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In Our Opinion

Molitor Is Best Able To Represent County Residents’ Views In Assembly

There have been a lot of issues thrown around in the race between Michael Bobseine and Andrew Molitor to see who will replace the retiring Andrew Goodell in the state Assembly. Bobseine comes with a lengthy history of public service in Chautauqua County and legislative experience through his time as a Chautauqua County legislator. He has stated his support for Proposition 1 on this year’s election ballot, redesigning health care in New York state, amending the state’s Freshwater Wetlands Act to more clearly states activities exempt from state regulation, and gun safety that he ...

Are New Sidewalks Along Route 394 Actually Needed?

There’s one question we would really like answered about proposed sidewalks on Route 394 in Lakewood - are they actually needed? The state Transportation Department has said improvements could include asphalt pavement throughout the project from the bridge west of Ashville Road to McDaniel Avenue; reconfigure road striping within the current curb to curb width; minor traffic signal improvements; replacing non-compliant curb ramps; and upgrade traffic signs. Of course, the centerpiece is the extension of sidewalks. We’ve heard a lot of back-and-forth about the project, but we ...

Only Time Will Tell If Ripley Investment Pays Off

We’ve long called for investment into shovel-ready sites in Chautauqua County. So it’s hard to be critical of a $1,999,999 federal investment in the site announced last week by U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy and Sen. Charles Schumer. We’ve heard a lot about the Ripley site over the years. Now, we may see some action come spring now that the county has secured about $13 million of the project’s original $16 million price tag. County officials are looking for another $3 million from the federal Economic Development Administration to fully pay for the work. We hope this investment ...

BPU Has Long Been Cheaper Than Alternatives. That Must Remain The Case

Jamestown Board of Public Utilities officials are testing the water on the idea of charging for yard waste stickers that allow city residents to dump their yard waste. The service has long been free to those who make the trip to the BPU’s headquarters on Steele Street and get the free sticker. Those who want to bag their yard waste and have the BPU take it away pay for a yard waste bag. Reaction to the idea has not been supported by city residents, but at least the BPU has been up front with its users by broaching the idea more than a year before changes have to be made. Nothing is ...

Questions To Answer Amid Good News Of UCAN/St. Susan’s Collaboration

It stood to reason that there would be interest in the Jamestown Business College site once the college wound down operations next spring. That interest ended up coming from an unlikely source - the St. Susan Center and United Christian Advocacy Network. The Conklin family has selflessly donated the college land and buildings to the non-profit agencies to allow them to focus on the homeless population and expand operations. It makes sense. The St. Susan Center has seen expanded need for its services, and needed additional and updated space, for years. UCAN officials have long ...

Regents Eyes Shared Services – But Its Goal Is Unclear

Taxpayers should want to see the state Board of Regents’ latest push for collaboration succeed. But we fear the Regents aren’t seeing the big picture with the push announced by the Regents in September. A proposed amendment creates a new section of state Education Commissioner’s recommendations regarding BOCES and a separate subsection for regionalization plans. Each school district that is part of a BOCES district will work with the BOCES superintendent to develop and implement a regionalization plan at least every 10 years. Plans have to include initiatives to increase ...