It would be quite a win if the county Industrial Development Agency and local partners are able to close a deal to bring a new tenant to the former Truck-Lite plant on Elmwood Avenue, Falconer.

Located at 310 E. Elmwood Ave., the 145,000-square-foot industrial property has remained vacant since Truck-Lite moved its headquarters to Pennsylvania and closed the Falconer facility in 2020. ND PressTec has shown interest in the building as a site for a new brass component manufacturing operation — but as is often the case, money will speak loudly when it comes to filling the vacant plant.

The Chautauqua Region Economic Development Corp., a subsidiary of the county IDA, asked the village of Falconer last summer to apply for a grant up to $750,000 from the state Office of Community Renewal. The money will be used to pay for a portion of the machinery and equipment, furnishings, and/or working capital costs to get the company up and running.

At an estimated cost of $10 million, according to information provided at the August 2022 public hearing, the project was expected to create about 80 full-time jobs. As is required by the Community Development Block Grant program, the majority of jobs must be made available to low- and moderate-income individuals.

Manufacturing jobs that bring with them decent wages can be the lifeblood of an economy, so it goes without saying that bringing new life to the former Truck-Lite plant is an important win for the Jamestown area economy. It would be great news for a region that has heard more than its share of disappointing economic news for a vacant plant to be back up and running.