An example of what the underneath of the Washington Street Bridge might look like once the Riverwalk illumination project lights are installed. City officials estimate the lights will be installed next spring. Submitted photos

City officials are looking to host state Department of State officials to show off some of the projects funded with the city’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative funding.

Crystal Surdyk, city development director, said during a recent meeting of the Jamestown Local Development Corporation that the city is wrapping up paperwork with the state on the Fund for Downtown Programming, which was given $600,000 of the $10 million in state funding to attract people downtown with new events.

“We’re working on applications to wrap up the Homes and Community Renewal contract for the state,” Surdyk said. “We have to get them all the reporting back, so we’ll have a more extensive report probably at the next meeting or at the following. So we’ll close out our contract with Homes and Community Renewal, which is from the DRI.”

Also included in the DRI plan finalized in 2016 were improvements to the Lucille Ball Little Theater ($265,000), upgrades to the Robert H. Jackson Center ($1,500,000), streetscape and pedestrian experience improvements ($610,000), improvements to the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts ($1,500,000), Riverwalk illumination and other Riverwalk improvements ($325,000), support of the conversion of the former Ramada Hotel into a Hilton Doubletree ($2,400,000), funding for the Jamestown Brewing Company ($830,000) and redevelopment of the former Key Bank Building ($1,000,000). Another $670,000 that was to be spent on excursion train development efforts was ultimately reprogrammed.

There is still a bit of DRI money yet to be spent as the Key Bank project has stalled out, with its money not yet spent.

“We are also working on a tour with someone from the Department of State to come down and see some of the DRI projects that we are wrapping up,” Surdyk said. “The Riverwalk Illumination Project will hopefully be done, and we may have a ribbon cutting event. It’ll be great to have them here when it’s busy.”

In other news, JLDC members gave formal approval to JLDC downtown event funding for the Whirley Bird Music Festival, a loan for International Ordinance Technology to purchase new equipment and a Fund for Downtown Programming grant for the BPU Climate Technology Conference with the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation as the formal applicant.

Registration for the full October conference has opened and can be found at whova.com/portal/registration/jctc–202210

“They had their first webinar (Tuesday) which went pretty good,” said Mayor Eddie Sundquist. “They have several coming up. I believe they also have some of the folks from Empire State Development from New York City joining them to highlight some of the state’s green power initiatives.”

Also, the new Fund for Downtown Programming still has $306,785 remaining to be spent, though it appears the city will have the money for a bit of time yet.

“We do not currently have anything in the queue or applications,” Surdyk said.