Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down
The Post-Journal has run dozens of photos over the past few weeks of area individuals or groups who have made donations to area service organizations to help them provide a happier holiday for the less fortunate in our community. We know hundreds more good-hearted area residents who didn’t document the occasion with a photo or press release who similarly made donations to groups like Toys for Tots or the Salvation Army. Thumbs up to all those who either donated or organized holiday-related donation drives. Each and every one of you is a shining example of what is right in our world.
Speaking of donations, thumbs up to all those who have donated to the United Way of Southern Chautauqua County’s 2014 campaign. United Way officials recently announced donations have raised 85 percent of the campaign’s goal with a little less than a month before the campaign ends. Tory Irgang, United Way executive director, said there are about 80 accounts that have not finalized their totals, which is typical because end-of-year giving can be typical of many individual donors. It is with that thought in mind that we ask those who have the means to contribute and haven’t to consider making a donation. Even small contributions can make the difference for a neighbor who benefits from one of the 42 programs the United Way funds each year. United Way contributions can be made online by visiting www.uwayscc.org or by mailing a contribution directly to the United Way office, 413 N. Main St., Jamestown, NY 14701.
Thumbs down to further evidence of New York’s struggles to attract jobs and lower taxes. Confirmation came this week that Florida has officially surpassed New York in population to become the third-most populous state in the nation. Florida now has at least 19.9 million residents, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics, while New York has 19.7 million residents. Florida added almost 300,000 residents in the last year while New York grew by roughly 51,000. Ex-New Yorkers also represented roughly one in 10 new Florida residents. New York will continue its population migration until the cost of owning a home or operating a business comes down and when job growth happens throughout the state, not just in major population centers like New York City.
Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down
The Post-Journal has run dozens of photos over the past few weeks of area individuals or groups who have made donations to area service organizations to help them provide a happier holiday for the less fortunate in our community. We know hundreds more good-hearted area residents who didn’t document the occasion with a photo or press release who similarly made donations to groups like Toys for Tots or the Salvation Army. Thumbs up to all those who either donated or organized holiday-related donation drives. Each and every one of you is a shining example of what is right in our world.
Speaking of donations, thumbs up to all those who have donated to the United Way of Southern Chautauqua County’s 2014 campaign. United Way officials recently announced donations have raised 85 percent of the campaign’s goal with a little less than a month before the campaign ends. Tory Irgang, United Way executive director, said there are about 80 accounts that have not finalized their totals, which is typical because end-of-year giving can be typical of many individual donors. It is with that thought in mind that we ask those who have the means to contribute and haven’t to consider making a donation. Even small contributions can make the difference for a neighbor who benefits from one of the 42 programs the United Way funds each year. United Way contributions can be made online by visiting www.uwayscc.org or by mailing a contribution directly to the United Way office, 413 N. Main St., Jamestown, NY 14701.
Thumbs down to further evidence of New York’s struggles to attract jobs and lower taxes. Confirmation came this week that Florida has officially surpassed New York in population to become the third-most populous state in the nation. Florida now has at least 19.9 million residents, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics, while New York has 19.7 million residents. Florida added almost 300,000 residents in the last year while New York grew by roughly 51,000. Ex-New Yorkers also represented roughly one in 10 new Florida residents. New York will continue its population migration until the cost of owning a home or operating a business comes down and when job growth happens throughout the state, not just in major population centers like New York City.
Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down
Thumbs up to a group of Persell Middle School students whose class project should remind everyone there is still work to do in making Jamestown what it should be. As part of the Muckraking in Jamestown project, students spent part of their school day taking photographs to document local issues and to see how “the other half lives.” After the field trip downtown, the students spent the next three to four weeks writing about the photos and developing a website – jamestownmuckraking.wordpress.com – where the photos can be viewed. The photos include graffiti, condemned houses, broken sidewalks and litter. One graffiti item discussed was the word “cheeze” posted on signs, walls and even lamp posts downtown. The students discovered the word cheeze is a way of communicating a type of highly dangerous recreational drug. The students recently presented their project to the Jamestown City Council. Anyone interested should visit the WordPress site.
Thumbs down to large sections of sidewalks unshoveled or unplowed three days after a snowstorm dumped nearly a foot of snow on Jamestown last week. A drive down Washington Street on Saturday showed sidewalks that hadn’t been cleared with footprints as evidence of people trudging through the ice and snow. Washington Street was noticeable, but the scene played itself out throughout the city in both commercial and residential areas. One reader particularly noted areas of West Third Street where snow was piled so there was no way for pedestrians to get to and from the area other than to walk in the street. Uncleared sidewalks mean people have to walk on busy streets, creating a safety hazard for pedestrians and a traffic hazard for drivers. No one likes shoveling snow, particularly the heavy, wet snow the area received that was then topped with ice overnight. That doesn’t mean the job doesn’t need to be done.
Thumbs up to the latest effort to reach out to the next generation of manufacturing workers in Chautauqua County. The Dream It, Do It program recently hosted more than 200 students from several area high schools at the Manufacturing Technology Institute at Jamestown Community College to showcase some of the manufacturing careers offered in the county. Despite job losses throughout the county, manufacturing is still the second-largest employment sector in Chautauqua County at a little more than 17 percent of the county workforce. And, jobs will be available as the baby boomer generation continues retiring from their jobs. Events like the recent MTI tour and other Dream It, Do It initiatives are important to make sure students know there are good-paying, technology-driven jobs in manufacturing and to make sure there is a workforce available for the county’s manufacturing base.
Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down
Thumbs up to the latest step in what is shaping up to be a promising 2015 baseball season in Jamestown. Kevin Rhomberg, principal investor and owner of RS Entertainment, has added a new investor for his Prospect League team in Jamestown by partnering with Mike Zimmerman. Zimmerman, from Milwaukee, is the owner of MKE Sports and Entertainment, a company which owns a sprawling sports complex in the Milwaukee area and the Milwaukee Wave of the Major Indoor Soccer League. It is expected that Sullivan’s involvement with Jamestown’s new Prospect League team will bring additional financial resources and management expertise as Jamestown finds its foothold in the Prospect League. We hope the partnership between Rhomberg and Sullivan creates the foundation of the next 50 years of baseball in Jamestown.
Thumbs down to local grinches who steal part of their neighbors’ Christmas cheer. Recently, Sue and Don McKillip decorated their yard with a small nativity set, complete with a wooden barn that served as the stable. When Don McKillip returned from a recent trip to the store, most of the items had been stolen. “It took the wind right out of my sails,” Mrs. McKillip told The Post-Journal. It is unfortunate, during this season that should focus in part on spreading joy throughout the community, that some in our midst go out of their way to spread sadness.
Thumbs up to the The Zonta International Club in Jamestown, whose members recently assembled 480 birthing kits that will be sent to developing countries to be used in obstetrical settings providing improved birthing practices for women and infants. The birthing kit contains a 3-by-3-foot sheet of new plastic, a pair of disposable clean gloves, a small cake of soap, three cotton umbilical cord ties, gauze pads, and a new disposable razor blade. The plastic sheet provides a clean area for the delivery of the infant, gloves provide another aseptic barrier protecting the newborn from bacteria exposure, and of course the soap is used for the new mom, newborn and those helping with the delivery. All items are donated or purchased by Zonta International Club of Jamestown with service money from the local club’s budget. The birthing kits are an effort to reduce infection in the mother and baby with a goal to reduce infant and maternal mortality.
Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down
Thumbs up to quick action at the Greater Chautauqua-Jamestown Airport Robert H. Jackson Field for keeping its runways clear of ice during recent storms that closed regional airfields in Olean and Bradford. According to Bill Tucker, manager of Chautauqua County parks and airports, freezing rain and strong crosswinds forced a medical team to land in Jamestown rather than Olean, their destination to retrieve a liver for transplant. Freezing rain didn’t hit the area until 2:30 p.m. Nov. 25, but neither the Cattaraugus County-Olean Airport nor the Bradford Regional Airport had the capability to keep runways open under the icy conditions later on in the day, which designated Jamestown as the next best site for landing and taking off safely. Tucker said landing the plane wasn’t an issue, but airport officials knew freezing rain forecast for later in the day meant Jamestown airport crews had to keep the runway safe for takeoff by laying a fine layer of sand so the ice wouldn’t build up too quick. The flight took off on time. The airport’s action – and the decision by an Olean area resident to be an organ donor – likely helped save someone’s life.
Thumbs down to an initial proposal by Jamestown’s Salary Review Commission to raise the mayor’s salary to $90,000 a year starting in 2016. The increase would be $18,000 a year from the current $72,000. We’re not yet ready to say no pay raise is needed for the position, but two arguments we heard from commission members – which were also made by a similar county group, we may add – are pretty flimsy. The first is that the city pays its mayor less than other cities. Is it really a bad thing that the pay for some elected officials is lower than other cities or counties? Have members of any of these commissions ever thought that perhaps Jamestown or Chautauqua County pays its top officials less because county officials are trying to hold the line on pay increases where they can? The second reason given for suggesting pay raises for elected office is that more pay is needed to entice people to run for office. We have yet to hear, at least not publicly, any elected official complain about the pay for their position or say they weren’t going to run for office because the pay is too low. Again, perhaps there is a good reason to be made for adjusting salaries for elected officials at the city and the county level. We just haven’t heard it yet.
Thumbs up to a group effort among local businesses that resulted in Colecraft Commercial Furnishings winning a contract with Bentley, the well-known luxury car company. Dave Messinger, Colecraft Commercial Furnishings chief executive officer, said they beat 11 other companies vying for the contract. He said, along with the hard work by Colecraft employees, they also received assistance from local companies All Metal Specialties, D&S Glass, Emco Finishing Products and Hanson Sign Companies with products for the luxury car manufacturer. Colecraft was awarded the contract by understanding what Bentley officials wanted to see in their showrooms, Messinger said. He added that shopping for a Bentley is an experience, which Colecraft officials wanted to capture in its commercial furnishings. One way was by relating the look of the showroom furniture with the sleek designs of the high-end vehicles Bentley produces. And by having the furniture, at times, replicate the look of an airplane propeller to represent the history of Bentley Motors. The company first started by producing airplane engines during the first World War. It is the sort of local cooperation needed for area companies to remain competitive in the sort of global competition they face these days.