It stood to reason that there would be interest in the Jamestown Business College site once the college wound down operations next spring.

That interest ended up coming from an unlikely source – the St. Susan Center and United Christian Advocacy Network. The Conklin family has selflessly donated the college land and buildings to the non-profit agencies to allow them to focus on the homeless population and expand operations.

It makes sense. The St. Susan Center has seen expanded need for its services, and needed additional and updated space, for years. UCAN officials have long wanted to help both the homeless and women and children, so partnering with St. Susan at the former JBC site allows that need to be filled.

There are two questions, though, that come to mind with the benefit of a couple of weeks to think about the project critically.

First, a city that is struggling with the loss of its taxable assessment stands to lose $684,932 of taxable assessment. The city loses tax base for a good reason, but it comes at the cost of spreading the tax burden to those whose properties remain on the tax rolls.

But more importantly is the hole that is left in the Gateway Center. Progress is actually, finally, being made on the long-discussed Gateway Lofts project. That development recently received a $325,000 low-interest loan from the county IDA’s newly established Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund and is to help prepare the site for a $67 million collaborative project between Community Helping Hands, the Jamestown YWCA and Southern Tier Environments for Living that will result in a 110-unit affordable housing complex anchored by supportive wrap-around services. One had to think the St. Susan Center being in the Gateway Center was one of those supportive services that would help those trying to get back on their feet. Tom Whitney, STEL executive director, told IDA board members in September that St. Susan’s was an open question in the Gateway Lofts plan. That question has been answered – and it leads to more questions.

Let’s be clear. These are bumps in the road, not insurmountable or unsolvable questions. But they are questions that deserve a little bit of attention as the St. Susan Center eyes the next stage of its mission to help feed the hungry in our midst.