Architect Chris Cooke presents on Prendergast Landing Project to Jamestown Planning Commission (May 16, 2023)

The Jamestown Planning Commission received an update on the Shawbucks and Prendergast Landing projects at their monthly meeting.

Project Architect Chris Cooke presented on the Prendergast Landing project which is located at the corner of Fairmount Avenue and West Eighth Street. The property was formerly owned by The Resource Center before being purchased in November 2021 by Rahsaan Graham under Jade Empire LLC.

Cooke said the first floor will be retail and mixed use space, “..with a cafe in the back corner. This office level here on the second floor will be a WeWork kind of model, which is small offices for start-up businesses. The third floor will be three apartments there used for a mix of short-term and long-term rentals.”

Cooke said an elevator and ramp entry will be added to the back of the building for accessibility. He said Jade Empire is the developer of the project and that they have already worked with the New York State Historic Preservation Office to find information on the building which was built in the 1880s.

Shawbucks owner Kurt Johnson provided an update on his project to renovate the existing restaurant and bar.

Johnson said he was approved to purchase a 25-foot sidewalk owned by the city in August 2021 so that he could build a three-story balcony on the West Second Street side of the building, “Phase one is moving the bathrooms to the back of the building so that the front of the building is visible. We’ll be leaving eight feet of sidewalk on the front and the sides of the building, which is more space between the buildings than the ones around us. So, right now we’ve started relocating the bathrooms into the back of the building. We’ve got our permit, our first inspection.”

Johnson also plans to build an elevator to increase access to all floors of the building. He said the second floor will include event space, restrooms, and a second kitchen. Johnson added that a future phase of the project would be to turn the rooftop into a green space.

Both projects will likely come back before the Planning Commission in June for site plan approval.

2022 Laurel Run Poster by Lexi Holmes of Jamestown High School

High School students are being invited to participate in a logo contest for the annual Laurel Memorial Run and Walk.

The logo contest is open to high school students in Chautauqua County. The student who designs the winning entry will receive a $100 gift card to a business of their choosing.

Design entries should not be too intricate, since the design needs to reproduce well on a T-shirt. Artists also are encouraged to submit original designs, rather than using artwork they find on the Internet or through other sources.

Laurel Run was started in 1997 by Wayne and Elaine Hotelling of Silver Creek. The annual event is named in honor of their oldest daughter, Laurel, who had Down syndrome. The Run/Walk seeks to raise awareness and appreciation about the achievements of people with Down syndrome and other types of disabilities.

It raises money for Filling the Gap, Inc., which works with The Resource Center to support people with disabilities and their families in Chautauqua County.

Designs must be received by Monday, April 17. Internal voting at The Resource Center and Filling the Gap will identify the finalists. The public then will have the opportunity to vote online to help determine the winning design.

Designs can be submitted to:

Laurel Run Logo Contest
c/o Filling the Gap
92 Fairmount Avenue
Jamestown, NY, 14701.

They also may be submitted electronically to kayla.bohall@fillingthegap.net. All entries become the property of Filling the Gap.

The 27th annual Laurel Memorial Run/Walk is set for July 14 and 15. The traditional Jamestown-to-Dunkirk relay run will take place Friday, July 14. The following morning in Silver Creek, there will be an 8-kilometer running race, a 5k walk, a 1k fun walk, children’s runs, and “Laurel’s Memorial Lap” (a free event that is open to anyone who has a disability).

For more information about the logo contest or the Laurel Memorial Run/Walk, call 716-661-4735.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced more than $3.3 million in federal funding will be administered through the state Office of Mental Health to help providers better serve children and youth who are dually diagnosed with mental illness and a developmental disability or substance use disorder.

The Chautauqua County Department of Mental Hygiene, The Resource Center, and New Directions Youth and Family Services all will receive funding. The state did not specify amounts being awarded to individual agencies.

JPS Director of Student Support Services Chad Bongiovanni

There is a high demand of students in mental health crisis in the Jamestown Public Schools District.

JPS Director of Student Support Services Chad Bongiovanni, presenting to the Jamestown School Board, said 1 in 6 children in the United States ages 6 to 17 experience a mental health condition a year, “About half of those youth with mental health conditions receive treatment in the past year. School-based and school-linked mental health services reduce barriers to needed treatment and add supports, especially for under-served communities. So that is national data here in the United States. What we know is that in high need communities, such as Jamestown, that data is likely far worse.”

Bongiovanni said if the math of 1 in 6 students experiencing a mental health condition was applied to Jamestown, that would be around 800 students a year.

He said the district contracts with community agencies, such as Chautauqua County Mental Hygiene, Family Service of the Chautauqua Region, and The Resource Center to help provide behavioral health services.

Mental Hygiene Program Coordinator Tom Fadale said they have staff at Bush and Washington Schools and serve approximately 90 students a year, “So those clinicians that are at each school can offer a full range of social work services for those students. If they have further needs, they’re linked already to the Chautauqua County Mental Hygiene clinic so they can get further services or they could coordinate with the student’s already existing clinician or PCP.”

Family Service Clinical Director Julie Chipman said Family Service provides counseling services to between 240 and 270 students a year at Jamestown High School, and at Persell, Ring, Love, and Fletcher schools, “We also provide family intervention, crisis support services, and coordinating care with the other providers. And because we do not have a psychiatrist within our service, we also coordinate with the clinics – Chautauqua County Mental Hygiene, The Resource Center, and UPMC Behavioral Health, as well as family doctors to be able to work with them on medications, if they’re needed and when they’re prescribed.”

The Resource Center Director of Behavioral Health Kate Curtis said TRC typically serves between 50 to 75 students a year at the high school.

She said the staff member assigned there took another position and that the new person will be starting in October, “We were awarded a grant through OMH (Office of Mental Health) to open a satellite clinic which we decided to open up at the Tech Academy. We’re hoping by the end of this year we’ll also be able to provide services for social work and out-patient mental health services at the Tech Academy. Right now, we’re accepting referrals, but we’re really kind of looking at starting new.”

Bongiovanni said early intervention is key with providing all student social-emotional learning as well as access to a guidance counselor and psychologist. He said staff needs to be trained in the “look fors,” “One training I just became certified in over the summer was youth mental health first aid. And that’s something we are, that I’m turn-keying with our behavioral support staff. And the biggest take away from that is being able to identify those in need. It’s not about diagnosing. It’s not about actually treating, but it’s helping people to understand those signs, those indicators.”

School Board President Paul Abbott requested the group provide an update on behavioral health in the schools in the Spring.

City Principal Planner Ellen Shadle will moderate the discussion from 5:30 to 7:00pm at The Resource Center parking lot on the north side of their 869 East Second Street facility. The event is open to all Jamestown community members with a special invitation to those who identify East Second Street as the central corridor of their neighborhood.

The discussion will be framed by, but not limited to, housing, people, and neighborhood. It will address not only the existing conditions of the area, but also provide a platform for attendees to share their stories and lived experiences as a resident of or adjacent to East Second Street.

Business owners and operators are also encouraged to attend and share their experiences and needs for viability and sustainability. DOD staff say tonight’s discussion will help steer and inform future quarterly community discussions.

Future “community convenings” are tentatively scheduled for:
– Southside, November 17, 2022
– Westside, February 16, 2023
– Northside, May 18, 2023

Locations are still being determined with dates and times subject to change.

For more information, visit the Department of Development’s page on the city’s website at jamestownny.gov, or contact Ellen Shadle at 716-483-7657.

The Department said a traumatic event can affect someone emotionally, physically, and mentally. Fear and anxiety about a traumatic event can overwhelm and cause strong emotions. Staff emphasized that these feelings are normal and that everyone reacts differently to stressful situations.

If you have seen or been through a traumatic event, Mental Hygiene offers the following tips that may be helpful:
– Talk to someone. Talking about it may feel uncomfortable, but it may help you feel better. Talk to friends, your partner, family, or a counselor. Talking about it is a step toward healing.
– Keep active. Physical activity is an excellent way to reduce stress. Go outside and get some fresh air.
– Do something that brings you joy. Spend time with your pets or get away to a spot where you feel your best.
– Eat well and get enough sleep to feel rested. Feeling physically healthy can help you feel emotionally strong.
– Avoid using alcohol or drugs as a way of coping.
– Avoid social media doom scrolling, and news broadcasts where messaging may be triggering.

If you are interested in receiving help for yourself or someone you are concerned about, community resources are available here:

Community Resources:
· Chautauqua County Crisis Hotline: 1-800-724-0461, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week;
· Chautauqua County Mental Hygiene Mobile Crisis Team : (716) 363-3684 available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. ;
· Chautauqua County Mental Hygiene Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, Jamestown: (716) 661-8330, Dunkirk: (716) 363-3550;
· UPMC Chautauqua Outpatient Behavioral Health Program, Dunkirk: (716) 363-0018, Jamestown (716) 664-8641;
· The Resource Center Mental Health Services, Jamestown: (716) 661-1590, Dunkirk: (716) 366-7660;
· Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County, Support and Linkages: (716) 661-9044;
· The Chautauqua Center, Jamestown: (716) 484-4334, Dunkirk (716) 363-6050;
· Family Service of the Chautauqua Region: 1-888-358-3899;
· NYS HOPEline , telephone support and referral line available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to treat addictions. Text or call: 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369);
· National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988;
· Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the USA, anytime, about any crisis;
· Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) website www.SAMHSA.gov can provide additional information and resources for mental health care. Their national Disaster Distress Helpline, 1-800-985-5990, is available 24/7, 365 days a year.

2022 Laurel Run Poster by Lexi Holmes of Jamestown High School

The annual Laurel Run kicks off Friday, July 15.

The event was created to honor Laurel Hotelling, who had down syndrome and to celebrate people with Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities.

Representatives from The Resource Center and other organizations will take turns running legs of the 31-mile relay run from Jamestown to TRC’s location in Dunkirk.

On Saturday, there will be events from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. in Silver Creek including a 5K Walk, 1K Fun Walk, 8K Run, Children’s Fun Runs, and Laurel’s Memorial Lap.

Registration is $25 and money raised through the event will help support advocacy efforts and enhance employment and work training opportunities for adults with disabilities. For more information, visit http://fillingthegap.net/events/laurel-run/

A local resident uses a VeggieRx “prescription” voucher to get fresh fruits and vegetables from the Jamestown Mobile Market.

The Chautauqua Center has brought back its Veggie Rx program for a third year along with some new partners.

The community health center is now collaborating with The Resource Center and the Fredonia and Dunkirk Farmers Markets to participate in the Veggie Rx program.

Under the program, medical providers and other staff at partnering health care organizations give “prescription” vouchers that act as money to their patients. Those patients spend the vouchers on fresh produce at area public markets. Veggie Rx patients receive five free servings each week through the duration of the season (June 15 to September 29).

The program is made possible through a collaboration between The Chautauqua Center and the Jamestown Public Market and is funded through TCC’s sponsorship of the Mobile Market.

In the southern portion of the county, vouchers can be redeemed weekly at any of the six Jamestown Mobile Market stops. Patients in the northern part of the county can redeem their coupons weekly at the Dunkirk and Fredonia Farmers Markets.

For the complete schedule and more information, visit www.jtownpublicmarket.org.

Rendering of Edgewater Art House

A joint project between the City of Jamestown and The Resource Center to create an art studio on the Riverwalk has received a $195,000 grant.

The funding comes from an Empire State Development grant.

The proposed Edgewater Art House project will be located on Eighth Street across from the future Riverwalk Community Skatepark and McCrea Point Park. The project will re-purpose a storage garage currently located at the Edgewater Day Habilitation Site.

The Arthouse will provide access to an indoor and outdoor art studio for people with disabilities and the community at-large. The community art classes provided will include painting, drawing, mixed media, ceramics and a gallery space to showcase the art.

The Resource Center President and CEO Denise Jones said they hope to break ground on the project this Spring.

The test kits are from a New York Department of Homeland Security initiative.

Each site will receive 100 test kits. Each resident may only pick-up one test kit, which includes two (2) tests.

Mayor Eddie Sundquist said during the City Council work session that 500 masks made by and donated by The Resource Center will be available as well as free hand sanitizer.

Test Kits in Jamestown will be available at the following locations:

– The James Prendergast Library will have walk-in pickup available starting at 1pm, Wednesday, January 12
– The Jamestown Community College back parking lot near the Science Building will have a drive-thru pickup available at 3pm, Wednesday, January 12
– A drive-thru pickup will take place at 5pm, Wednesday, January 12 at the Persell Middle School Baker Street Bus Loop
– Christ First United Methodist Church will have a drive thru pickup starting at 3pm, Thursday January 13

– And a drive-thru pickup will take place at 5pm at the Allen Park Rink Parking Lot on Thursday, January 13

Test kits will be available on a first come, first served basis.

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The Village of Falconer announced it has received a limited number of COVID-19 test kits and masks for distribution to Village residents.

Interested village residents can pick up test kits and masks in the Village Community Building lobby Tuesday, January 11 from 5:00-6:00 p.m.

This will be on a first come, first serve basis and proof of residency is required.

For more information, contact the Village Clerk at (716) 665-4400.