Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down
Thumbs up to a well-deserved retirement for Ray Nelson, owner of Ray Nelson Services at the corner of Third Street and Prendergast Avenue in Jamestown. Nelson has been in business for 48 years, including 31 years at its present location. Nelson has been a friendly face to thousands of area residents over the years and will certainly be missed once he leaves the station. The shop will remain open in its current form until a sale agreement between Nelson and Neil Patel is finalized. Patel has plans to renovate the service station into a downtown convenience store.
Thumbs down to a couple of proposals buried in the state Senate’s budget resolution. One backs a plan to maintain the viability of the recreational boating industry by adjusting the sales tax for someone who buys a boat. Another sales tax proposal would eliminate the sales tax on limousines while another would exempt the sale of private aircraft from the state’s sales tax. Each one of those proposals lessens the amount of sales tax paid into the system and ends up, at some point, increasing the taxes you, the overburdened taxpayer, have to pay. If taxes can’t be cut for regular people, then rich people’s toys should be subject to the same taxes we all pay every day.
Thumbs up to a day recognizing the artistic talents of women in our community. Jamestown will take part in Support Women Artists Now, or SWAN, Day with several events today. An art market will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 115 E. Third St. featuring items made by women artists and crafters working with a variety of mediums. An art exhibit will be held in the Third on Third Gallery, also from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dozens of regional artists are participating in the SWAN Day events. It’s well worth taking a couple of hours to enjoy their work.
Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down
Thumbs up to all the area actors, set builders, technicians and adults who are taking part in musical productions in schools throughout our area. It takes hundreds of hours of preparation to make such productions come to life. For a few hours, area students who don’t often get the chance find themselves enjoying the spotlight that comes with being on stage. Community residents, meanwhile, are treated to a wonderful, and inexpensive, night out. It is truly a win-win for all involved. Any area school who hasn’t done so already can submit information about their musical by visiting our Virtual Newsroom at post-journal.com or emailing the information and a photo to editorial@post-journal.com.
Thumbs down to yet another piece of bad economic news for Chautauqua County. ConAgra announced Wednesday it is closing its Carriage House plants in Dunkirk and Fredonia and ending employment for 400 area workers. There are many reasons that go into such decisions, but it should be plainly obvious – yet again – that New York state is not competitive for business. There are simply too many regulations and too much to pay in taxes for large employers to justify keeping business in our state. Leading takes more than press releases and incentives. Action is needed to lower the cost of doing business in New York state.
Thumbs up to a pair of events downtown that remind us spring is indeed coming regardless of what the weatherman says. The Jamestown Renaissance Corp. will host its GROW Jamestown Garden Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Dr. Lillian Ney Renaissance Center. That event is coupled with a home and garden show sponsored by the Media One Group at the Jamestown Gateway Train Station. CARTS is providing shuttle buses throughout the day from the Riverwalk Center parking lot to the venues, so parking won’t be an issue for anyone who wants to think about planting their gardens this spring or who need some new equipment to make their lawn and garden look their best.
Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down
After the blasts of winter we received Wednesday and Thursday, thumbs up to better weather this weekend for several outdoors events. Those with a taste for Irish cuisine as they celebrate St. Patrick’s Day have several options this weekend. The Cherry Creek Community Association will host a corned beef and cabbage dinner from 4-7 p.m. Sunday as a fundraiser for the Cherry Creek Volunteer Fire District. “Doc and Bill” will provide live Irish pub music with green beer and Irish drink specials available in addition to several fundraisers. Tickets are $5 each. The Jamestown St. Patrick’s Day Celebration returns with Irish food and entertainment from 1-7 p.m. Saturday at the Jamestown Gateway Train Station, 211-217 W. Second St. Tickets at the door are $35. Food will be provided by Miley’s Old Inn, which is located at 845 E. Second St., Jamestown. There will be a corned beef and cabbage meal, with a Guinness Irish stew. In addition, Miley’s Old Inn will providing an array of beverages. In Lily Dale, the wearing of the green and food at a brunch benefit for the Lily Dale Volunteer Fire Co. will be from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday at the fire hall. The cost is $5 at the door, with limited seating.
Thumbs down to the state Education Department’s inflexibility with the Panama Central School District. The district faces another nine years of $500,000 fines to the state after not filing final cost reports with the state for capital projects in 2002 and 2005. The area’s state legislators secured money to pay the fine last year, but the district will have to pay this year’s fine payment from taxpayer money. The state should at least find other ways to penalize the district for errors dating back more than a decade, including either making the district ineligible for full state aid on future building projects. Holding current students liable for the sins of past administrators is a very heavy-handed and short-sighted course of action. An alternative course should be found.
Two thumbs up to Jessie Kibbe, 16, of Findley Lake. Kibbe attends Clymer Central School and was recently honored with the President’s Volunteer Service Award. According to a news release, Kibbe has helped with Red Cross blood drives, cleans homes as part of her youth group, collects food for the Area Christian Action Council holiday food drive, collects pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House, helped with a benefit dinner for a cancer patient who needed a bone marrow transplant and participates in coupon drives for active military families. Jessie is also president of the Future Business Leaders of America, has placed flags on the gravesites of area servicemen and women for Memorial Day and helped her area Masonic Lodge with fingerprinting of elementary students.
Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down
-Thumbs up to a fond remembrance of Peter Morgante, a longtime city resident and watchdog on behalf of Jamestown taxpayers who passed away this week at the age of 84. Before retirement Morgante owned and operated the Dental Arts Laboratory for more than 45 years, but to many he is better known as the guy who attended nearly every Jamestown City Council meeting and, in his own way, worked to keep the council’s focus on the average city taxpayer. It’s truly a shame there aren’t as many civic-minded watchdogs like Morgante around anymore. A conversation with Morgante would touch on dozens of topics, but those who took the time to listen typically learned something along the way.
Thumbs down to the uncertain times at the Chautauqua County Airport in Jamestown. The airport was already in the midst of change, looking for yet another Essential Air Service provider, when it was confirmed that Sam Arcadipane had resigned his position as airport and parks manager. Arcadipane had been the third airport manager since 2011. David Sanctuary, one of the airport’s former managers, will step into the role temporarily. A temporary solution won’t work given the building job required to make good on all of the federal dollars that have been spent on the Jamestown airport. A steady, and long-term, manager is needed.
Thumbs up to those who protested the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s plan to list mute swans as a prohibited species and kill the state’s estimated population of 2,200 free-ranging mute swans by 2025. DEC officials said the move was necessary because mute swans out-compete and displace other waterfowl by eating too much of the submerged aquatic vegetation on which waterfowl feed. This week, Joe Martens, DEC commissioner, said public comment has led the DEC to acknowledge regional differences in status, potential impacts and desired population goals by setting varying goals for different regions of the state. In addition, the DEC will consider non-lethal means to achieve the management plan’s intended goals. That is all good news for the mute swans noteworthy on Cassadaga Lake.
Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down
Thumbs up to the latest in a budding crop of young artists in the area. Elise Cusimano of Falconer was recently awarded honorable mention in the 34th annual College and High School Photography National Contest, sponsored by Nikon USA and Photographer’s Forum Magazine. Cusimano began taking pictures as a child and has seen her childhood hobby grow into her own business even though she is still a full-time student at Jamestown Community College. Cusimano’s photo will appear in the June edition of Photographer’s Forum.
Thumbs up to last week’s Lakers Disabled Hockey fundraiser at the Jamestown Savings Bank Arena. The event, which included an exhibition game between the Lakers sled hockey team and Chautauqua County Sheriff’s deputies and former Buffalo Sabre Rob Ray, raised more than $4,500 for the sled hockey program. The Lakers sled hockey team was formed in 2003 with a goal of providing opportunities for every special needs athlete interested to play sled hockey with no out of pocket costs to their families. Fundraisers like last week’s event help the organization reach that goal. For more information on the sled hockey program, visit jamestownlakers.com/sledhockey.
Thumbs up to the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Jamestown for looking toward the future. Pastor Jerry Steves recently told The Post-Journal the church is interested in bringing churches together that need a place to worship or that wish to expand. Steves said the church has the facilities other congregations may need, and a merger would allow them access to the utilities without the need to pay rent. In addition, by combining services and merging congregations, churches will be able to offer additional services they may not have been able to in the past, such as Sunday school and a youth group. Dealing with declining use or enrollment has been a painful issue for many area organizations, including churches, over the years. The First Congregational Church of Christ should be commended for its open approach.