The closure of the exit created a hardship for Schack, and now she is proposing Chautauqua County officials create a program in which retail business owners can use if they encounter a similar hardship.

The program, she said, would be called “Nurture CHQ” to help businesses negatively affected by “government inaction, construction disruptions and lack of oversight.” Schack said the program helps businesses that, through no fault of their own, are on the brink of failure.

She added that over the last 16 months her business has lost a significant amount of business with the reconstruction of the Chautauqua County Veterans Memorial Bridge over Chautauqua Lake on I-86.

“I really do believe that when you have a $80 million project in your county, there should at least be county oversight,” Schack said. “And when you’re told they’re (New York State workers) going to rip off your exit ramp, there should be public knowledge.”

The Bridgeview One Stop located 4910 Main St., Bemus Point. Submitted photo

Schack said she is seeking a meeting with County Executive PJ Wendel to help get Nurture CHQ started. The business owner said that through the County Industrial Development Agency, there are already programs in place to attract and maintain businesses in the county. The county programs are Choose CHQ, and Live CHQ.

According to choosechq.com, the reason for operating a business in the county that business is in an “enviable position.”

“Far enough removed from major eastern cities to avoid overcrowding and its attendant problems, the county is centrally located in the Western end of New York State so that Buffalo, Rochester, Erie, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Cleveland, and Akron can all be reached within three hours. In addition, 21 of the top 50 U.S. metro regions are within ten hours shipping time – including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, Boston, and Detroit,” the website said.

Schack said the Nurture CHQ could be a pilot program for other counties in the state. She added that the county has the funds and needs to use them for Nuture CHQ.

“I think it’s a realistic goal,” Schack said of the creation of Nurture CHQ. “I don’t know why you would bring people in to live here, choose to dedicate their life to this, and then just let them vow through no fault of their own,” Schack said.

The business owner said she started in the fall of 2024 seeking answers as to why a temporary off-ramp was not created. Since January, she has been trying to get help with getting Nurture CHQ started because the closure of the Exit 9 ramp significantly impacted her ability to attract customers and maintain steady business operations at the Bridgeview One Stop, located at 4910 Main St., in Bemus Point.

“For 24 years, we have provided essential services to the local community, including a convenience store, deli, pizzeria, liquor store and a Mobil gas and diesel station,” she wrote in a Feb. 6 letter addressed to Brett Remick, New York State Department of Transportation Region 5 construction engineer. “This project is a severe hardship for us, as our location is completely cut off from direct access heading eastbound and there is no westbound ramp near us, nor heading west. While I understand that the reconstruction is necessary, there has been little or no support for businesses directly affected by this (ramp) closure.”

She sent out other letters during the last eight months, and area officials rarely offered any remedies.

Remick responded on Feb. 25 and said NYSDOT is sympathetic to the impact of the construction on her business, but he mentioned that the ramp closure was only temporary.

“New York State law is clear that there is no recovery for loss or interruption of business during such projects,” Remick wrote.

She said Wendel has not yet agreed to a meeting with her, but she is hopeful he will.

“Your role as county executive in combination with the ability to bring people together and navigate complex issues is exactly what this situation needs,” Schack wrote to Wendel in a letter dated March 5. “Having you at the table would send a strong message that you stand with the Village of Bemus Point businesses and residents in finding a path forward.”

The Bemus Point Business Association is in Schack’s corner as well and seeks transparency, said Kelly Marker of the BPBA.

“We respectfully ask for ongoing communication, transparency, and a willingness to collaborate on any potential solutions – whether that means improved signage, better detour information or other temporary measures to support affected businesses,” Marker wrote in an April 9 letter.

In a recent interview with WKBW TV Wendel said Nurture CHQ is a unique concept, and he sympathizes with Schack, but he doesn’t think it is feasible.

In August 2024, 7-Eleven franchise owner Peter Weinreich was in a similar situation. His business, located at 321 Hazeltine Ave., in Jamestown, had suffered losses for two straight months because of road construction near Persell Middle School.

He said during construction between June 2024 and August 2024, his business lost a little over $100,000, and 66 percent of the streets leading to the business were blocked. Weinreich put signs with arrows directing potential customers on how to get to his store.

Weinreich said in August 2024 that year-after-year his business has experienced growth until construction began.

Weinreich added, through no fault of his own, that in the first six days of August 2024, he was already down $19,000.

“If you look at February, March, April and May, we’re up from last year. It wasn’t until the road stuff started (that) we were down,” he said in August 2024. “”I don’t want to say lay people off, but I’ve had to cut employee hours,” he said.

Weinreich, like Schack, had to push through the construction, which severely cut into his profits. He said in 2023, his store made more than $3 million in sales.

Schack said in March she was down $45,000 and that’s when she knew she had to speak up and get involved. She said she is willing to speak on behalf of the small businesses located in Bemus Point, and for other county business owners that she doesn’t know.

“There is a way to fix this. And It’s Nurture Chautauqua,” Schack said. “There is no reason it shouldn’t be created.”