Wicked Warrens on West Third Street, Jamestown, is pictured. Many of the loans taken out to open the business are being modified, including the Jamestown Local Development Corporation’s loan. P-J photo by John Whittaker

The Jamestown Local Development Corporation is modifying its loan with Wicked Warren’s on Third Street.

Conversations regarding modification of the loan began in October, and approval of the modifications was up for consideration during the latest JLDC meeting.

Aili Makuch, city economic development coordinator, said Wicked Warren’s has been in conversations with the county IDA to try to come up with a plan to help them moving forward. Crystal Surdyk, city development director, provided a recap so everyone was clear on what was being looked at and voted on.

“We had previously voted to pause payments, differ payments for a six month period,” Surdyk said. “We are now requesting to take interest only payments for six months at a time.”

An interest only payment will be received by the JLDC for the next six months, and Surdyk said they will be periodically meeting with the Wicked Warren’s team, which they have already been doing. Wicked Warren’s has been doing improvements to their third floor space and the bar, which Surdyk noted is a significant expense, should hopefully be finished and installed by the end of next week. There is a planned event that Surdyk said is already sold out coming up, so the team’s hope is to have that finished by then.

“We’ve been working in tandem with Chautauqua County IDA as well as STEDO with their loan funding, so we’re all in lock step, and making sure we’re in constant contact with Rob and his team, staying up to date,” Surdyk said. “There’s some additional upgrades that they will be working on making to that third floor space beyond the bar to make it more conducive to being able to host large group meetings and small conferences.”

Makuch added that the county IDA’s schedule is a month ahead of the JLDC, so they are looking to approve the interest only payments from June to September 2026, getting them onto the same schedule to make things easier. The hope is that after that it will go to six month payments.

“I do have it written here at the very end that, if there is not any further action to renew after the different check-ins, then they would have to go back to full payments,” Makuch said. “That would require further action on our part should they need to extend, and we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

The interest payment amount was discussed, and it was noted that it was a significant payment as they are still at the beginning of the term. Part of the understanding with Wicked Warren’s is that they are also required to send in frequent reports and check-ins as well. A few more details were discussed, including the feeling that Wicked Warren’s is moving in the right direction and has been cooperative. Surdyk said they are looking at is as providing some technical assistance and oversight, something they are looking to do more of with loanees as needed.

“At the end of the day Rob wants to see the business succeed,” Makuch said. “He’s got a lot of skin in the game, and so do we, so working together and having that collaboration between all of the lenders and direct communication with him already seems to be shifting into the right direction.”