A Jamestown manufacturer of painted and stainless steel furniture and equipment will be laying off nearly 40 employees by this Spring, cutting it's workforce by half.
The New York State Labor Department reports it received an official WARN Notice from Institutional Casework, Incorporated on February 5th, stating that Jamestown Metal Products on Blackstone Avenue has notified employees that 37 workers will be laid-off on or about May 8th. The reduction would leave 40 workers at the plant. JMP was purchased in 2009 by Institutional Casework, which is based in Tennessee. Our efforts to reach the local company, and it's Tennessee parent company have been unsuccessful.
Jamestown's Public Works Department will begin work later this year on a new, storm water management system to hopefully end a major stormwater flooding problem on the city's northside.
Public Works Director Jeff Lehman outlined plans to deal with to help slow down water coming off private property on Federal Place that's heavily-impacted Fluvanna Avenue and Roseland Park area.
Lehman says the rushing water has also caused problems for the Pepsi-Cola plant on Washington Street. He says the plan now is to use three "arch pipes" with stone placed around it to slow the water down from that 47-acre area. He says the system will allow them to hold much of the run-off uphill so that it drains slowlly to the lower level. Lehman says they have a similar set up, using six arch pipes, on Huxley Avenue. He says the DPW is looking to add more storm water drainage into that area of Fluvanna Avenue in the future. The City Council's Finance Committee last night approved using just over $14,700 from a 2015 bond to finance the project. The full council will vote on the plan in two weeks.
Jamestown's chief financial officer says the city had another "very good" quarter for sales tax revenues during the final three months of last year.
In fact, Comptroller Joe Bellitto told lawmakers last night that the city had just received it's fourth-quarter payment of $1.66-million, which was $94,000 more than the 4th Quarter of 2018. With that, he says they exceeded their record amount received in 2018.
Bellitto says State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli recently announced sales tax revenues were up across the state by about 4.7-percent, so he says they were very close to the average. In 2018, Bellitto says the city received just over $6.4-million in sales tax revenues. Since 2009, he says they've now had three consecutive years of solid growth in those revenues, after seven difficult ones. Bellitto says the city's 2020 budget includes an anticipated $6.5-million in sales tax revenues. Jamestown will receive it's first-quarter sales tax payment on or around May 1st.
Two people were arrested for endangering the welfare of a child after one allegedly overdose in a motel room last Wednesday.
Ellicott Town Police were called to the Budget Inn on East Main Street just before 1:30 AM and, found a female who overdosed on drugs. During the investigation, police say a 2-month-old infant was reportedly in the room during the incident and both parents were under the influence of drugs while caring for the child. Officers say 36 year-old Joshua Lincoln and 24 year-old Tanisha Babcock were issued appearance tickets for Town Court at a later date.
One of the candidates in the Democratic Presidential Primaries is seeking a campaign headquarters in Chautauqua County.
That from county Democratic Committee Chairman Norm Green, who is back after a quick weekend in New Hampshire in advance of today's first party primary of 2020. Green also says he has been contacted by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's campaign about a location in the Jamestown-area ahead New York's April 28th primary.
Both Bloomberg and fellow Billionaire Tom Steyers have been spending millions of dollars on advertising, which has created a lot of political buzz. There's still a lot of buzz about last week's disasterous Iowa Caucuses. Green says there are often issues that arise during voting, but he says Iowa needs to do a better job and, maybe have their caucus and votes handled by professionals. The New York Primary is one of several that will be held on Tuesday, April 28th, also known as "Super Tuesday." Michael Bloomberg skipped the Iowa Caucuses and, has mainly been eyeing Super Tuesday states.
