be an extremely expensive item to redesign or rework,” Rollman said, adding, “That’s not to say that we won’t look at it, but some of these things like the awkward intersection is going to be a challenge to work with. The presence of substantial overhead utility lines is something that we’re going to have to look at and, more than likely, work with.”

Rollman said that part of the study will involve community input, which will allow not only city leaders, but also residents who live in the nearby neighborhoods, an opportunity to offer their thoughts on how the corridor can be improved.

Jamestown City Council woman Marie Carrubba, who is the chair of the city’s housing committee and who also works on North Main Street, said she’s excited to see the project moving forward.

I’m really looking forward to it. [North Main Street] has been a challenge. I’ve worked with people in the senior housing across the street and it’s a challenge for them to try and get to the Rite Aid store. I value the input of how we can get people safely back and forth. As people are aging it’s going to be more of an issue as more people are using mobility devices,” Carrubba said, adding that safety for students is also an issue. “I watch students cross everyday, unsafely in some places, so anything we can do to make it safer for everyone, and improve the looks of it, I’m really excited about it.”

It will take several months for data to be collected for the study before it can be finalized.

Funding for the study, which won’t exceed $45,000, is provided by the Chautauqua County Housing Trust, Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, Northwest Savings Bank and Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation.

WRFA Public Affairs Director Jason Sample moderates a roundtable discussion on economic development in Jamestown, NY. The show coincided with WRFA’s 10th Anniversary Celebration and was recorded on Friday, September 12, 2014.

Panelists included:

The panelists who took part in WRFA’s 2014 roundtable discussion on economic development.

DR DAVID KEARNS
Vice President for Engagement and Economic Development at The State University of New York at Fredonia.

JENNIFER GIBSON
Senior District Executive Officer with Northwest Savings Bank; Co-Chair of the Jamestown Strategic Planning & Partnership Commission; president of the United Way of Southern Chautauqua County; and current board member of the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation.

PETER LOMBARDI
Deputy Director of the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation, where he provides planning, research, grant-writing and project management support for JRC. Prior to joining the JRC, Lombardi was a senior research associate at the University at Buffalo’s Regional Institute and an adjunct assistant professor at UB’s School of Architecture and Planning.

JOHN SLENKER
Has served as Associate Economist for the New York State Department of Labor, Western New York district, for more than two decades.

DANIEL HAMISTER
Senior Vice-President & Chief Investment Officer for the Hamister Group, Inc. – based out of Amherst, NHY. Hamister is responsible for locating and purchasing real estate for new development of hotels and senior living residences as well as strategic business acquisitions. His company is currently involved with renovating the former Ramada Inn on W. Fourth St. in Jamestown, which is slated to reopen as the
Doubletree by Hilton in the summer of 2015.

ABOUT: Community Matters is a half-hour public affairs program airing every Thursday evening at 6 p.m. and Sunday at Noon on WRFA-LP 107.9 FM in Jamestown, N.Y.

10th Anniversary Celebration with 10,000 Maniacs, Rolling Hills Radio with Ken Hardley, and more!

JAMESTOWN – The area’s only locally owned and operated non-religious radio station, WRFA (107.9 FM Jamestown, streaming at www.WRFALP.com), will celebrate 10 years on the local airwaves on Saturday, Sept. 13 with an afternoon and evening of live radio programing that includes interviews and musical performances.

• ACCESS LIVE STREAM (STARTS AT 2:40PM)

SEPT. 13 SCHEDULE:

• 3 p.m. – Interviews with community members and local non-profit organization leaders (Streaming and broadcasting);
• 4 p.m. – Community Matters roundtable discussion on local economic development with community leaders, hosted by Jason Sample (Streaming and broadcasting);
• 5 p.m. – Rolling Hills Radio with Ken Hardley with special guests John Latini and Miche Fambro (live at the Reg Studio Theater and streaming, broadcasting) (Get Tickets);
• 7 p.m. – Interviews with WRFA and Reg Lenna Staff (Streaming and broadcasting);
• 8 p.m. – Live concert with 10,000 Maniacs (live at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts and streaming, broadcasting) (Get Tickets).

10 Years of Community Radio

WRFA began broadcasting as a non-commercial, low power radio station on Sept. 13, 2004 with a mission to provide educational and volunteer radio programming to listeners in the Jamestown area. It was started by musician Dennis Drew from 10,000 Maniacs, with a broadcast license held by the Arts Council for Chautauqua County.

Since its first broadcast, the station has grown to include online streaming, a variety of volunteer-produced programs and a public affairs department that focuses on news and issues affecting the greater Jamestown Community. Today, the station continues to operate with an independent spirit, mixing syndicated public radio programming with locally produced music, news and public affairs shows. Its license is currently held by Reg Lenna Center for The Arts.

Celebration Begins with Community Matters Roundtable

The 10-year anniversary celebration starts on Friday, Sept. 12 with a special recording of Community Matters, a program that focuses on issues that relate to the Jamestown and Chautauqua Region.

The program will feature a roundtable discussion on the future of economic development in the Jamestown area and will include officials from both local and state governments. The program will be moderated by WRFA Public Affairs Director Jason Sample. The program will be streamed online on Saturday, Sept. 13 beginning at 4 p.m.

Special Rolling Hills Radio Performance

On Saturday, Sept. 13 at 5 p.m., the 35th episode of Rolling Hills Radio with host, Ken Hardley, will be broadcast live and streamed online from the Studio Theater (adjacent to The Reg) before a live audience.

Rolling Hills Radio, features singer/songwriters and small groups from around the nation and locally who perform Americana, folk, country and other roots music. Hardley will be joined on stage by Michigan’s John Latini and Miche Fambro from Geneseo, N.Y.

The show begins at 5 p.m. and is free to the public, but tickets must be ordered ahead of time at The Reg box office.

10,000 Maniacs at the Reg Lenna

Jamestown’s 10,000 Maniacs are part of a small group of American bands that defined college rock during the 1980’s and 1990’s. For over three decades they have written and performed powerful, danceable and socially conscious original music including “What’s The Matter Here?”, “Like The Weather” and “These Are Days.” The group toured extensively and independently produced their own records years before the industry caught on. After signing with Elektra Records, they achieved international fame with several albums, including the acclaimedOur Time In Eden.

Since the departure of original singer, Natalie Merchant and the death of founding member Robert Buck, the band has settled with a lineup including original members, Steve Gustafson and Dennis Drew, longtime drummer Jerry Augustyniak, guitar player Jeff Erickson and their vocalist since 1994, Mary Ramsey. The Maniacs released the album, Music From The Motion Picture in 2013 and is currently working on their new album, Twice Told Tales.

The Maniacs played at The Reg in 2006 and, in 2011, celebrated 30 years with concerts at Jamestown Community College (JCC) and an art retrospective at The Reg’s 3rd On 3rd Gallery.  Drew, who continues to serve as General Manager of WRFA, is no stranger to starting up radio stations. Before his time with 10,000 Maniacs, he and bassist Gustafson started JCC’s first radio station.

Tickets for 10,000 Maniacs are $10. Limited premium seating is available for $25.

V.I.P. packages may also purchased. These include tickets to the concert, a pre-show reception on The Reg mezzanine and a meet and greet after the concert with the band in the 3rd On 3rd Gallery.The packages are priced at $60 and $75 and include food and beverages from local businesses including Sandee’s Bakery, Hartley’s Potato Chips, Stedman Corners Coffee Roasters, Gypsy Moon Cake Co., Tom’s Place, Lone Palm Cookie Company, Ecklof Bakery, Fresh Picked Vegetarian Delicatessen, Peterson’s Candies and Southern Tier Brewing Company.

Live Streaming of All Events

Live streams of all the anniversary programs can be found on Sept. 13 at www.WRFALP.com. Streaming services will be provided by event sponsors, Digitell, Inc. and the official provider of voice and data for the Reg Lenna Center for The Arts, DFT Communications. Other sponsors include Shults Auto Group, Arthur R. Gren Company, Inc., Hogan Energy Consulting and Northwest Savings Bank.

Tickets for all of these events can be purchased and more information can be found at www.reglenna.com or by calling (716) 484-7070. The box office is open week days between 10 a.m.and 5 p.m. Reg Lenna Center for The Arts is located at 116 East Third Street with convenient street and ramp parking.

It’s all part of the Renaissance Block Challenge, a neighborhood revitalization effort of the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation (JRC) that uses small matching grants to support physical improvements and build stronger connections between neighbors.

To apply for Renaissance Block status in 2014, neighbors must form a cluster of at least five property owners who intend to make exterior home improvements during 2014. A simple pre-application listing those properties is due by March 14.

Copies of the pre-application can be found at the JRC’s Web site, www.jamestownrenaissance.org, or requested from Mary Maxwell, the JRC’s Neighborhood Project Associate, at 664-2477 ext. 224.

Since 2011, 15 neighborhood clusters with nearly 150 participating property owners have received Renaissance Block status. Those properties have invested $400,000 into eligible improvements, including painting, porch repair, landscaping, and a wide range of other upgrades. Each participant has received up to $1,000 in matching funds to offset their expenses, and access to discounts from local garden center and hardware stores.

The program has been supported in the past by the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation, the Lenna Foundation, Northwest Savings Bank, the Chautauqua County Housing Trust Fund, the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce and the Darrah Fund. Businesses that have provided special discounts to participants have included Brigiotta’s, Mike’s Nursery, Chautauqua Brick, Everydays True Value, and Sandberg Kessler.