Jeff Lehman, city public works director, said the work is completed, but said an officials ribbon-cutting ceremony hasn’t been held to announce the completion because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A new sign has been installed on the deck that surrounds the Jamestown Municipal Building, located at 200 E. Third St., welcoming people to use the newly installed lawn and picnic tables for dining.

Lehman said the work on the deck included removing concrete; adding a new liner system; new turf and landscaping; and a new water collection system that recycles rain water, which the fire department uses to wash trucks and floors.

“It’s more aesthetic and more decorative with the new stamped concrete,” Lehman said.

Landscaping and greenery added to Tracy Plaza during the phase two renovation project. The city received $1.48 million from the state in December 2016 through the Green Innovation Grant program to fund the project.

In addition, the veterans statues and monuments were moved from the north side of the deck to the south side near where the wall of the firefighters’ area is visible on the southwest corner of the plaza. On the wall, there was a plan for a mural to be painted depicting U.S. soldiers. However, Lehman said city officials haven’t discussed the mural since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lehman also said there is a new entrance and exit stairway to the deck along Prendergast Avenue near Second Street.

“This will allow for more traffic from the south side,” he said.

City officials would also like to renovate the north half of the deck, but there is no funding in place for that project, Lehman said.

“It’s something we will be looking at going forward,” he said. “We will be replacing a small portion of the deck later this summer as part of a heating and cooling project at City Hall.”

The new lawn area and rain water drainage system added to Tracy Plaza.

Lehman said the construction project took two full construction seasons and there was a significant delay following the flooding of the Jamestown Police Department in the fall of 2017 and water damage to the Jamestown Fire Department in the fall of 2018. Lehman also said there was a delay at the start of the project during the summer of 2017 as the city waited for the state to release the grant funding.

Since 2013, city officials have been renovating the deck area surrounding the city Municipal Building. The deck covers the city’s police and fire departments, a parking garage and storage areas. The first phase of the renovation project was to remove the parapet wall surrounding the building.

In December 2016, city officials received $1.48 million from the state through the Green Innovation Grant for the Tracy Plaza redevelopment project for the work done during phase two. In June 2017, the council approved hiring Patterson-Stevens Inc. of Tonawanda for general construction for $1,534,864 for the Tracy Plaza renovation project.

In September 2017, a heavy rainstorm resulted in ankle-deep water pouring into the Jamestown Police Department, damaging equipment, files, computers and radios. The main entrance to the police department was closed to the public for months, with anyone who needed police for non-emergency matters forced to call ahead for alternate access to the building.

In September 2018, it was also announced that the Jamestown Fire Department was also damaged by rain water as a result of ongoing renovation project of Tracy Plaza. City officials said Patterson-Stevens Inc. was at fault for the damage to both the police and fire departments.

The new entrance and exit on Tracy Plaza. The new entrance is on the south east side of the plaza along Prendergast Avenue. P-J photos by Dennis Phillips

A new sign installed on Tracy Plaza inviting the public to use the lawn and patio for dining.