On Sept. 9 local, state and federal officials announced $10.5 million in federal funding to assist businesses in Chautauqua County during the COVID-19 pandemic. From left to right – Assemblyman Andrew Goodell; Joel Frushone, EDA Director – Office of External Affairs; Anthony Foti, Intergovernmental Affairs Director – U.S. Department of Commerce; Richard Dixon, CFO – County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency; Congressman Tom Reed; Senator George Borrello; County Executive Paul Wendel; Mayor Wilfred Rosas; Crystal Surdyk, Interim Director of Development for the City of Jamestown; Michael Metzger, Chairman of the Board for the CCIDA and VP for Finance and Administration at SUNY Fredonia.

JAMESTOWN – The Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency has allocated more than half of the federal CARES Act money it recently received to assist businesses throughout the county during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In September, The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced the county IDA was selected to receive a $10.5 million grant to establish a new, low-interest Revolving Loan Fund (RLF). Both businesses and non-profit organizations are allowed to apply for the funding as a means to respond to economic injury resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

As currently established, the new RLF provides loans of no less than $25,000 and not to exceed $1 Million, and working capital loans of up to $250,000, with an interest rate of 2.44% (the lowest allowed).

The first round of funding – totaling more than $5.7 million, was awarded during the Tuesday IDA board meeting – going to 28 businesses and non-profit entities.

Of the 28 loan approvals, six of them covered more than half the total amount being borrowed:

• $700,000 to SKB Auto Sales (Fredonia)
• $646,650 to Big Inlet Brewing (Mayville)
• $500,000 to Cockaigne Resort (Cherry Creek)
• $494,460 to Artone (Jamestown)
• $375,000 to Heritage Ministries (Gerry)
• $375,000 to Advanced Production Group (Dunkirk)

The remaining loans were as follows:

• $322,000 to Luscombe Aircraft Corporation (Jamestown)
• $250,000 to La Quinta/ Holiday Inn Express/ Hampton Inn (Jamestown)
• $227,000 to Pace’s Pizzeria (Jamestown)
• $200,000 to Webb’s Candies, Inc./ Webb’s Motel Inc. (Mayville)
• $182,183 to Kimbert Manufacturing dba Barton Tool Inc. (Falconer)
• $125,000 to Ark Wholesale, LLC (Fredonia)
• $125,000 to Brigiottas Farmland Produce & Garden Center Inc. (Jamestown)
• $125,000 to Corvus Bus & Charter, Inc. (Falconer)
• $125,000 to Excelco/Newbrook, Inc. (Silver Creek)
• $125,000 to Falconer Hotel, LLC (Falconer)
• $125,000 to International Ordnance Technologies (Jamestown)
• $125,000 to Pucci Carpet One Furniture & Bedding, Inc. (Fredonia)
• $115,000 to Shawbucks, Inc. (Jamestown)
• $125,000 to Webb’s Harbor Restaurant and Bowling Lanes, Inc. (Mayville)
• $87,500 to Bilicki Law Firm, PC (Jamestown)
• $85,000 to Skate Shop (Jamestown)
• $75,000 to The Original Crunch Roll Factory, LLC (Westfield)
• $41,000 to Merritt Estate Winery, Inc. (Forestville)
• $35,000 to Ivory Acres Weddings LLC (Frewsburg)
• $25,000 to Uhl Ventures LLC dba Servpro of Jamestown/Olean (Jamestown)

IDA Director Mark Geise reminds businesses that the application and program details are still currently available, and urges anyone interested in applying to contact the CCIDA office at 661-8900.

The Jamestown Post-Journal is reporting Wednesday that Ben and James Webb – who operate Webb’s Captain’s Table in Mayville – attended this week’s Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency meeting to offer more details on their plan to build a 32-unit condominium hotel near Lakeside Park in Mayville. The proposed building would be five stories tall and 180 feet in length. Because of the height of the structure, the Webb’s would need approval from the village zoning board before it could proceed with development.

Each of the hotel’s 32 units would be composed of one-to-three bedrooms. While the business would operate as a hotel, each condominium would be owned by four-to-six owners.

The two are hoping for a groundbreaking in the spring of 2016 would lead to the new condominium/hotel potentially opening in the spring of 2017. But before groundbreaking can begin, they need approval for variances.

A vote on the project will take place at the Mayville zoning board of appeal’s Oct. 20 meeting.

In addition to a presentation by David Owen Brown, CWC Executive Director John Jablonski III will also provide an update on CWC’s lakeshore buffer, stream erosion control and watershed conservation projects.

CWC members, municipal officials and the general public are invited to attend the annual meeting at a cost of $45.00 per person for a buffet style dinner.

A welcoming reception with hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar will begin at 4:30 PM, followed by the annual meeting at 5:30 p.m.

Reservations are required by the end of day on Wednesday, July 30th.  To make a reservation, mail a check (made payable to the CWC) to the Conservancy at 413 North Main Street, Jamestown, NY, 14701 or call 664-2166 or visit www.chautauquawatershed.org to pay by credit card.

Chautauqua Region Farm to Table is sponsoring this event and invites farmers and producers of artisanal foods, restaurant owners, chefs, institutions, grocery stores, and other buyers and consumers of local foods. Participants will be able to network, learn about current Farm to Table efforts, and provide feedback and suggestions on how to further the “buy local” movement in the Chautauqua County region.  Wine will be provided by Johnson Estate Winery and hors d’oeuvres by Webb’s Captain’s Table.

Chautauqua Region Farm to Table, a grass roots organization committed to “putting more local foods on our tables” whether in our homes or in local restaurants or schools,  wants to make it easier for more locally grown and raised food to be purchased by local families, visitors, chefs, schools and other institutions. The organization has grown from an informal group to a committed body of individuals who meet with farmers, restaurant owners, grocers and school personnel. These meetings have resulted in an action plan to encourage buying local.

In the spring of 2013, Chautauqua Region Farm to Table received funding to develop an easy-to-use website and database of farmers and artisanal food producers. Funding came from Creating Healthy Places to Live, Work, and Play, a NYS initiative to promote healthy lifestyles and prevent obesity and type two diabetes, and the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation. This website will be accessible to individuals buying for themselves and their families, to chefs, and to larger distributors and institutional buyers. Chautauqua Region Farm to Table is working with the website design team, Urban and Dilworth, to develop the site scheduled to be online in mid-2013.

For more information, please visit the Chautauqua Region Farm to Table Facebook page. Reservations are not required for the May event.