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A portion of the Jamestown Public Works Department's planned project for flood mitigation near Jones and Gifford Avenue has been approved by the City Council.
The project has been a topic of multiple council meetings. A resolution came before the council during Monday's voting session asking for approval of an agreement with C&S Engineers for the state Department of Transportation funded portion of the project, prompting the conversations to continue.
Councilman Russ Bonfiglio, R-At Large, said he has worked down in that area a lot with the DPW, and that it has been 50 years since something was done to help with flood mitigation.
"It's a mess down there," Bonfiglio said. "I was down there a couple of months ago to help with clean up down there. Within half an hour I had a few bags of junk, tires. It's a disaster."
Bonfiglio added that he agreed with environmental concerns that were brought up by residents earlier during the public comment period, and that they need to make sure the project will not harm anything environmentally, though he emphasized something needs to be done.
Councilman Doug Scotchmer, D-Ward 4, noted the fiscal impact of the project as well. The maximum amount payable for the agreement is $403,300, which is less than originally budgeted and estimated for this specific portion of the project.
"It's about $100,000 less than the original estimate," Scotchmer said. "The engineering services are eligible for 80% reimbursement through NYSDOT, or up to $322,640, with a 20% city share of $80,660, so the cost to the city is significant."
The agreement with C&S Engineering for engineering services for the DOT funded portion of the Jones and Gifford Avenue, Washington Street Flooding Mitigation Project was officially approved by the council during their voting session.