It is unfortunate that plans to bring excursion trains to Jamestown has run out of steam.

Given the money that was spent to renovate the former Erie-Lackawanna Railroad Station, excursion trains based out of the former engine barn located further down Second Street near the Chadakoin River made a lot of sense.

Train traffic from other cities could have benefitted the National Comedy Center and other downtown attractors and restaurants by bringing visitors into the area during non-peak times of year. Excursion trains and some sort of museum in and around the engine barn also would have tied into area residents’ obvious affinity for the railroad.

The project was to receive $670,000 for infrastructure support and rail depot upgrades. Now sizeable chunk of money will be applied toward other Downtown Revitalization Initiative projects, with city officials currently using the money for Riverwalk illumination, improving city streetscapes or the Warner Dam catchment plan to install a floating debris collection system.

City officials have to spend the $670,000 by the end of this year, so there isn’t time for a lengthy planning process. At the same time, it would be a shame to see the money wasted on projects that won’t bring one additional person downtown, that don’t help downtown businesses or that don’t improve the lives of those who spend their time downtown. So, before reprogramming the funding, there should be some sort of public discussion of specific projects where that money can go. If the money is going to be earmarked for streetscape improvements or other projects that make it easier to traverse downtown, what should those projects be? What has been identified in past plans and studies that could use a cash infusion and falls within a project that has been approved as part of the DRI process? Would additional funding for the plan to improve the Warner Dam make the river usable for more people? Would it benefit Chautauqua Lake or the greater Chautauqua Lake watershed? Does it make any sense to use more money for decorative lighting?

These are the questions that city officials should ask before the money is officially reprogrammed. And those questions should be asked and answered publicly.