“So the fact that we’re still working on behalf of our kids, our youth, here in the City of Jamestown to make sure we have a space where they can be the best they can be is so incredibly important.”
The $500-thousand dollar project is being funded through a $250-thousand dollar grant from The Skatepark Project, formerly known as the Tony Hawk Foundation, and the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation.

The Skatepark Project‘s Trevor Staples said the process for Jamestown to get this park started 3-years ago with the Built To Play program when he reached out to Jamestown Skate Products owner Pete Scheira,

“And I was going to give him all the information about the new grant program and he said ‘I’m already working on the application,’ so he’s really got his act together and Pete Scheira is really the driving force behind all this. This couldn’t be possible without the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation who’s funded up to 20 skateparks throughout the region, so at least 10 in Western New York”

Scheira, as part of the Skate J-T-N-Y group led the community fundraising for the park,

“We started raising money for this, I’d say, with the Active Artists Alliance about 10 years ago. We started having skateboard art deck shows and just keeping the money put away in a bank account waiting for this day to happen. But really we never knew where it was going to be. We just knew some day that the time would be right and the skatepark would happen and kept having the shows.”

The matching funds of $250-thousand dollars were raised by the City of Jamestown, SK8 JTNY, and the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation. The City also was awarded at $50-thousand dollar grant for green infrastructure as part of the project due to its proximity to the Chadakoin River.

Officials anticipate the skate park will be fully constructed and opened by the end of this summer.

“The idea is to create a world-class skatepark based and located on the banks of the Chadakoin River at 117 Fairmount Avenue. We created a design that accommodates users of all ages and ability levels and skills. The design should accommodate both skateboarders as well as inline skaters.”

Shapiro said the site used to be a former factory, so elements of the old building will be incorporated into the design,

“Also there was a bridge that was taken down somewhere in Jamestown, but there are these grider pieces so we going to incorporate those into the design as well.”

Shapiro said community input was received from two public meetings that were held online due to the pandemic. The site plan shows two phases, with only phase one being planned for construction in this round of funding.

Construction is proposed to start in May with the grand opening of the park planned for August. The park cost is $550,000 and is being funding through grants from the SkatePark Project and Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation.

JAMESTOWN – The Jamestown City Council has given its endorsement to the submission of three applications for the latest round of development funding from New York State Empire Development’s Consolidated Funding Application program. The endorsements include a last-minute resolution involving a $1.5 million grant submission for the redevelopment of the historic Furniture Mart building in downtown Jamestown.

• LISTEN TO INTERVIEW WITH MAYOR TERESI VIA SOUNDCLOUD

The Jamestown City Council during its June 24 voting session.

According to the resolution added under new business Monday night, the grant application is being submitted by the Gebbie Foundation for the redevelopment of the Furniture Mart Building at 111 West Second Street and the construction of an adjacent multi-level parking facility.

Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi said Gebbie is working with a yet-to-be-named, out of town developer on helping to secure funding for the project, which would have a total estimated price tag of $20 million. The proposed project will include a mix of commercial and residential units in the 172,000 square-foot, nine story structure, along with an estimated 300+ parking spaces.

If the project were to move forward, it would require the developer to purchase the property from the current owner Art Bailey under the name US Comm Habitat Co. According to the county tax map, the full property value is $800,000.

Before the Gebbie Foundation could submit the grant application, it had to have the city council’s support for the submission. The council voted 9-0 in favor of the resolution.

The Furniture Mart building at the corner of W Second and Washington Streets.

The Gebbie also tried to secure state funding for a redevelopment of the property in 2017 when it was included in the local list of prospective projects for the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant. That application was made on behalf of Ellicott Development Company, whose chairman is Buffalo area developer and former Gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino. It ultimately was left off of the final list of projects that would be sharing the $10 million in funding.

In addition to the Furniture Mart CFA grant submission, the city council gave its unanimous approval to two other CFA submissions.

One would be for $200,000 in funding for the Enchanted Mountain Spirits distillery to help pay for its $500,000 relocation effort from its previous location on Water St. to its new location at the former HSBC Bank building in downtown Jamestown.

The Jamestown Renaissance Corporation (JRC) is sponsoring the Enchanted Mountain Spirits relocation effort and the businesses is operated by Mick O’Neill.  O’Neill told WRFA earlier this month that if all funding for the relocation is secure, his operation will begin producing spirits out of the new location by March of next year, with a goal of employing 40+ within three years.

The other CFA application was for $100,000 for the proposed Jamestown Skatepark Project.

An artistic rendering of what the Jamestown Skatepark could look like once built (image courtesy of Jamestown Department of Development)

Earlier this year it was announced that the project was awarded a Built to Play Skatepark grant of up to $250,000 in matching funds. Built to Play Skatepark Grants are made possible through a partnership between the Tony Hawk Foundation and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr., Foundation.

The up to $250,000 award requires the Jamestown community to raise at least $50,000 in local matching funds in order to qualify for the Built to Play grant money, but includes ongoing support and guidance from Tony Hawk Foundation staff. The skatepark would be a poured concrete structure. The proposed location would be the site of the former Jamestown Trolley building between the Chadakoin River and the West Third Street to Fairmount Avenue section of the Greater Jamestown Riverwalk, fronting Fairmount Avenue.

Because the proposed site is in the designated downtown development area, it is eligible to apply for the CFA funding. In addition to the CFA grant, the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation has also established a local fund for residents and businesses to donate.

Once the applications are submitted, the Empire State Development council will review and announce whether or not it will receive any or all the grant funding by the end of this year.

The council also approved submitting the 2019 Community Development Block Grant action plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This year the city will get just under $1.17 million in CDBG funds and just over $315,000.

One application will be sponsored by the city and involves a request of $100,000 in funding for the proposed new skate park that will be located across the Jones and Gifford Avenue, from the McCrea Point Boat Landing.

The skateboard park is a project that was announced earlier this year when the city said the Tony Hawk Foundation would offer a matching grant of up to $250,000 for the new skate park.

In addition to the CFA, other funding sources for the skate park will come from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and a local fundraising effort spear-headed by Jamestown Skate Products in collaboration with the Chautauqua Regional Community Foundation.

ENCHANTED MOUNTAIN SPIRITS SEEKING FUNDING FOR RELOCATION

The former HSBC Bank location in downtown Jamestown, future home of Enchanted Mountain Spirits

In addition to the skate park, city officials also heard from Mick O’Neill from Enchanted Mountain Spirits and Peter Miraglia from the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation (JRC).

The JRC is sponsoring a $200,000 CFA for Enchanted Mountain Spirits to help pay for its $500,000 relocation effort from its previous location on Water St. to its new location at the former HSBC Bank building (previously occupied by Galactic Systems Headquarters) on the northwest corner of Second and North Main Streets.

O’Neill said if all funding for the relocation is secure, his operation will begin producing spirits out of the new location by March of next year, with a goal of employing 40+ within three years.

The city council must review all local CFA applications before they are sent to the state for review. That action will likely take place during its June voting session. All CFAs must be submitted/finalized online by 4 p.m. on July 26. The applicants will find out if they’ve received the money and just how much they will be getting by the end of the year.

Mayor Sam Teresi, city officials, Tony Hawk Foundation’s Trevor Staples (back row, third from right), Jamestown Skate Products’ Pete Scheira (front row, second from left, kneeling), and other community members gathered for the announcement of a skate park project grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation (photo courtesy of city of Jamestown)

The City of Jamestown and the locally-driven Jamestown Skatepark Project have been awarded a Built to Play Skatepark grant of up to $250,000 in matching funds.

A special announcement was made Thursday at city hall to provide more details.  Built to Play Skatepark Grants are made possible through a partnership between the Tony Hawk Foundation (THF) and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr., Foundation.

The up to $250,000 award requires the Jamestown community to raise at least $50,000 in local matching funds, but includes ongoing support and guidance from Tony Hawk Foundation staff.

THF has been assisting local groups in the U.S. to create free, public skateparks since 2002, and to-date has helped open 556 skateparks in all 50 States.

According to city officials, the proposed local skatepark would be a poured concrete structure with a location at the site of the former Jamestown Trolley building between the Chadakoin River and the West Third Street to Fairmount Avenue section of the Greater Jamestown Riverwalk, fronting Fairmount Avenue.

The location is directly across from 8th Street just before the Fairmount Avenue Bridge and down the Chadakoin River from the McCrea Point Park Boat Landing.

During Tuesday’s Parks, Recreation and Conservation Commission meeting, the Post-Journal is reporting that city rec coordinator Julia Ciesla-Hanley said the city has been selected to receive a matching grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation.

The funding will be between $50,000 to $250,000 and will help to create a second outdoor skate park in the city.

The new skate park will be constructed near the Parks Department garage, which is located near the underpass at the Sixth Street Bridge that leads to McCrea Point Park to the north or the West Gate Plaza to the south.

A more formal announcement about receiving the grant will be made by city officials later this month.