The Jamestown Urban Renewal Agency will continue to handle rural demolitions for the Chautauqua County Land Bank Corporation.

On Wednesday, the JURA board approved extending the agreement with the land bank for demolition management services. Since the fall of 2015 when the land bank and JURA first passed the contract, JURA has been handling rural demolitions. Vince DeJoy, city development director, said officials from smaller, rural municipalities don’t have the capacity or the experience to handle demolitions. He said JURA handles the complete service management process of issuing bids to hiring companies for asbestos removal, if needed, and demolition.

DeJoy said JURA receives 20 percent of the cost of the demolition as payment. He said since the agreement began with the land bank, they have received $105,917. He said JURA still has demolition services to complete this year for the land bank. However, he said it is unknown if there will be funding beyond 2018 for demolitions from the land bank.

Since the formation of the county land bank in 2013, the land bank has received three grants from the state Attorney General’s Office totalling $3.9 million. The funding for state land banks has been secured through settlements from the nation’s largest banks over misconduct that contributed to the housing crisis. However, it is unknown if there will be any additional grants to the land bank after 2018. Land banks throughout the state are advocating for yearly funding in the state budget.

In February, Gina Paradis, land bank executive director, said half of the $1.1 million Round 3 grant they received will go toward demolitions in the county. She said the majority of the first two rounds of funding went toward demolitions as well. She added that in 2017, JURA was able to demolish more rural properties than originally planned when they knocked down 13 condemned structures instead of just nine. She said the work of the JURA has added to the land bank’s capacity to demolish condemned rural properties.

On Wednesday, DeJoy said JURA will be involved in the clean up of the rubble from the arson fire along West Main Street Falconer in March 2017. He said once Falconer officials collect enough municipal landfill tipping credits, the rubble will be disposed of in the county landfill. Paul Whitford, JURA and land bank board member, said the process of removing the debris would have been done quicker if the building owner had turned over control of the property sooner to the land bank.

Last March, an arson fire occurred at 29-31, 33-43 W. Main St. The massive blaze that struck a commercial and residential building is one of the 12 fires allegedly started by Jonathan Young last March. Young is awaiting trial in Pennsylvania on separate charges.