Gebbie Foundation CEO Greg Edwards addresses Jamestown City Council (November 7, 2022)

The executive directors of the Community Foundation and Gebbie Foundation made pleas to Jamestown City Council to move forward with American Rescue Plan funding.

Chautauqua Region Community Foundation Executive Director Tory Irgang, speaking to Council, reminded them how CRCF helped compile the community feedback from public information sessions held in 2021 on how to use the ARPA funds.

She said it’s easy to adopt a “scarcity mindset,” “A time when partnerships and collaborations can be mistaken as weakness. However, we have proven in this community what can happen when we have an abundance mindset. We work through public, private partnerships every day to achieve tremendous results. And I encourage each of you to lean into that shared experience by aligning the remaining ARPA funding with community-based projects that have significant leveraging opportunities.”

Irgang said projects that had been evaluated and awarded other funding from government and philanthropic sources should be considered, “Projects that provide infrastructure and programming for children and young adults, projects that yield measurable results, deliver significant community benefit, and address challenges that are multi-faceted. As we know all too well in philanthropy, our needs are always greater than our resources, but we can meet so many more needs when we collaborate and work together.”

Gebbie Foundation CEO Greg Edwards said the city has been very successful at finding partners in its mission over the last 20 years, “Over the last 20 years, many times not-for-profits have willingly stepped up and the public-private entities have stepped up because they had seen how valuable our joint mission was and invested dramatically in trying to impact the future of the city in ways we could spend a great deal of time tonight celebrating this partnership between the city and these entities.”

Edwards encouraged funding for TheZone project at the Northwest Arena. He said the Gebbie Foundation has provided nearly $4 million in funding for that project. He also encouraged Council to support the new Jamestown YMCA project on Harrison Street.

Council member Marie Carrubba asked what the plans were for the current YMCA location on East Fourth Street.

Edwards replied that the 1929 structure is complicated with the Housing and Urban Development contract for housing that remains in place for at least 13 years, “But there have been significant conversations around how that could actually be a plus to other redevelopments potentially around the city and how that building itself could be reused. I had a conversation two months ago with a private developer who was interested in turning it into what we’ll call higher end housing because it does come with some amenities that other buildings don’t. I mean, having the gyms, the pools, those sorts of things that does provide opportunities, call it built in, that make it interesting.”

Council Member at Large Jeff Russell voiced support for a new YMCA facility.

Any funding for the projects mentioned by Edwards would possibly receive funding from the proposed Non-Profit Assistance Program. A resolution to fund that program with $1.5 million in ARP funds is still awaiting Council action.

Council member Andrew Faulkner questioned how much the 19A Home Ownership program could be funded with and still be successful. Director of Development Crystal Surdyk said $500,000 would be the absolute minimum. The current proposal is requesting $750,000.

Council member at large Russell asked why the city would contract with the Chautauqua County Land Bank for $1 million, of which 20% goes to administrative fees, when the city could do home demolitions itself.

Surdyk said $500,000 of the funds requested by the Land Bank would go to contractors to do the demolition work, with administration fees going to administer that program.

She said while the DOD can administer demolitions, as it has done in the past, there are now over 16 new programs the department is now administering on top of existing programs, “To administer effectively the demolition program and these and new grant programs that we have received over the last year, it’s just not feasible without hiring new staff, specifically to do demolition. So, we can contract with the Land Bank at a roughly 20% administrative fee which would ultimately be less than what we’d have to pay to employ somebody as a city employee.”

The Finance Committee tabled the resolutions related to funding the Chautauqua County Land Bank and 19A Home Ownership Program until the November 14 work session.

And DPW Director Jeff Lehman reported that leaf pickup is ahead of schedule with Phase 2 already underway this week. He said crews do plan to go back through the city again after the completion of Phase 2 to try to pick up any piles of leaves that were missed the first time.

Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist and City Council President Tony Dolce at City Council’s Work Session on August 22, 2022

The City of Jamestown is developing an application process for non-profits who want to request American Rescue Plan funds.

Mayor Eddie Sundquist said his administration and City Council have received a lot of requests, most in the form of presentations, requesting allocations of ARPA funds for organizations that are non-profits.

Organizations that have presented to Council in recent months asking for fund include the Jamestown YMCA, the Jamestown Public Market, the ZONE at the Northwest Arena, and the Chautauqua County Land Bank Corporation.

City Director of Development Crystal Surdyk said the application was developed based on discussions with the Mayor and Council President Tony Dolce and the form is based on business grant applications the city has, “We suggested that $1.5 million be allocated to the program. Grants not exceed $200,000. However, anything that might receive consideration for over $200,000 would be subject to a PILOT agreement with the city. Details to be determined, finalized based on discussion we might have.”
Surdyk said organizations would still need to provide information proving hardship and how the funding would address their organization’s recovery from the pandemic.

Sundquist said recognizing that non-profits do not pay taxes, the draft does include a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes for organizations receiving over $200,000 “Which would mean you’d pay, the organization would pay, a percentage of what their tax burden would be as a not-for-profit. So we initially had some discussion about 2.5% of what your tax bill would normally have been as a not-for-profit.”
Sundquist said non-profits would then have some “skin in the game.”

Councilmember Marie Carrubba requested that organizations who received PPE loans be put in a lower category for approval of funds. Surdyk agreed and that the suggestion made sense.

Sundquist and Surdyk both requested City Council provide additional input on the application so that it can move forward.

Jamestown City Council

Chautauqua County Humane Society‘s Executive Director Kellie Roberts will present on the program which will be an attempt to humanely and ethically reduce the feral cat population of the City.

The pre-file staff report says cats will be trapped, neutered or spayed; vaccinated, and returned back to the area they were found in so that they cannot reproduce or spread disease.

The city would contract with the Humane Society in the amount of $5,000 to do the program. Funding is already allocated in the City Budget.

Council also will learn about two American Rescue Plan funding proposals related to public safety.

One resolution proposes using ARP funds to purchase 63 Glock 17 service pistols and 12 Glock 19 service pistols for $9,643. The staff report said 26 Jamestown Police officers have traded in current duty weapons with 44 officers purchase their current duty weapons, which both help offset the cost of the new guns.

Another resolution proposes using $40,000 in ARP funds to purchase mobile data terminals for 12 police vehicles. The staff report said the current data terminals are outdated, failing, and cannot be upgraded.

Council also will hear a presentation by Northwest Arena on “The Zone” project.

The City Council meeting will be held at the Northwest Arena with committee meetings starting at 6:45pm with the Housing Committee and other committees meeting at 7:00 p.m. The full Council work session begins at 7:30 p.m. The meetings are open to the public and will be livestreamed at jamestownny.gov.

CCIDA CEO, Deputy County Executive Mark Geise and Chautauqua County Partnership Economic Development Specialist Kristy Kathman Show Proposed Upgrades to Chadakoin River Basin (October 5, 2021)

The City of Jamestown will receive $1.2 million for upgrades to the Chadakoin River Basin through the State’s Regional Economic Development Council Initiative.

The state funding of $1,280,661 will be used to design and construct enhancements along the Chadakoin River. These include a signature garden, mural, tiered seating space, placemaking items, a kayak launch, dock, and welcome center for visitors. Funding also will be used toward improving navigation for boaters with obstacles in the river removed and navigation aids installed.

The goal of the project is to increase public access to the water and spur economic activity in downtown Jamestown.

Jamestown also was awarded $99,000 to do a Comprehensive plan. The new plan will address community and economic development, housing, health and well-being, equity and inclusion, and energy and the environment.

The Northwest Arena‘s TheZone project also received $450,000 from the Regional Economic Developmental Council Initiative.

That projects is working on creating a new indoor activities venue for children in downtown Jamestown at the Arena that encourages kids to explore STEAM principles through physical activity.

TheZone at Northwest Arena

TheZone project at Northwest Arena has been awarded a $450,000 grant through Empire State Development.

The Jamestown Center City Development Corporation is the group that sent in a Consolidated Funding Application for the project.

TheZone will create a new indoor activities venue for children in downtown Jamestown. It will utilize space in Northwest Arena to create a center focused on technology and play, encouraging kids to explore STEAM principles through physical activity.

The announcement of funding was part of $81 million dollars being awarded to 97 projects across New York State through the Regional Economic Development Council initiative.