Since 2013 the designated hub and waiting area for the buses has been in front of the Gateway Train Station along W. Second St. But in June the hub was temporarily relocated to Pine Street in downtown Jamestown as the construction of the W. Second Street Public Piazza project took place in front of the train station, which is also now part of the newly opened National Comedy Center.

In August, just days before the CARTS hub was to go back to the train station, the Chautauqua County Department of Public Facilities said it would request the hub remain on Pine Street until a new, permanent location could be found.

Borrello said that effort is still ongoing and also clarified why a new location is being sought.

“Despite whether the National Comedy Center likes or dislikes the location of the CARTS hub, our responsibility at the County, first and foremost, is to our ridership. With this Piazza created – that the city was instrumental in wanting to create with the comedy center and which I think is a wonderful thing and will have a great impact on Chautauqua County – but with all those things going on in that area, that is no longer an ideal location for a hub,” Borrello told WRFA following the County Legislature’s Sept. 26 voting session.

One of the challenges with finding a new location is whether or not that would create problems with federal transportation funding that was used as the current CARTS hub. Nearly half of the $12 million Train Station renovation involved the use of funding from the Federal Transportation Authority (FTA). As a result, Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi recently told WRFA and city the Jamestown City Council that moving the CARTS buses could  compromise the FTA funding that was received, since there really are no other transportation uses currently in place at the train station.

However, Gebbie Foundation Executive Director Greg Edwards (who also served as County Executive from 2006 through 2013) recently said in the Post-Journal that charter buses and a connection to the Riverwalk meet the transportation requirements. In addition, there is an effort to bring an excursion train service to Jamestown, though that project is still in the study and research phase.

It was Edwards who reportedly also first informed CARTS in March of this year that it would have to find a new location.

No new location has been announced for the CARTS hub and city officials have given the county until the middle of October to keep the temporary HUB at its present location along Pine Street.

That from the Chautauqua County Department of Public Facilities Director Brad Bentley, whose office oversees the CARTS operation. Bentley tells WRFA the county has asked the city to extend the length of time the buses will be using Pine St. until further notice so that a permanent solution on the CARTS bus terminal for downtown can be made.

Carts has been using the stretch of Pine Street between E. Third and E. Fourth Streets in Downtown Jamestown since June because of the street construction work that had to take place at the previous hub location along W. Second St. in front of the Gateway Train Station, which is part of the National Comedy Center (NCC). That project involved redeveloping a stretch of W. Second St. in order to create a Public Piazza for events in front of the NCC.

As part of the temporary relocation, the Jamestown City Council had to change the parking rules for the eight parking spaces along the east side of Pine St. that the CARTS buses would have to utilize. However, that change was to be in effect only until the end of August, when the construction of W. Second St. piazza project would be completed, allowing the CARTS hub to be moved back to its previous location.

As reported by WRFA in March, CARTS was required to find a new temporary hub in the downtown due to the construction and closure that took place in front of the NCC and Gateway Train Station along W. Second St., with the understanding that it would return to the NCC location at the end of August.

During the W. Second St. piazza construction, the Coach USA bus stop in front of the NCC was also temporarily moved to an area of E. Fourth St. between Prendergast and Pine Streets, but has since moved back and as of last word, will remain in front of the NCC.

WRFA reached out to city officials Friday afternoon but no word yet on whether or not the City Council will have to meet again to extend the parking rules changes beyond Sept. 1.

JAMESTOWN – The Jamestown City Council will hold a special voting session June 11 to address two matters that are of a pressing concern for the downtown.

The council will act on changing the parking rules for 8 parking spaces along the east side of Pine Street between Third and Fourth Streets.

That section of road is where the county’s CARTS buses will be using as a central downtown hub through the end of August.

As first reported by WRFA in March, CARTS was required to find a new temporary hub in the downtown due to the construction and closure that is taking place in front of the National Comedy Center and Gateway Train Station along W. Second Street.

As WRFA reported last week, the CARTS buses have been using the area of Cherry Street between W. Third and W. Fourth Streets as a temporary waiting area, although that’s created some issues with the Hotel Jamestown and its residential entrance area along Cherry St. As a result, they were looking into another temporary location with Pine St. being the location city and county officials have agreed upon.

Under the resolution that will go before the city council, the Pine St. parking spaces (which are located in the 2-hour courtesy zone of the downtown – see map below) will not be available for public use from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays in order to allow the buses to park and pick up or drop off passengers. The parking rules will remain in effect until Sept. 1, when the downtown CARTS hub will return to the area of W. Second Street.

Meanwhile, the council will also act on a resolution to a contract with Ahlstrom-Schaeffer, which was the low bidder for lighting work on the W. Second Street public piazza. Funding from the project comes from a state grant the city received earlier this year. Because officials want to have that work completed before the end of July, they felt it was important to act on the matter sooner rather than later.

The June 11 voting session will begin at 7 p.m. in the city council chambers will be open to the public, although there will not be an opportunity for public comment.

The city council will act on giving approval to the Jamestown Urban Renewal Agency to acquire a long-time dilapidated property on Lakeview Ave.

Last week, city development director Vince DeJoy and attorney Ben Haskin said JURA is looking to acquire the property, located at 402 Lakeview Ave.,in order to help see it renovated into an owner-occupied home.

The house, which has been abandoned for almost five years, will be acquired by JURA through a new state tax law that allows zombie houses to be transferred to home municipalities when certain criteria is met. Once the city owns the property, requests for proposals will then be sent out to potential developers to purchase, rehab and either live in it or sell it.

Potential developers will be able to use the city’s new Local Property Tax Abatement Incentive for redeveloping vacant and condemned properties, as well as historic tax credits, to help restore the house.

Among the other items being voted on is the application for a grant to fund new playground equipment for Chadakoin Park on the city’s north side. The costs associated with the new playground equipment is projected to be around $200,000.

The council will also vote to accept a grant from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation for $136,000 for the West Second Street public piazza project in front of the National Comedy Center. The $700,000 project will provide a pedestrian-friendly area as motor vehicle traffic through the street being blocked off. The closure and use is expected to take place only during special events and activities during certain times of the year.

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

Highlighting the council’s voting session is a resolution for the city to enter an agreement with Empire Development of Mayville for Phase II Emergency Repair work at the Jamestown Police Department. The cost of the work is to not exceed $470,900.

The main entrance of the Jamestown Police Station on E. Second St. has been closed since the flooding that occurred last fall when the contractors for the Tracy Plaza renovation project didn’t properly secure the area, allowing rainwater to pour into the station.

City officials expect the main entrance to be reopened around the beginning of May.

Meanwhile another resolution focuses on spending $282,700 on the W. second Street Public Piazza Project in front of the National Comedy Center.  The contractor for that project is R. Patti Concrete of Jamestown. Funding for the project comes from a state grand along with local foundation funding.

And the city council will also act on a resolution to spend $68,950 to repair the Concession Room at Diethrick Park, with Jamestown Roofing doing the repair work.

Monday’s Council Meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in city hall and is open to the public.

The council will act on a resolution accepting the contractor for the W. Fourth St. reconstruction project slated to begin later this Spring. In addition, it will also act on accepting state funding for the Public Piazza project in front of the National Comedy Center along W. Second St.

• VIEW FULL MARCH 19 MEETING AGENDA

In addition, a group of residents is also expected to be on hand to call on city officials to allocate a portion of the money and other assets seized from Drug Asset Forfeitures for drug rehabilitation needs in the community, rather than simply applying it toward police and public safety needs.

In a public event listing on Facebook, the group explains that most people who need to go to drug rehab cannot afford it and there needs to be more affordable treatment options in the community. They say that those options can be achieved by using money and asset forfeitures collected from Drug Dealers who’ve been arrested and prosecuted.

The group will present a petition to the city council that includes signatures from local residents, proposing that 50 percent of all money and property confiscated from drug dealers be used to fund affordable rehabs.

Monday’s city council meeting will take place at 7:30 p.m. on the second floor of city hall and will be open to the public.