We’ve long called for investment into shovel-ready sites in Chautauqua County.

So it’s hard to be critical of a $1,999,999 federal investment in the site announced last week by U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy and Sen. Charles Schumer. We’ve heard a lot about the Ripley site over the years. Now, we may see some action come spring now that the county has secured about $13 million of the project’s original $16 million price tag. County officials are looking for another $3 million from the federal Economic Development Administration to fully pay for the work.

We hope this investment of taxpayer dollars pays off. The location near I-90 in Ripley could be attractive for new development in the manufacturing, transportation or warehousing sectors. County officials hope that access roads, water, sewer, gas, and communication lines will attract something big to the region.

That site, however, sits in a sparsely populated area of the county. There is a countywide boost to the tax base, but it won’t come in the county’s two population centers that are currently struggling with a loss of tax base and big tax levy increases. At some point, additional shovel-ready site investment has to come to Dunkirk and Jamestown.

We also hope that job-related benefits, if they come, benefit county residents instead of Pennsylvania residents who would cross the border for higher starting wages available in New York state than they can often get in Pennsylvania. At least much of the investment is federal tax dollars rather than local tax dollars, but the location suggests job creation benefits aren’t likely to be for New York, or Chautauqua County, workers.

Still, development is development – and we need more of it to support the programs that many county residents view as essential.