From left, Mike Martello, Jamestown Community College vice president of administration, and Daniel DeMarte, JCC president, discusses capital projects with the Chautauqua County Planning Board at JCC Tuesday. P-J photo by Dennis Phillips

Jamestown Community College administrators are continuing to work with county officials on funding for capital projects.

On Tuesday, Daniel DeMarte, JCC president, and Mike Martello, JCC vice president of administration, met with the Chautauqua County Planning Board during its regular monthly meeting. DeMarte said after going through the capital projects process last year with the board, he wanted to spend more time with board members discussing the reasons why JCC officials are asking for capital projects funding. He said JCC has a six-year facility master plan that includes maintenance and renovation projects. He added that he wants JCC administrators to have a clear understanding what is expected from them when it comes to applying for capital project funding from the county Planning Board.

“I want you to leave this meeting with a fuller context,” DeMarte said.

One of the projects on JCC’s facility master plan is being in compliance with the regulations from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights. DeMarte said the Office of Civil Rights is scheduled to visit the campus every 10 years, but, until recently, hadn’t done a compliance survey in 20 years.

Martello said some aspects of the Scharmann Theatre were found not to be in compliance, with changes to the accessibility of the stage needing to be improved and alterations needing to be made to the slope of the theater. The total cost of the improvements is estimated at $200,000.

DeMarte also discussed wanting to upgrade the soccer field for JCC. He said the school needs a new turf field to recruit and retain students. He added that a significant number of high schools and other colleges have a turf field, and JCC needs one too in order to attract and retain students.

Other projects discussed included improvements made to the school’s library and installing new LED lights.

After discussing some of the capital projects, Martello thanked the board for its time and believes JCC officials have more insight into what the planning board expects from administrators when applying for capital project funding.

Kathleen Dennison, county budget director, said applications to apply for capital project funding will be available Feb. 25. She said applications will need to be submitted by March 25. She added May 5 will be the day information on capital projects will be presented to the county Planning Board.

The county Planning Board capital project process lasts a couple of months with applicants presenting projects to the board. The board then ranks the projects based on a number of factors including need. The prioritized list is then given to the county executive who uses the list to determine what projects receive funding in the 2021 county budget.