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Thumbs up to a chance to learn more about women's suffrage and Chautauqua County's role in the movement that gave women the right to vote. The Chautauqua County Historical Society, in partnership with the Bemus Point Historical Society, will present a special lecture on the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in New York state on Saturday, Sept. 23, at 10 a.m. at Bemus Point United Methodist Church, 4954 Bemus-Ellery Road, Bemus Point. Traci Langworthy, historian and Jamestown Community College professor, will join Dr. Shannon Risk, Niagara University history professor, in a joint presentation outlining the women's suffrage movement in New York state, which began in the mid-19th century and continued until women in the state were finally given the right to vote in 1917. Risk and Langworthy will also spend time focusing on notable suffragists and organizations that took root here in Western New York and Chautauqua County. Kudos to the Chautauqua County Historical Society for planning an event that we're sure will educate those attending and serve as a fitting remembrance for the brave women who fought tirelessly and courageously for women's suffrage.
Thumbs down to a contractor error that has caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage inside the Jamestown Police Department. The department's reception area closed Thursday because of flooding from an overnight rain storm. Mayor Sam Teresi said contractors working on the Tracy Plaza reconstruction project didn't properly secure the area, which allowed rain water to pour into the police station and damage equipment, files, computers and radios. Teresi said city workers from the Parks and Public Works department, building management services and outside contractors have been helping with the cleanup and restoration. He said in-house legal staff and the city's insurance company has been working on documenting all the damage done.
Thumbs up to SKF Aeroengine in Falconer for paying off a $1 million, 20-year loan from the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency in only five years. Along with other incentives, the Al Tech Loan was issued to the developer who bought 96,000-square-feet of property and built a new world-class heat treatment facility for SKF five years ago. SKF, a lead bearing and seal company, leases the facility. New hardening and carburizing furnaces were placed in the facility to suit the low volume, high precision aerospace product manufactured in Falconer. The original developer sold the facility to a developer who didn't need the Al Tech Loan financing and simply paid off the debt. Having the Al Tech loan available, however, was a key part of keeping SKF Aeroengine and its 500 jobs in Chautauqua County rather than possibly relocating to South Carolina. The early payout also means the county has an additional $812,000 available as part of its lending portfolio.