• VIEW MEETING AGENDA

The agenda includes a pair of resolutions that focus on replacing more than 150 light fixtures in the Cherry St. and Main St. parking ramps, in order to create more energy efficiency and long-term savings for the city.  According to City Council and Public Works Committee member Tom Nelson (D-Ward VI), the initial cost to replace the fixtures is $92,170, but that will be reduced to $74,770 after an energy efficiency rebate. He said the annual savings resulting from the new fixtures is estimated to be nearly $14,000/year. Funding for the new fixtures comes from a state grant.

The council will also act on the purchase of the Medic 35 vehicle in the Fire Department, at a cost of $30,000, which will be paid for with funding that was left over due to unexpended salaries in the Fire Department.

OPPOSITION TO JACKSON SPRING PROJECT EXPECTED

In addition to the resolutions, WRFA has learned that some residents may also attend the meeting to voice their opposition to the proposed Jackson Spring apartment development, which would be built by CODE, Inc. and would be located on North Main. St., just to the south of Crossman St. The $12 million project would involve the demolition of eight dilapidated homes and the construction of two complexes. One building will have 36 units, with 28 one-bedroom and eight two-bedroom apartments. A second complex will include seven town houses, five with two bedrooms and two with three bedrooms. The new housing complex, if approved, will also be the new location for Southwestern Independent Living Center and CODE will be working with the Chautauqua Blind Association to assist the visually impaired.

It’s worth noting the city government does not have the ability to stop the proposed project, so long as it follows local zoning and planning laws. The future of the development rests in the hands of New York State. CODE has applied for state funding from the New York State Department of Housing and Community Renewal to help pay for the proposed development, and CODE executive director Patrick Morris has said the development of Jackson Spring hinges on the state aid coming through.

Monday’s meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in the council chambers, second floor of city hall, and is open to the public.

Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi

JAMESTOWN – Mayor Sam Teresi says the recent unsolved shootings that have taken place in the city remain number one on the city’s list of issues that need to be addressed.

• LISTEN TO FULL INTERVIEW

During an interview with WRFA that will air Thursday at 5 p.m. on WRFA’s Community Matters program, Teresi will take time to focus on the shooting events that first began early Thanksgiving morning on S. Main St., leading to the death of one Buffalo man and injuring two others. Since then, four other shooting incidents have taken place in the area – the most recent happening this past Sunday afternoon at the intersection of Eighth and Prendergast Ave., resulting in one person being seriously injured and rushed to the hospital.

Teresi said that the shootings are not typical of what residents expect for Jamestown, adding that they have a right to be concerned.

“This is the number one priority for every aspect of city government, starting with our public safety operation, but continuing right on down through the team,” Teresi said. “Since the first moment that I received the call from the chief at 4 in the morning on the first shooting Thanksgiving morning, we have been in constant contact. The chief has done an outstanding job of pulling the team together. Our team at the Jamestown Police Department is all out with this, and we’re working collaboratively and getting outstanding cooperation from every level of law enforcement and public safety in the area.”

The mayor also said that while the shootings are obviously a major concern, he doesn’t think it’s an indication of a diminishing quality of life expectation for the city.

“I can understand the frustration. I can understand people that have grown up here and have grown accustomed to the wonderful, small community that we live in and their concern [that the quality of life is declining], but it’s not warranted,” Teresi said. “This is still a wonderful and safe community. These shootings are an aberration. There’s crime everywhere. I know that because I travel all over this state and all over this country meeting with leaders. But our overall crime rate is down. Our law enforcement is the best that your going to find in the business and I still say that there’s more that’s good and right about this community that whatever could possibly be wrong.”

Authorities investigate the crime scene following a shooting death that took place early Thanksgiving Morning on S. Main St. in Jamestown, NY. (Image Courtesy of 716 Network/Facebook)

The mayor also commented on the cost associated with the ongoing investigation and the increased patrols in the city, saying that while the cost of public safety may have seen an increase in recent weeks, its necessary and justified in order to work toward preventing these types of incidents from continuing.

During our conversation with the Mayor, we’ll also get his reaction to the finalized 2017 City Budget – which includes an additional $825,000 in projected state aid that was not initially put in his executive budget. And the mayor will talk about the city’s involvement in a statewide poverty reduction initiative.

Again our conversation with Mayor Teresi will be Thursday at 5 p.m. during WRFA’s Community Matters program. An encore of the program will also be broadcast on Sunday at noon.  In addition to the mayor, we’ll also hear from Pat Morris from CODE, Inc. – who will discuss his organization’s effort to build the Jackson Spring apartments on North Main Street.

Plans provided by CODE, Inc. offers some details for the revised Jackson Spring housing project. More information is expected to be revealed during a neighborhood meeting on the proposed development on Dec. 6, 2016.

JAMESTOWN – The effort to build a new housing development on Jamestown’s north side is still underway.

That’s according to Patrick Morris, executive director of CODE, Inc (Citizen’s Opportunity for Development and Equality, Inc.) – who tells WRFA that a neighborhood meeting is scheduled for Tuesday night, Dec. 6, to provide details of the revised plan to construct the Jackson Spring apartments, which would be located between N. Main and Spring Streets – and just to the south of Crossman St.

Morris says the meeting will take place at the Euclid Gardens (28 Euclid Ave.) at 7 p.m on Dec. 6. During the meeting, CODE will provide details on the reconfigured building plans, which show the structure sitting closer to N. Main St. The revised plan also includes office space for the Southwestern Independent Living Center, Inc., which is currently located in that neighborhood – near the intersection with Eighth St.

The previous version of the Jackson Spring plan included a price tag of $11 million and would have include 45 apartments. It’s not yet known if that will remain the same under the new plan.

The Jackson Spring development is not without controversy. During the January 2016 city council voting session, more than a dozen residents attended to voice their concern with the project. Much of those concerns were addressed by Morris during a subsequent housing committee meeting in February.

CODE had applied for state housing funding to help pay for the project, but the application was turned down and so the Jackson Spring development had to be put on hold. Since then, the proposal has seen some adjustments and Morris said CODE plans to reapply for funding again in 2017.

Again, the neighborhood information meeting on the revised Jackson Spring housing development will take place Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at the Euclid School apartments.

Both Patrick Morris from CODE and Jeff McCheskey from the Jamestown Housing Authority will discuss fair housing with the city’s Housing Committee during a meeting at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will take place in the police training room on the fourth floor of city hall and is open to the public.

Every April, members of HUD, local communities, fair housing advocates, and fair housing organizations across the country commemorate Fair Housing Month by hosting a variety of activities that enhance Americans’ awareness of their fair housing rights, highlight HUD’s fair housing enforcement efforts, and emphasize the importance of ending housing discrimination.

In addition to Monday’s housing committee meeting, the city council will also have a work session, scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. in the mayor’s conference room on the 4^th floor of city hall. That meeting is also open to the public.