Despite the NRG decision to pull out of the repowering plan for the Dunkirk facility, there remains a need for power generation in Western New York. There are several issues being faced by residents and businesses as a result of Dunkirk facility being offline. There is a lack of base load power generation in the region. There are issues with power reliability. This summer we have witnessed price spikes as a result of inadequate power generation. If our hope is to sustain and grow our existing businesses and encourage new businesses to move into the region repowering the Dunkirk facility is essential.

Not only is the loss of power generation at the Dunkirk facility a blow to the economy it will create financial challenges across the entire county. NRG has been the largest county taxpayer for a very long time and a mothballed or even closed plant represents substantially lower tax revenue than a fully operational plant. The loss of good paying jobs is significant as well. At the moment there are stop-gap measures in place to help ease the blow to the property tax losses for the City of Dunkirk, the Dunkirk School District, and Chautauqua County. In the long term, the loss of the power plant will result in a substantial tax revenue losses, which could dramatically increase levies for all other taxpayers or result in a significant decrease in public services.

There was a herculean effort on the part of many who worked closely together and tirelessly on the repowering effort. Senator Cathy Young, Assemblyman Andrew Goodell, Governor Andrew Cuomo and Dunkirk Mayor Rosas, labor and business leaders and community groups built a strong coalition in support of repowering the Dunkirk facility. As a community, we all came together to advocate for the repowering effort. We cannot let the major setback of the NRG decision prevent our community from repowering the Dunkirk facility.

Ideally a private firm will emerge that is interested in repowering the facility. The community should also be thinking about the viability of forming a municipal utility. There is a great deal of experience with running a municipal facility and utilizing natural gas for power generation at the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities. It seems to us that the JBPU has a very valuable knowledge base that may have some insight on utilization of the Dunkirk facility. The community rallied in support of NRG and repowering of the Dunkirk plant. It would be our hope that during this process of identifying a means of repowering, that NRG work collaboratively towards a solution. Western New York needs Dunkirk produced electrical power and it will take continued engagement from the community to make that happen.

CHAMBER GOLF TOURNAMENT IS AUG. 16

Only a few spaces remain for golfers to participate in the Annual Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament Thursday, August 16. This spectacular event will be played on the Upper Course at Peek’n Peak and is sponsored by DFT Communications, AW Farrell & Son, Bush Industries, Community Bank, County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency, Insurance Management Company, Jamestown Mattress Company, Koester Associates, Lake Shore Savings Bank, Lawley Insurance, Lynn Development, National Fuel Gas Distribution Corporation, National Grid, Nestle Purina PetCare, OBSERVER, The Post-Journal and Shults Auto Group.

A portion of the proceeds from this tournament go toward the Thomas L. Barresi Scholarship fund through the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation. For more information or to register, call the Chamber at 366-6200 or 484-1101 or register online at www.chautauquachamber.org/events.

JAMESTOWN CRUISE-IN IS AUG. 17

The Jamestown Community Chamber of Commerce proudly presents Jamestown Cruise-In for its 26th year, Friday. This popular event will be held from 5-10 p.m. along Third Street in downtown Jamestown between Spring and Washington Streets. Classic, custom, and cool cars and trucks will be on display downtown, along with live music, vendors, and fun games and events for the whole family.

Drivers are encouraged to pre-register their vehicles for quick and easy entry the day of the event. Registration is available online at www.chautauquachamber.org/events or you can register in person at the Chamber office at 512 Falconer Street, Jamestown (MTI building at Jamestown Community College.)

Jamestown Cruise-In is sponsored by Landmark Chevrolet, WJTN/WWSE/SKSN/WHUG/WQFX, Ahlstrom Schaeffer Electric, Jamestown Renaissance Corporation, Matco Tools, Lake Shore Paving, Elegant Edibles Catering, and Five Star Urgent Care. For more information, contact Sherry Hutley at Northwest Arena at 720-1834 or Rebecca Voty at the chamber 484-1101.

MAYVILLE ENTERTAINMENT

IN THE PARK SERIES CONTINUES

The Mayville/Chautauqua Community Chamber of Commerce continues its 2018 Entertainment in the Park Summer Concert Series through the month of August. Scheduled performances are: Thursday — Barbara Jean (Jazz) with Rainbow the Clown; Aug. 23 — The Lake Effect (A Cappella) with Rainbow the Clown; and Aug. 30 — ‘Come Back Patsy Cline’ Tribute by Pat Cook. The concerts are provided free of charge through the generous sponsorship by the Town of Chautauqua and Village of Mayville. All performances are at the gazebo at Lakeside Park, located on Route 394 on the shores of Chautauqua Lake, in Mayville from 6:30-8:30 p.m. In case of inclement weather, the concerts will be held in the Carlson Community Center also located at Lakeside Park. Those attending should bring their own seating for the outside performances. For more information call the Mayville/Chautauqua Community Chamber of Commerce at 753-3113.