Falconer NY Forward grant committee to meet today

FALCONER – Falconer's NY Forward Local Planning Commission will consider funding requests for 18 projects, which together total $35 million, during a meeting at 5 p.m. today at Falconer's Village Hall.

The meeting is open to the public. Residents, business owners, employers, and other community members are encouraged to attend, with an opportunity for comments at the end of the meeting. Joshua Greene, a planner with LaBella Associates and project head for Falconer's NY Forward Grant, said the committee will review 18 projects today representing an estimated $34 million in total project costs and $15 million in funding requests. Committee members will hear presentations by project sponsors and have an opportunity to ask questions and get more information on each.

Falconer is one of two Western New York communities selected to receive a $4.5 million New York State NY Forward Round 4 award. The funding will support revitalization efforts in the village. The committee, whose members were nominated by Mayor Jim Jaroszynski, is working with state agency partners and consultants to develop a Strategic Investment Plan. The plan will document community issues, opportunities, and needs; establish a vision, goals and strategies for revitalization; and identify priority projects that will help revitalize the village's downtown area. The Local Planning Committee will recommend a slate of projects for a share of the $4.5 million in funding available. The State will use those recommendations to make final funding decisions.

As previously reported in an Aug. 29 edition of The Post-Journal, today's meeting will include discussion of the first group of projects; request additional information from projects, as necessary; and remove projects from consideration or request project modifications, as necessary. A fifth meeting is scheduled for Nov. 18 and will cover reviewing the second group of projects; reviewing Local Planning Committee and public evaluation results; and removing projects or requesting additional information from projects as necessary. A final meeting is scheduled for Dec. 19, where a final vote will be taken on a slate of projects to be recommended for approval. Locations for the upcoming meetings are yet to be determined.

The Falconer LPC consists of LPC Members: Jaroszynski; Shane Marcheson - WNY Regional Economic Development Council co-chair; Brenda Cavallaro, village historian; P.J. Degnan, president and owner of Stuart Tool & Die; Mary Fales, owner of Falconer Veterinary Clinic; Nina Gustafson, area retail manager of Cattaraugus County Bank; Elizabeth Jones, Chautauqua Region Community Foundation community impact officer; Josiah Lamp, project manager of the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth; Angelo Marra, co-owner of West Main Mercantile; Joseph Sanfilippo, owner of Sanfilippo Solutions; Christopher Schrader, director of the Falconer Park Summer Recreation Program; Ed Sullivan, president and CEO of Hanson Sign Company; and Ro Woodard, Falconer Central School District Board of Education member.

Submissions included requests totaling $325,000; public project submissions totaled $7,304,000; and private project submissions totaled $6,678,000, with four requests for smaller-based projects ranging from $25,000 to $125,000 placed in a separate category totaling $207,000, for a total of $14.5 million in requests, added Greene.

“We’ve had 23 project applications submitted,” Greene said. “One non-profit project, six public projects, 13 private projects, and three letters of interest."