While the property housed numerous businesses on the ground floor, it also served as residence for a handful of tenants who ended up displaced. “Everything is gone,” one woman told The Post-Journal that day. “Everything I own is gone. There is nothing to describe that feeling unless you live it.”

Nearly a year later, on Jan. 14, 2018, another massive fire broke out at 15 W. Main St. — displacing more than a dozen residents and further impacting two businesses. The separate fires left vacant several parcels of land in the heart of the village.

“It’s a sickening feeling,” Rensel said at the time, “but, we’re resilient; we’ll take care of what needs to be taken care of.”

More than five years after the last blaze, the village is banking on some resilience to revitalize its downtown while also promoting new business and a safer community.

Firefighters are pictured in March 2017 at the first of two major fires to break out in downtown Falconer. P-J file photo

“The western side of the downtown was devastated by two large fires that destroyed four mixed use commercial properties and six businesses,” Falconer Mayor James Jaroszynski said.

Jaroszynski said the 2017 blaze impacted four separate buildings along West Main Street and required the demolition of three of the structures. The 2018 fire displaced 16 families and additional businesses.

MASTER PLANNING

Earlier this year, the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth invited local municipalities to apply for downtown master planning funding. Out of that, the organization awarded technical assistant grants to Falconer and the village of Westfield.

Officials in both villages are now working with the Partnership for Economic Growth and consultants with Barton and Loguidice to establish a vision for their respective downtowns by identifying priority projects and developing a master plan to obtain possible funding.

“I can’t express how excited we are to be receiving this grant for the village of Falconer,” Jaroszynski said in April. “This grant will allow the village to pursue ideas for the development of our Main Street and business corridors. We have already put in place a steering committee comprised of village residents, business owners and government leaders to provide ideas and a vision to the consultant team.”

On Monday, nine potential priority projects were unveiled. They included: park improvements; a complete streets feasibility study; trail connections and park improvements; waterfront activation and enhancement; parking lot improvements; Main Street design guidelines; streetscape improvements; building facade improvements; and placemaking, wayfinding signage and connectivity.

Falconer is eyeing funds through the highly competitive NY Forward program. Established by Gov. Kathy Hochul, the program’s aim is to “invigorate and enliven downtowns in New York’s smaller and rural communities.”

This year, NY Forward will invest $100 million, with each of the state’s 10 Regional Economic Development Councils will have the option of recommending two communities for $4.5 million awards, or three communities one of which will receive $4.5 million and two will be awarded $2.25 million.

“All good projects start with planning,” said Mark Geise, deputy county executive for economic development and chief executive officer of the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency. “You need to know where you’re trying to get to in order to get to where you want to go. And in order to know where you want to go, you need to do undertake a process that evaluates assets, community desires, challenges … and then develop plans and projects that address these issues while getting community buy-in.

“That is what the CCPEG Master Plan Funds are intended for, to help communities to work with an expert consultant to help them through this visioning and goal-setting process. This exercise sets the table for them to apply for state and other funding to implement the projects identified in the Master Planning Process.

“The state, and other funding agencies, are very discerning when it comes to awarding grant funding….one can’t just ask for money without having done the homework necessary to identify and conceptualize projects. Falconer, Westfield, Mayville, Jamestown (Chadakoin River), and others have or will benefit from this process, and we intend to continue to assist them.”

A POTENTIAL SETBACK

A major component of the village’s downtown rebirth is the construction of residences and new commercial space on West Main Street.

One development project already has fallen through while another firm announced this week it was closing. Savarino Companies, the construction firm that has expressed interest in developing the village’s downtown corridor, said it was laying off 30 employees, including four workers on the SUNY Fredonia campus.

In late February, Rob Savarino went before the Falconer Village Board about obtaining several downtown parcels for the construction of residential units including apartments or town houses as well as new commercial space. The front end of the block was destroyed in the 2017 and 2018 fires.

The project recently received a funding boost in the form of a $250,000 grant from the latest round of the Regional Economic Development Council Initiative through Empire State Development.

It’s unclear what Savarino Companies’ shuttering means for the Falconer project.

“The last report I got from them they were very involved in the project, very enthusiastic for it,” Jaroszynski said this week. “I’m just going to wait to hear from them, for something definite. I think that’s only right for the village.”

BEEFING UP BUSINESS

Falconer has welcomed a handful of new businesses, including PersNikkity Pies at 9 E. Main St. and Maple Tree Cafe and Ice Cream at 1993 E. Main St. A craft gift shop is in development as well as a business co-op downtown.

Village officials also have been spearheading efforts to re-start the Falconer Business Association, which ceased meeting in 2019 due to a lack of participation and interest. Events sponsored by the association were turned over to the Rotary Club of Falconer.

Meetings to gauge interest in bringing the Falconer Business Association back were held in July and August with local residents and business owners.

Daniel Heitzenrater with the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce spoke to a crowd of more than a dozen during August’s gathering at PersNikkity Pies. His talk centered on the benefits of Falconer establishing its own Chamber of Commerce to promote business in the community.

“We really have a lot of ongoing things that are part of the membership that try to get consumers’ eyes on your business,” Heitzenrater said.

To Jaroszynski, the benefits of a group promoting local businesses are obvious. He said it will attract a diverse population of new business owners and residents to the village; increase local business activity; and establish a “safe, innovative and accessible infrastructure” that supports all options for transportation.

‘TIME TO TAKE ACTION’

Falconer has been focusing on safety as well.

Just recently, a Neighborhood Watch program was established, with its first meeting taking place Thursday.

“I am talking to people, I am going into businesses and I have decided that it’s time to take action,” Kerry Chase said during this week’s Chautauqua County Legislature meeting. “We need to see some change in Falconer.”

For the past two months, county lawmakers have heard from Falconer officials and residents, largely focused on the county’s use of the Budget Inn for temporary housing. Jaroszynski believes the county is relying too much on Falconer for housing.

“We are simply too small and without resources to help these individuals,” the mayor said during this week’s legislature meeting. “Dumping these individuals off with no resources within reach or assistance to meet their needs is disgraceful.”

Chase, too, believes those who are staying in the motel would be better off elsewhere. “We lack the resources to give these people to help them thrive,” she said.