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Jamestown Community College board members will learn more on Nov. 17 about grants related to the Jay Center on the Jamestown campus.
Board members met Tuesday, as the fall 2026 semester is just now over the halfway point, with the full board hearing reports committees heard earlier this month. Those updates included a 6% increase in first-time, full-time students attending in Fall 2026. For all students at JCC this semester, there was a 7% increase in enrollment.
Dr. Daniel DeMarte said on Tuesday that he, along with staff, plans to update the Board of Trustees next month on retention efforts, the school's updated marketing plan and grants during the board's Nov. 17 meetings.
"On the agenda on the 17th will be three primary updates. We’ll spend an hour on specific topics, and we’ll be inviting staff to come in and share the updates. Topics include, as we already heard, retention, a more detailed overview of the retention plan moving forward, the marketing plan, an update on the newest marketing plan and where we’re headed with marketing this coming year, and then a grants update."
DeMarte went on to add that both of the grant updates will relate to the 'Jay Project'which is a construction and renovation project featuring 58,000 square feet of new construction for expanded YMCA services , along with updates to the existing JCC physical education complex and a new state-of-the-art childcare center that is scheduled to open in September of 2027.
A ribbon cutting for The JAY Wellness Center, a collaborative $48 million project that integrates community wellness, advanced athletics, and youth development into a unified hub at JCC, was held in September. The Jamestown Area YMCA and JCC named the building by combining the identity of the YMCA and the college’s Jayhawk mascot. To support the project, Governor Kathy Hochul provided $3 million in state funding through the Western New York Regional Council Pro-Housing Community Fund.
With the completion of Phase One renovations to the existing JCC Physical Education Complex, YMCA’s membership-based downtown wellness operations have been shifted to the campus athletic facilities. This initial integration ensures that area residents continue to have uninterrupted access to cardio, strength-training, aquatic and indoor track spaces while the partners move ahead with the next steps of full-scale development.
JCC and the YMCA are both looking for additional funding for future phases of the project. Future phases of the project will include:
– New Health and Wellness Center: Encompasses approximately 58,000 square feet of new construction for expanded YMCA services.
– New Early Learning Center: JCC was recently awarded a $2.89 million state grant by Governor Hochul to establish a state-of-the-art childcare facility on campus. Scheduled to open in September 2027, the center will feature infant, toddler, and preschool classrooms, along with secure outdoor playgrounds to serve more than 100 children in partnership with the YMCA.
– Athletic Field Overhauls: Structural upgrades are progressing to transform current campus grounds into premium turf fields with custom overlays for varsity and community baseball and softball.