Area’s Thanksgiving Meal Goal Is Far More Than 1,500

November 20, 2024

Conduit Ministries and its partners have set quite a goal for themselves this Thanksgiving season. The Jamestown church is partnering with Bemus Point Methodist Church to raise enough money to provide 1,500 Thanksgiving meals to the community. Bemus Point members have already raised more than $50,000 for the effort. It’s a big goal that fills a big need in the community. Kudos to church leadership for seeing the need and starting early to try to help. And a heartfelt thank you to church members in both congregations who have dug deep into their pockets and who have given freely ...

Federal Policy Changes Could Have Local Impact

November 19, 2024

There are going to be changes to environmental regulations once President Donald Trump takes office in January. But we hope those changes don’t do much to damage the emerging green energy sector that is growing in the Jamestown area. Cummins Inc.’s fuel agnostic X15N engine is in full production at Cummins’ Busti plant after $452 million of investment in a new line to produce the engine. NFI Group has been on the receiving end of purchase orders backed by federal dollars infrastructure programs aiming to push lower emissions buses into fleets in big cities. Many of those orders ...

Renewable Energy Sites Are Not Job Drivers

November 18, 2024

No municipality seems immune from tax increases. Nearly everyone who is engaged with what’s happening locally knows about the city of Dunkirk’s plans to raise the tax rate 108% next year due to its fiscal crisis, but other locations also are having troubles. Nearby, the town of Dunkirk announced a small tax hike at a recent board meeting. It’s very minimal — about 5 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. In the meantime, with tax rates so low in the town it seems unthinkable a renewable energy company would be looking for a break. That’s exactly what’s happening with two ...

How Do We Put The ‘Development’ Back Into City Development Department?

November 16, 2024

The word development has long been a misnomer for Jamestown’s Development Department. Crystal Surdyk, city development director, didn’t do much in her recent budget presentation to the City Council to redefine the department. The department is incredibly busy administering the housing- and infrastructure-related grants it receives from the state and federal governments, code enforcement, business and housing permitting and a host of other things. No one can say the Development Department isn’t busy, and Surdyk has stepped up her game in the past 11 months. There isn’t much ...

State Should Help YWCA Day Care, Not Shut It Down

November 14, 2024

It’s obvious after reading the documentation required to be made public regarding the YWCA Jamestown’s day care program that changes need to be made. The YWCA’s Dandelion Room, which housed a universal pre-kindergarten program, is already closed after staffing oversight left children unattended for periods ranging from 2 minutes to 19 minutes inside the building while another child was left at a playground on Sixth Street unattended for between 4 and 5 minutes. Such oversights are, obviously, unacceptable, especially when dealing with such young children. Parents involved ...

Barnes, Jones Speak Strongly On Fairmount Avenue Sidewalks

November 13, 2024

We hope state Transportation Department officials have listened carefully to Lakewood residents’ concerns over a sidewalk extension project for Route 394 that is now being opposed by members of the Lakewood Village Board. The state Transportation Department has said improvements could include asphalt pavement throughout the project from the bridge west of Ashville Road to McDaniel Avenue; reconfigure road striping within the current curb to curb width; minor traffic signal improvements; replacing non-compliant curb ramps; and upgrade traffic signs. Of course, the centerpiece is the ...