Progress 2023 - Olean Times Herald

SEVERAL COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENTS UNDERWAY, PLANNED IN OLEAN AREA

By BOB CLARK

OLEAN — Developers have made formal moves to bring at least seven new national commercial chain locations to new sites in the greater Olean area — and several are expected to open within the next year.

Soon to begin construction is the third Tim Hortons coffee shop in the area — set for 1401 E. State St.

Last year, the city’s planning board approved a site plan for the store, at 1401 E. State St., allowing construction to move forward. Sale of the property was completed Jan. 12.

The location is being developed by CDT Enterprises, the firm which owns seven franchises in the Jamestown and Olean areas. Officials reported in June that the store will be 1,600 square feet and feature a double drive-through system with access to either North Clark or East State streets, as well as

indoor and patio seating for customers.

Owner Blake Tarana, who purchased the other two Olean area Tim Hortons locations in 2021, told the Times Herald that the site is ideal as the corridor sees many commuters heading between Olean and points east.

“We were surprised there wasn’t one there already,” Tarana said.

Tarana noted the plan was complicated due to the lot previously being used for

the American Olean Tile Co.’s operations in the city, necessitating a more strenuous environmental review. That process is now complete, he said.

“We’re looking at breaking ground in the spring,” he said. “I would like to be open by September.”

Several other new locations are also under development to the east. Tarana noted that his firm plans to operate inside the under-development Quicklee’s travel

center in Wellsville, and is finalizing a property deal to construct a standalone restaurant in the Hornell area.

ALSO EXPECTED to start building this year is the area’s first Starbucks location, set for an Ellicott Development-owned parcel on West State Street.

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Bob Clark/Olean Times Herald

Workers build the future Chipotle restaurant (left) and WellNow Urgent Care in the West End.

PARTNERSHIP BRINGS RENEWAL TO FORMER DRESSER SITE

By BOB CLARK

OLEAN — Renovations are underway in North Olean to breathe new life into the largest manufacturing site in the city just months after production ended.

In September, a cooperative between Italian steel fabricator Cimolai-HY and New York-based real estate firm Related Companies stepped forward with intent to redevelop the former Siemens Energy campus after ending manufacturing in July — this time to make structural steel for projects that may include the new Buffalo Bills stadium.

Company officials plan to spend $56 million to refurbish the plant and hope to hire around 250 workers for the site when it is operational in 2025. The bulk of the project will take place inside the existing structures on the site, to-

talling almost 1 million square feet.

U.S-based Related Companies and the Italian steel company Cimolai S.P.A. both have significant experience with large-scale construction projects. Along with stadiums in Europe, Africa and Asia, Cimolai also produced the steel for Allegiant Stadium, the home of the Las Vegas Raiders football team and planned host of Super Bowl LVIII in 2024.

Infrastructure projects include the Throgs Neck Bridge in New York City. Related, a New York-based real estate firm, has completed millions of square feet of construction including the Hudson Yards project.

In November, the IDA approved a payment in lieu of taxes deal worth almost $5 million, plus more than half a million dollars in other tax incentives for the project.

Expect a marketing campaign to begin to hire employees sometime this summer, IDA officials said earlier this year. The company expects to hire many of the employees that Siemens Energy laid off, as the skillsets of former employees and the labor market helped encourage Cimolai-HY to purchase the plant. At full employment, the annual payroll is estimated at $15 million. Besides more than $5.3 million in property and sales tax savings for Cimolai-HY, Cattaraugus County lawmakers have provided additional $2 million in loans that will be forgiven if the company meets hiring targets. For more than 100 years, the site was home to the largest heavy industry in the city. In 1916, Clark Brothers relocated from Belmont to the site — adjacent to

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Bob Clark/Olean Times Herald The Cimolai-HY campus in North Olean.

Photo provided

An aerial map of the Cimolai-HY site in North Olean.

‘A BOLDER BONAVENTURE’: SBU PURSUES HISTORIC FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN

ST. BONAVENTURE

— Since its announcement in September, St. Bonaventure University continues with the largest fundraising campaign in its 164-year history.

Comprehensive in scope, the campaign —

“A Bolder Bonaventure: Ignite. Inspire. Invest.”

— seeks to raise $125 million by May 31, 2025.

Coupled with the arrival of St. Bonaventure University’s 22nd president, Dr. Jeff Gingerich, who has focused on student-centered

growth throughout his career, the campaign aims to radically raise the profile of the university while connecting generations of students to the true meaning and potential of their existence.

“The value of a St. Bonaventure education could never be more important than it is today,” Gingerich said in announcing A Bolder Bonaventure. “Our Franciscan commitment to public service and academic excellence matters. The legacy of

what we are building here and what every St. Bonaventure graduate takes with them is so important, at the local community level and across the globe.”

The campaign’s focal point is a bold response to helping students prepare for the challenges and opportunities they will face in an increasingly complex world. The overarching priorities include:

• Broadening the health care learning environment within the popular Dennis

SEVERAL COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENTS UNDERWAY

from Page A-1

“We anticipate start of construction on the Starbucks this spring with completion early 2024,” said Thomas Fox, director of development for Ellicott Development. The Buffalo-based development firm received approval from the city’s planning board in October for the coffee shop and a pad for two future businesses at 2801 W. State St., in the front portion of the Holiday Park Centre. Ellicott Development acquired the site in early 2022 in its purchase of all Park Centre Development properties.

Fox said there was no new information available on development on the pad site.

Work by Ellicott Development is also beginning on rental housing in the West End. One, a 42-unit development, will be located on the rear of a parcel at 2101 W. State St. A second site is planned near the Harbor Freight store in the town of Allegany, on the site of the former DeSoto Motel.

site, rather than as a replacement.

Chipotle corporate officials reported this week that the store is expected to open “at some point this summer,” but could not include details on how many people would be employed at the store.

In March 2022, the city’s planning board approved the site plan for the two structures, located on the former Ponderosa restaurant parcel along West State.

Chipotle, a publicly-traded Mexican-style fast/casual restaurant known for its burritos, is headquartered in Newport Beach, Calif. The chain has around 3,000 locations in North America and Europe, including several in the Buffalo, Rochester and Erie, Pa., metro areas.

states in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions.

WORK IS ALSO UNDERWAY on North Union Street at the former Pizza Hut restaurant site — as a Pizza Hut.

Contractor 5 Star Renovations & More LLC reported via Facebook that renovations on the site are nearly complete and that job postings for the restaurant are online. New signs were erected at the beginning of March. An expected opening date was not reported, but was believed to be early this spring. YUM! officials did not respond to several requests for comment.

R. DePerro School of Health Professions.

• Transforming St. Bonaventure’s athletics facilities and ensuring a strongly competitive Division I experience for every student-athlete.

• Modernizing facilities and enhancing technology within the Jandoli School of Communication.

• Ensuring an intellectual journey that explores a larger context for our students’ personal, profes-

sional and civic lives through academic mission and student experience.

• Delivering a transformational Franciscan experience for every member of the community through Franciscan mission and ministries.

• Boosting The Bonaventure Fund, which provides financial aid and makes possible St. Bonaventure’s unique brand of Franciscan higher education.

More than $75 million had been raised since the quiet phase of the campaign began in June 2018. This includes one $6 million gift, the largest single gift St. Bonaventure ever received, 12 individual million-dollar commitments and nearly 50,000 contributors giving $5,000 or less.

Several major donors stepped forward early with significant levels of support, helping to transform iconic Francis Hall into the stunning

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since at least the 1970s. If completed, it would mark the return of the chain for the first time in a quarter century. An Arby’s restaurant operated by the Carlson family — which is connected to A&T Development — closed

in the 1990s on North Union Street. The site is now occupied by CVS pharmacy, built in 2000.

OFFICIALS WITH Hobby Lobby, a chain arts and crafts supply store, did not respond to a request for comment on plans

for a West State Street location.

The company received an OK from the city planning board in September to redevelop the remaining empty space at the former Kmart store at 2810 W. State St.

STRUCTURES

FOR a second city WellNow urgent care center and a Chipotle restaurant are partially completed, fully enclosed and nearing completion. WellNow officials reported that the firm hopes to open its location in the spring. A company spokesperson told the Times Herald that the new site will be operated in addition to the current Wayne Street

WellNow, founded in 2011 in Binghamton, was acquired by Aspen Dental Management Inc. in 2016. The company operates more than 1,100 locations in 45 states, the majority Aspen Dental practices such as the one a block away in the town of Allegany.

After the acquisition by Aspen Dental Management, WellNow acquired MASH Urgent Care in 2018 — the former operator of the current WellNow site on Wayne Street. Company officials could not comment on the future of the Wayne Street facility. WellNow has 73 locations in New York, as well as 65 in five other

A CHAIN WITH previous experience in the area is also considering a new site in the town of Allegany.

The Allegany town planning board approved a site plan in October for a new Arby’s fast food restaurant, planned for 1779 Gargoyle Road. The developer is A&T Development, which owns several Arby’s locations, including the site in Bradford, Pa.

The status of the project was not confirmed, however. Company officials could not be reached for comment. As of Wednesday, Cattaraugus County property records show the property is owned by Rehler Enterprises of Allegany and has been in the Rehler family

new home for the DePerro School of Health Professions.

The Leslie C.,’75, and Eileen Quick III family in concert with Jim, ’76, and Nina, ’79, Meyer donated a total of $8 million in support of the DePerro School. They were joined by John “Duffy” Sheehan,’82, and his wife, Sharon, who committed $1 million.

Their landmark gifts enabled the university to offer graduate programs in physician assistant studies, occupational therapy and public health as well as undergraduate programs in nursing, health science and public health. Each of these programs is designed to help meet the growing demand for skilled and caring health care providers in our region and beyond.

ATHLETIC FACILITIES

Part of the overall campaign is a focus on improving athletics facilities — including

DRESSER SITE

from Page A-2

the Socony-Vacuum oil refinery, as the company focused production on the oil and gas industry. Through various mergers it became part of Dresser-Rand.

German conglomerate Siemens bought Dresser-Rand in 2015 for $7.8 billion, and in 2020 spun off Siemens Energy, which included several areas of business that, tied to oil and gas industries, were performing poorly as focus globally turned toward renewable energy alternatives.

the Reilly Center, which is more than 55 years old — to attract top student-athletes with facilities that “beat the competition” and compare to what might be found on a Power 5 conference campus — or at a professional sports franchise’s training complex.

At the forefront of the campaign are designs for a new nearly 10,000-square-foot Athletics Performance Center and addition

times, creating potential academic conflicts, or use hallways or the Reilly Center side courts for training.

Officials said the new athletics center will include space that is five times the size of the current weight room facility, allowing space for several teams to train at the same time using state-of-the-art equipment. The new facility would have an immediate impact on the 400 Bonnies student-athletes

enhanced technology throughout Murphy. Plans include the creation of an agency-like classroom, team rooms, a newsroom of the future, and a stateof-the-art broadcast production suite. This will allow for The Bona Venture, the student-run newspaper, and 88.3 FM

“The Buzz,” the student-run radio station, to be moved from their present location in the Reilly Center to the Jandoli School, enabling

the Franciscan Friars of Holy Name Province. They include redesigned classrooms with new furniture to encourage collaboration, relocating faculty offices from the basement level to upper floors, creation of large multipurpose spaces, expansion of the Student Success Center, as well as new windows, HVAC and ventilation systems.

“(Student experience) means everything that a student touches

and HEOP are located in Plassmann, as is Brown’s office.

FRANCISCAN TRADITION

Opportunities for transformational service are among the most significant elements provided for Bonaventure students in the Franciscan Mission and Ministries pillar of Bolder Bonaventure.

“The uniqueness of Bonaventure comes from being a Catholic Franciscan University,” said Alice Miller Nation, director of the Franciscan Center for Social Concern. “And we don’t apologize for that.”

Currently, the FCSC provides a number of options for students to participate in a service opportunity that has the potential to be transformative:

• The Warming House offers a chance for students to volunteer at or help run a soup kitchen that serves between 40 and 80 meals a day.

• Bona Buddies lets students serve as a mentor to children, allowing them to learn to invest a little bit of themselves in someone else.

to and renovation of the Reilly Center, the university announced Thursday. Plans for a large “bubble”-enclosed outdoor training facility and enhancements to existing outdoor fields are also included.

In the past five years, Bona’s student-athlete population has increased by more than 100 and has greatly outgrown the department’s current weight room. Several teams with large rosters are forced to divide into smaller groups at different

from its first day of operation.

“Every piece of the athletics pillar of the campaign has our student-athletes as the focus,” said Bob Van Wicklin, vice president for university advancement. “Our goal is to ensure a strongly competitive Division I experience for them. This is an ambitious plan. The first step to making it happen is the support of our alumni and friends.”

The university did not cite a cost estimate on all the planned upgrades.

JANDOLI SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

Siemens Energy announced in February 2021 that it would close manufacturing in Olean by mid-2022, laying off more than 500 workers. The site was later listed by a commercial real estate firm and sold to Cimolai-HY at auction for around $8 million.

The 88-acre site includes two large industrial plants and a large and two small office buildings totaling about 950,000 square feet. There are another seven buildings used for storage and testing.

The John J. Murphy Professional Building, home to the university’s renowned Jandoli School of Communication, is slated for modernization.

“It will be a game-changer for our school,” said Aaron Chimbel, dean of the Jandoli School of Communication, of the planned transformation. “We need a facility that will reflect where media is and where it is going.”

Funds raised during the campaign will provide renovations and

all student media, along with SBU-TV, TAPinto Greater Olean and more, to collaborate in new ways that reflect how professional media have converged to serve the public across platforms.

PLASSMAN HALL

Plassmann Hall has long been central to campus life, both academically and outside the classroom, and it is now receiving a makeover through the fundraising campaign.

Renovations to Plassmann were kick-started by a $1 million gift from

while they’re on campus,” said Chris Brown, executive director of the Student Success Center and Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program. “So, things that are in the classroom, in the residence halls, in clubs and organizations. It means any of the ways that students can get involved in leadership and service. It’s what students do while they’re here at Bonaventure.”

The Student Success Center, First Year Experience Programs

• Break the Bubble takes students out of Bonaventure to serve and learn about communities that are different from their own.

• Campus Ministries also gives students a variety of opportunities to volunteer and actively participate in weekly Mass as well as provides time and space for students to discuss their faith.

To learn more about the presidential tour and the campaign or to make a gift, please visit www.sbu.edu/ABolderBonaventure.

A digital rendering shows a planned student breakout space in Plassman Hall on St. Bonaventure University’s campus.

St. Bonaventure University students volunteer at The Warming House, located on North Union Street in Olean.

Photos provided by St. Bonaventure University

Upgrades are planned for St. Bonaventure University’s John J. Murphy Professional Building, which houses the Jandoli School of Communication.

CITY OF OLEAN MOVING FORWARD WITH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

By BOB CLARK

OLEAN — The city’s comprehensive plan effort is expected to move forward this spring.

Mayor Bill Aiello said that four responses to a consulting request for proposal announcement were received and are now being reviewed, as is the list of the mayor’s appointees to the panel. If cleared by city development staff, one of the responses will be submitted to the Common Council for approval, as will the appointments.

The consultants, Aiello said, will guide the to-be-appointed committee along the process of creating a new

comprehensive plan.

“I’ve submitted the names to the Department of State for approval,” Aiello said, and if approved, the names will head to the Common Council for

ratification.

The document, a high-level plan used in urban planning, sets goals and offers projects and guides to help achieve those goals. Land management, his-

MANY AND VARIED HOUSING PROJECTS CONTINUE IN OLEAN AREA

By BOB CLARK

OLEAN — Housing projects have begun to spring up around the Olean area, with some fully rented out and others hoping to move off the drawing board.

At the First National building, 101 N. Union St., Savarino Companies reported that all market-rate apartment units in the long-vacant former bank and office building have been rented out.

Built in 1915, the former bank was open until 1994, after which it was vacated and

considered for redevelopment. Following several ownership changes, the property was purchased by the URA in 2010. Shortly thereafter a firm attempted to develop the site, but pulled out.

It took four requests for proposal between 2011 and 2017 before Savarino Companies of Buffalo stepped forward in 2017 in an attempt at renovation. The project received $2 million from the state’s 2017 Downtown Revitalization Initiative award. The transfer occurred in November

2019, but the COVID-19 pandemic slowed redevelopment efforts. Showings for the apartments began in the summer of 2021, with more apartments coming on the market as they were finished. By December, the final four apartments were completed. On Jan. 31, the company reported all 21 units were leased and a waiting list was created.

Sunny Olean, along the 100 block of West State Street, also reports being at full capacity after opening in 2022. continued on page A-6

toric preservation, zoning and other avenues are made available in the document to reach the goals.

The last process was completed in 2005 for a 20-year plan. Along with outlining goals, the document was designed to aid grant applications by tying projects to goals and earning more points on applications — sometimes enough to make the difference between landing a grant and either delaying a project or using property tax funds to make it happen.

The current comprehensive plan has not been updated since its introduction. Some governments perform updates to their plans every few years — as an example, Allegany County typically revisits its document every 10 years. The document remains in effect through 2025.

The comprehensive plan is not binding, but does typically offer a blueprint for project planning. The current document did not

include the Walkable Olean project — approved seven years after the comprehensive plan was created — but it does call for improving the downtown area with infrastructure and development programs. Some sections of the document are also outdated, such as one listing publicly-accessible computers running the Microsoft Windows 98 operating system as a “community asset.”

Work on the last plan began in September 2003, leading to an August 2005 approval. Work on the new plan is expected to take from 18 to 24 months.

Funding for the grant has been acquired, and none of it is expected to come at the expense of local taxpayers.

In 2021, the city sought state aid to fund the project, which eventually turned into $90,000 in aid from the state plus a $10,000 local match. Officials reported in 2021 that the aid opportunity was the first time state aid was made available for such an undertaking.

The various funding sources include $50,000 from the state Capital Fund through Empire State Development, $40,000 from the Department of State Environmental Pollution Fund, $5,000 from Cattaraugus County economic development funds, and $5,000 from the Siemens initiative funds — part of a $1.66 million payment by Siemens Energy to the area to assist with redevelopment and retraining initiatives

after the firm shuttered its production facility in North Olean in 2022.

Regarding the newest Walkable Olean effort, current plans are to expand the Walkable Olean gardens to South Union Street in 2024 and West State Street in 2025.

The goal of the Olean Beutification Committee is that the gardens will become a destination point, with city officials saying they want to create gardens with year-round beauty that will attract visitors be an integral part of a vibrant downtown.

The committee has issued several recommendations, but recognizes the difficulty in maintaining the gardens — even as they increase in number. The recommendations include:

• Create a new division in Public Works — Grounds and Landscape, with two positions.

• A supervisor with knowledge of gardening techniques and horticulture, who will be a fulltime member of the Beautification Committee.

• A full-time assistant with knowledge of gardening.

Supporters say the gardens could be the critical factor in helping someone or some business decide to relocate.

City Public Works divisions also pitch in to help with moving containers of flowers, transporting mulch and watering the flowers frequently.

File photo City

DESPITE INCREASED COSTS, GREAT LAKES CHEESE COMMITTED TO FULL SCALE OF PROJECT

By RICK MILLER

FRANKLINVILLE — The new state-of-the-art Great Lakes Cheese Co. plant near Franklinville is progressing on schedule, but not without inflationary and supply chain problems.

While inflated costs and supply issues have added more than 20% to the initial cost of the 486,000-squarefoot plant, Great Lakes Cheese Co. has resisted reducing what started as a $500 million project — which is among the largest in Western New York.

Cattaraugus County Industrial Development Executive Director Corey Wiktor said the continuation of the project despite the $121 million increase in the cost of construction and equipment is evidence that Great Lakes Cheese is committed to the region for the long haul.

“They are investing $600 million for the next 50 years,” Wiktor said.

Great Lakes Cheese on March 21 petitioned the IDA to apply sales tax abatement to an additional $45 million of the $121 million in increased costs. That translates into a $4 million savings for the company. The IDA board will formally consider the

HOUSING PROJECTS

from Page A-5

The buildings, at 112 W. State St., had been vacant for years before being purchased from the URA in 2017 by Sunny Olean LLC, led by SolEpoxy President Jeff Belt. A $1.6 million redevelopment of the block was undertaken, with mixed commercial and market-rate housing spaces prepared. Tri County Arts Council moved into a ground floor space in 2019.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

In September, ground was broken on the first affordable housing project in the city in almost 30 years.

The groundbreaking marked the beginning of a $16 million renovation at 422 E. State St. — the 64,000-squarefoot former Market Basket warehouse — into State Street Apartments by new owner CDS Monarch Inc. The Webster-based nonprofit organization plans to create 46 apartments in the structure, including 14 units with supportive services, five will be equipped for those with mobility issues, and two will be equipped for those with hearing or vision issues. The

request for modification at its April meeting.

When fully operational next year, the plant will not only employ the 230 employees currently at the Great Lakes Cheese plant in Cuba, but a similar number of new hires. The plant was initially proposed for a site in Allegany County, but delays forced the company to look elsewhere.

A Freedom dairy farmer who owned 150 acres along Route 16 near Franklinville offered his property, which fit the bill for GLC. Wiktor and the IDA promoted the site for GLC and the Cattaraugus County Legislature put up $400,000 for expedited site studies in 2021. The county has since added $8 million from federal COVID-19 stimulus funds for water and sewer lines to the site.

Through the IDA, Great Lakes Cheese has received or will receive more than $165 million in sales tax, mortgage recording tax and property tax abatement through the IDA payment in lieu of taxes or P.I.L.O.T.

Wiktor said Great Lakes Cheese vice president Matt Wilkinson told him the COVID-19 pandemic was to blame for much of the problems. Labor and materi-

al costs soared by about 60% — to $129 million and $195 million respectively. Bids in this past year came in at 50% or more above cost estimates from December 2020. Construction has continued throughout the winter — outside and inside. There can be hundreds of construction workers on site at any time.

Great Lakes Cheese is partly owned by its employees and was committed to staying in the region — close enough so that employees currently working at the Cuba plant could commute. The average job pays $50,000 a year. It is a little over 15 miles from the Cuba plant, located just south of the intersection of Route 16 and 98. The site is divided between the towns of Franklinville and Farmersville.

Not only will the new plant be located close to existing employees, but it is also close to the hundreds of dairy farms that will supply twice as much milk — 4 million pounds — as is currently purchased by the Cuba plant.

That should provide work for about 36,000 cows for the next 50 years — or until Great Lakes Cheese expands the plant in the future and needs more milk.

The first project, by Olean 2020 LLC, a subsidiary of Ellicott Development, will be 44 apartments in two phases worth a total of $11 million at 2101 W. State St. Phase 1 will consist of two two-story, 12-unit, multi-family buildings and the second phase will include a two-story, 12-unit building and a two-story, 12-unit, multi-family market rate building.

Ingrassia, plans almost $20 million in work at the site. A two-phase project is expected to open with demolition of the former Bon-Ton anchor store and interior mall renovations pegged at $2.7 million. Afterward, a second phase would construct a $17 million, four-story apartment building on the cleared area for more than 60 senior apartments.

project will take about 18 months to complete, putting the opening at early 2024.

Officials noted that the building will include free Wi-Fi for all residents with 24/7 IT management, as well as a community room with kitchen, a computer lab, fitness center, laundry room on each floor, lobbies/communal seating areas, as well as offices for property management and supportive service staff, and maintenance storage. Planned improvements to the 2.4-acre site include a new parking lot with four EV charging stations, new site light-

ing, landscaping, benches, and the installation of a new playground, as well as a courtyard area created by demolishing about 10,000 square feet of the structure.

Funding for the project comes from Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits worth $9.4 million, a $3 million subsidy from the New York State Homes and Community Renewal, OTDA is providing $3.5 million through the Homeless Housing Assistance Program, and NYSERDA will provide approximately $46,000 in support.

Another under-construction project aims to

aid senior citizens.

In December, Field of Dreams Assisted Living and Memory Care announced its next construction phase would include six independent living cottages in 2023. The project is planned for North Seventh Street in Allegany, and includes six 1,147-square-foot single-story cottages which are fully Americans with Disabilities Act compliant.

IN DEVELOPMENT

Set to break ground in the near future are two developments by Buffalo-based Ellicott Development.

Another Ellicott Development subsidiary, 9154 Group LLC, plans to build a 10-unit apartment building with eight market rate apartments and two townhouses at 3139 W. State Road, behind Harbor Freight on the former DeSoto Motel property purchased several years ago by Ellicott.

Both projects have received approvals from the local planning boards. In January, both projects received tax breaks through the Cattaraugus County Industrial Development Agency.

Also in the planning stage is a radical redevelopment of the Olean Center Mall.

Olean Town Centre LLC, led by Rochester developer Angelo

The former Bon-Ton section to be demolished, originally an AM&A’s when the mall opened 45 years ago, has been vacant beside seasonal use since August 2018.

The mall opened to much fanfare in 1977, but began to decline in the 1990s as retail shifted to the West End of the city and later came under pressure from online shopping. Olean Town Centre LLC, led by Ingrassia, purchased the mall in December 2021 from original developer Zamias for just under $6 million.

In December, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that the project would receive $1.25 million under the Restore New York Communities Initiative.

File photo Developers, as well as city and state officials, break ground at the East State Apartments, located in the former Market Basket warehouse on East State Street.

Photos from Great Lakes Cheese Co.

BRIGHT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEWS IN WELLSVILLE AREA

By KATHRYN ROSS

WELLSVILLE —

With the doors of a major chain store open, lights back on in an iconic factory complex, ground being groomed for a new facility and plans for a new eatery on the table, Wellsville Mayor Randy Shayler is thinking things are looking good in the community.

The second week in March, the sign was finally installed making Runnings officially part of the economic landscape in Wellsville. As this is being written, locals are eagerly awaiting the opening of the doors for a two to three weeklong soft opening, so they can get inside and see what the massive home, garden and farm store actually offers and so the 40 plus new employees can get the hang of serving an expectant public according to a company spokesperson, Lisa Svobodny. The grand opening with ribbon cutting is slated for the first week of May.

Svobodny describes the store as a home, farm, garden, and outdoor store. “We have a variety of pet supplies and supplies for farm animals and we have a wide variety of clothing and shoes,” she said. In the realm of things, the Runnings business coming to Wellsville didn’t take much longer than a year.

The Minnesota based company is opening stores across the nation, 58 to date with eight

in New York state, the closest being Jamestown or Canandaigua. While some local village trustees bemoan that the village will not see any sales tax revenue for some time, based on a payment in lieu of taxes agreement negotiated by the Allegany County Industrial Development Agency, Shayler prescribes to the “all boats rise when the tide rises” theory. He sees the tide rising and believes Runnings will bring shoppers to town and the village’s other businesses — restaurants, gas stations, markets, etc. — will benefit.

Two recent developments caught the public by surprise.

The first was the Arlington, Texas-based Kinley, with roots in Olean and the Allegany oil fields in the early 20th century. It moved

into part of the former Dresser-Rand facility with the new year. While only occupying a small part of the massive complex for now, representatives say they have plans for occupying more of the structure in the future.

Kinley’s KATS (Kinley Advanced Technical Services) provides service, maintenance, and parts manufacturing for a wide range of industrial engines, equipment, and components. KATS specializes in inspection, repair, and overhaul of complex steam turbines, trip and throttle valves, reciprocating compressors and engines, and centrifugal compressors.

In addition to Kinley, the former Dresser complex is also home to one of the village’s newest businesses catering to one of its oldest traditions, baseball. Within

the last few months, in a building on the east side of the complex, Steam Valley Sports complex opened. It is a baseball bootcamp which teaches everything from hitting and pitching to the art of the game to younger players.

The 5,000-squarefoot facility is also open for rent to baseball or softball teams.

More than village officials were pleased when, at the late February board meeting, representatives of Indus Hospitality Group of Rochester announced plans to construct a Taco Bell at the corner of South Main Street and West Dyke Street. Indus is owned by entrepreneur Jett Mehta, who also owns the Microtel and Dunkin’ Donuts at that same site.

Not due for construction until spring 2024,

depending on other projects, construction could begin as early as late summer.

Just on the west side of the village limit sign on the Bolivar Road, the site for the Quicklee’s gas station and convenience store and Tim Hortons has been dormant for several months while planners awaited the completion and outcome of a state Department of Transportation traffic study and heard safety, noise, water, and air-quality concerns from the neighbors.

The traffic study came back in the late fall and showed no need to change the current traffic pattern, which already provides turn lanes. The state also decided a environmental quality review was not necessary. As of the first part of the new year, plans are going ahead

with the construction process this summer.

The plaza is designed to have four gas pumps underneath a canopy and will not sell diesel fuel. A Tim Hortons coffee shop will be located within the facility.

When asked about Wellsville’s economic present and future, Shayler said, “I think this is fantastic and all coming at this time is more than I have expected.”

He pointed out that, along with Kinley adding to the village’s industrial development, Ljungstrom/ARVOS moving into manufacturing renewable energy components has meant more jobs at the Andover Road facility.

“I’ve even heard that they may have to reopen the downtown plant,” Shaylor said, adding, “That will be good for Taco Bell.”

In October 2021 the facility was awarded part of a $200 million grant to build parts for the state’s largest offshore wind facility project. In late 2022 it was reported that new jobs were continually being added. Ljungstrom is currently advertising for skilled workers.

“Success breeds success,” Shayler said. “I think that we are going to see offsprings from these new businesses and additional retail. We’re going to see a lot of traffic. That is going to prove that Wellsville is a real place to do business and other businesses will follow.”

Photo by Kathryn Ross

Kinley Advanced Technical Services moved into part of the former Dresser-Rand facility in Wellsville.

CATTARAUGUS COUNTY IDA RE-EXAMINES POLICY ON WIND, SOLAR TAX BREAKS

By RICK MILLER

After approving more than $120 million worth of solar projects since 2017, the Cattaraugus County Industrial Development Agency put the brakes on in 2022.

The six-month moratorium was extended for another six months in November. The IDA hopes to have a new policy in place that provides a better local return than currently exists, protects productive farmland and utilizes more local labor and suppliers when the moratorium expires in May.

At the same time, two new proposed wind turbine projects in Allegany and Olean have joined the proposed 340-megawatt Alle-Catt Wind farm across four northern Cattaraugus and Allegany county towns.

A Canadian-European partnership, Liberty Renewables Inc., of Albany, is exploring installing a 90-megawatt system with 20 600-foot towers along the ridgeline near the New York-Pennsylvania line in the towns of Allegany and Olean. A map shows the footprint coming within a half mile of the city of Olean in the Rock City area.

The other firm, Terra-Gen LLC, with offices in New York City

and San Diego, Calif., is looking at a wind farm of unspecified size in the Chipmonk area of the town of Allegany — in the same footprint as a failed EverPower wind farm proposal. Any construction — if it is permitted — is four to seven years out, according to Terra-Gen spokesman Kevin Sheen, who formerly worked with EverPower.

Liberty Renewables project director Augusta Mead said the project is in its earliest phase. Like Terra-Gen, the project needs to be near suitable transmission lines. She doesn’t see the project under construction before 2027 if all goes well.

MEAD HAS MET with both Olean Supervisor Annette Parker and Allegany Supervisor Mike Higgins to discuss the proposed project in their towns. Higgins also met with Sheen from Terra-Gen.

Interestingly, the Terra-Gen project may hinge on a survey involving another energy source, crude oil. The alternative energy company is trying to find out how many abandoned oil wells in the footprint of its project need to be located and formally plugged.

Right now, the only fully planned wind project connected to Cattaraugus County is the Alle-Catt Wind Energy LLC project in the towns

of Farmersville and Freedom as well as the towns of Centerville and Rushford in Allegany County and Arcade in Wyoming County. The 340-megawatt project — which is contentious in Cattaraugus County — is spread across nearly 30,000 acres with an estimated 84 turbines in the 600foot range. Invenegy, the Chicago-based parent company of Alle-Catt Wind Energy, had initially proposed 118

turbines with the system costing about $450 million.

Alle-Catt was able to reduce the number of turbine sites by using larger turbines. The New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment has yet to rule on Invenergy’s application for larger turbines.

BOTH SOLAR AND WIND projects are dependent on tax breaks from the Cattaraugus County Industrial Development Agency. Payments in lieu of taxes (P.I.L.O.T.) agreements let the developers pay a portion of what the projects are worth. They are able to bundle sales tax, mortgage recording fees and property taxes into a P.I.L.O.T.

For solar farms, the IDA has a P.I.L.O.T. of $6,000 per megawatt.

In the case of largescale commercial wind projects, the IDA has refused to accept any

applications at the request of the Cattaraugus County Legislature. In the meantime, the Allegany County IDA and Wyoming County IDA have both approved P.I.L.O.T.s for the AllCatt project.

Corey Wiktor, IDA executive director, said the 16 solar farm projects the IDA has approved since 2017 are worth $127 million. The projects started in Olean with three solar farms, Solean, Solean West and Homeridea. Those projects offered additional electricity credits for the city of Olean, St. Bonaventure University and Olean General Hospital. Since then, new solar farms have presented community solar projects where homeowners who sign out can get a percentage off their monthly electric bills.

BESIDES THE THREE Olean projects, there are two projects in the town of Allegany — one of which has battery storage capabilities to power the grid when needed — three in Otto, one in Machias and one each in Franklinville and Ellicottville.

The largest solar farm approved by the IDA is the West Valley Solar project on property controlled by the New York State Energy Research and Development near the West

continued on page B-2

Photos by Rick Miller/Olean Times Herald

WIND, SOLAR TAX BREAKS

from Page B-1

Valley Demonstration Project — a $20 million project.

Omni Navitas

Renewables of Boston, Mass., however, has a larger footprint with five solar farms across two towns. It has three 5-megawatt sites in the town of Otto and two in Machias spread over about 150 acres — each costing between $8.5 million and $8.8 million.

“Solar has to be close to a main transmission line and electric substation,” Wiktor said. That’s how companies decide where to site a solar farm. “The upfront costs of these things are pretty significant. Most are limited to 5 megawatts.

THE SOLAR

MORATORIUM was put into effect because the IDA could not document benefits other than the small P.I.L.O.T. payments that are divided between school districts, municipalities and the county. Communities are also able to enter into community benefit programs with the developers.

Wiktor said that driving to several solar farm sites under construction failed to find any New York state license plates. Local labor and suppliers were not getting work at these sites as was hoped. Gravel at some of the sites was also being trucked in from Pennsylvania, he added.

The solar sites pretty much run themselves when constructed and connected to the grid. No permanent full-time jobs result from them.

If there is a problem, an electrician is dispatched. Occasionally grass may need to be mowed.

“Where are the benefits?” Wiktor asked.

Since the IDA moratorium went into effect last May, a number of solar developers are waiting to see what the IDA’s new solar and wind policy will look like. Still, Wiktor is expecting new applications once the moratorium ends and a new policy is in place.

Last summer, the Cattaraugus County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board called for an end of the use of productive farmland for solar farms.

Wiktor is afraid that the state, with its aggressive green energy policy, will continue to erode home rule protections of local governments concerned about the expansion of solar and wind power.

The Cattaraugus County Legislature asked the IDA several years ago to refuse to grant tax incentives to large-scale commercial wind farms like Alle-Catt and the county Planning Board has ruled that it does not meet the standards of the county’s Comprehensive Plan which emphasizes tourism and open country over industrial wind turbines. Without the tax breaks — including payments in lieu of taxes — and the status the IDA assistance gives wind and solar developers, they could not afford to pay the taxes on the multi-million dollar alternative energy

structures. That could change, however, if the state steps in to offer the same tax breaks and keep them off the tax rolls.

WIKTOR NOTES that there is a provision in the 2023 state budget that does just that — leave the state in control of not only siting the solar and wind projects, but in charge of the P.I.L.O.T.s too. Wiktor said if that is the case, the IDA wants to make sure that a strong “clawback” continues to exist for performance of these projects — including a decommissioning bond.

The IDA has only participated in solar projects with the approval of the towns involved. — in writing.

“We are not chasing this (solar) industry, Wiktor said. “We try to be advocates for the towns on these projects. If the state budget is approved, it puts NYSERDA in the driver’s seat for these projects. It’s not going to support any economic development in Cattaraugus County.”

The state, he added, “has been hyper-aggressive in its approach to fossil fuels. Is it fair to put all these renewables in rural areas Upstate?”

Wiktor said, “We’re not anti-solar or anti-wind. But should they be abated under economic development rules the IDA is bestowed with? Look at the problems they are having with wind turbines in Chautauqua County. The answer is no.”

ALLEGANY — Picture independent living housing, a farm-style banquet center, pickleball courts, outdoor firepits, a dog park, playground, large fishing pond, cornfields, and more.

All these new developments are coming to the Field of Dreams North 7th Street property. Plans have been drafted for the complete Field of Dreams campus as owner Nick Ferreri continues to move forward with his “dream” to bring something unique and special to residents of the Southern Tier.

Field of Dreams recently purchased an additional 9 acres neighboring the current property on March 10 as part of the grand plans to develop the senior living location into an active living campus for seniors and a vibrant community attraction for residents of all ages

CRCF

EXPANDING ITS SENIOR LIVING CAMPUS

in the region. The now more than 40-acre property, which currently holds the only 140-unit, specially licensed assisted living and memory care community in Cattaraugus County and a social adult day program building, is expanding this summer to include independent living cottages as the initial phase of the land development.

The addition of the cottages, community banquet center and numerous recreational options to their campus only further solidifies Field of Dreams’ footprint in Cattaraugus County and showcases its commitment to our local area.

John Crisafulli, director of maintenance at Field of Dreams, will lead the construction and is set to break ground on the first three cottages in April. An additional three more

cottages will be built following the first round in mid- to late summer, completing six of the 10 cottages approved by the Village of Allegany Planning Board.

The cottages are for sale with land leasing of the property and limited to only six available in 2023. The first one was purchased Feb. 14 by a local Allegany couple while other interested parties have been working through the details to purchase. Cottages are still available for purchase and appointments can be made with Field of Dreams to reserve one.

Local architect Tammy Hilmey of Plywood Studios drafted the plan for the entire campus with a concept for the addition of 35-40 more cottages in a residential, community-style setting complete with their own community center over the course of the next several years.

Hilmey will also use the Field of Dreams property map as a canvas for her St. Bonaventure University students to design their version of plans as part of their undergraduate coursework. These developments will continue to be drafted and designed over the remainder of

2023 and work will begin in 2024 with next phase yet to be determined. The facility plans to use local vendors for the majority of the work, as well as offer options for local partners to get involved in various portions of the recreational projects.

Field of Dreams Assisted Living and Memory Care is a licensed Assisted Living Facility located at 3260 N. 7th St. For more information on the campus visit www. fieldofdreamsallegany. com or contact Danielle DeLong at (716) 5434200 for any inquiries.

HAS GROWN TO $28M, 300 FUNDS SUPPORTING COMMUNITY

By KELLEN M. QUIGLEY

OLEAN — Since its inception nearly 30 years ago, the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation has continued to “grow good” in the region by connecting donors to the causes they care about most.

With more than 300 funds from the foundation supporting everything from education and scholarships to healthcare and the arts, from community development to human services and youth development, CRCF currently manages about $28 million in assets for residents and missions across Cattaraugus County.

In 2022, $2.43 million was raised for all CRCF funds including endowed and non-endowed funds. Among them, CRCF managed $2.39 million in grants and over $245,000 in scholarships to over 210 students. More than 50 new funds have been established since July 2019, dozens of which were scholarship funds.

At the July 2022 scholarship luncheon, 127 students received a total of 173 scholarship awards for a total of more than $180,000 in financial support.

Because several students are getting continuing awards, the total scholarship dollars is more than $265,000.

For GivingTuesday, the CRCF-led day of giving in November, Cattaraugus Gives raised $275,447, all donated to 75 area nonprofits, by 1,349 donors.

“I think it’s extremely, extremely impressive, especially considering the economy,” said Foundation Executive Director Karen Buchheit at that time. “The need for the nonprofits is so great, people are so very, very generous.”

Compared to 2021, donations were down about 24%, while the number of donors declined to around 17%.

Donors gave an average of $201.61 this year, down from an average of $208.69 in 2020.

However, Buchheit said, there were some very bright spots.

“We were especially pleased to see the number of nonprofits increase,” Buchheit said, with the highest numbers to date of nonprofits registering (88) and receiving donations (75) through the effort.

She noted the value of having such a platform for fundraising, especially for groups that have no paid staff to handle fundraising drives.

“We’re just very glad to be able to host this,” she added.

Kirk Windus, communications and fund development coordina-

tor, noted that the effort broke a major milestone.

“With this year’s total, over the past four years this program has raised over $1 million for nonprofits in Cattaraugus County,” he said. “It really was a difficult year with the economic uncertainties — to receive over $270,000 for the nonprofits in our community is astounding.

“I think that says a lot about the people and how much they care for the community,” he added.

Windus noted that while many of the donations come from corporate entities, “We’re really proud that a lot of the support for this day comes from the small donors.”

In January, Buccheit announced she would be retiring from CRCF after 13 years.

“This was a very difficult decision because this is probably the best job I’ve ever had, and the best board of directors I’ve ever worked with,” she said at the time. “It’s been a privilege to work with the staff and the board to do what we’ve been able to accomplish together. It’s not a job that’s easy to walk away from.”

Thanks to her encouragement of private giving to build endowed funds to grow and sustain annual grant and scholarship awards, the foundation has grown from about $9 million in assets in her first year to more than $27 million in 2022.

Buchheit has directed grantmaking to meet the community’s changing

and future needs, with annual grant distributions growing from an average of $400,000 a year to $1.4 million a year, including a record year of over $2 million in 2022.

Since joining CRCF, Buchheit also has expanded the Foundation’s role in the region to assist nonprofit organizations through not only grantmaking but also with capac-

ity-building services and programming with events such as the Nonprofit Networking Day, which was replaced during the pandemic with the Nonprofit Link and Learn webinar series.

“I’ve made a lot of wonderful friendships with all the people I’ve met and definitely want to continue those friendships,” she added.

Although she won’t

be in the executive director’s chair, Buchheit said she has two family funds with the Foundation so she will still be connected with the organization as a fund advisor.

“I’m not going to totally walk away,” she said. “I do want to let the new person to go forward, but I definitely will be here for any advice and support they might want.”

HIRING

STARTING RATE $13.50 / HOUR

Karen Buchheit

DEVELOPMENT TRAINING PAVES

WAY TO EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

OLEAN — When Tanner Papasergi was served a Facebook ad for SUNY Jamestown Community College’s short-term Workforce Development programs in 2022, he was doing snow removal for a landscaping company.

He has also had his own sealcoating business during the warmer months, and before that, he was surveying electric poles.

“I’ve had a lot of different jobs figuring out what I wanted to do,” he said.

Cautiously optimistic about the Facebook ad, Papasergi signed up for more information. An hour later, he received a call from a JCC representative. Soon after, he started machining/CNC operator classes.

Two weeks after completing the 10-week program, Papasergi, 30, was hired as a manual machinist by Keystone Tool & Die in Westons Mills.

“I didn’t really have much going on because it was the winter so I decided to take the classes,” he said. “I’m very happy I did.”

“I’m happy with

machining,” Papasergi added. “I think I’ll be doing it for a while. There’s a lot still to learn. That’s my favorite part about it.”

After starting his new job, Papasergi also completed JCC’s shortterm Industrial Maintenance Technician training program because “I figured it would help me throughout life in general.”

Gregg Karl, JCC’s Workforce Development

program manager, said 80% to 85% of students who complete the training gain immediate full-time employment at local companies in great need of their new skillset. Others opt to continue at JCC for further certifications and degree work.

Like Papasergi, Richard Farr found full-time work after finishing JCC’s Industrial Maintenance Technician program in September. He is a building and con-

struction maintenance technician at Intandem in Olean.

Like Papasergi, Farr, 33, had bounced around to different jobs — mostly construction — before JCC training opened a new career path. “I love it,” he said. “It’s a lot better.”

At Intandem, Farr has worked with electric motors, metrology, rigging, and blueprint reading — all things covered by the JCC training.

“I worked second shift while taking classes,” he said. “They make it easy for you. They’re good people. It’s a good program.”

Farr had a handful of other promising job interviews lined up before signing on with Intandem. Papasergi, meanwhile, requested a tour of Keystone and was hired on the spot.

In his manual machinist role, Papasergi makes low-volume parts for when it doesn’t

make sense to fire up the big machinery for mass production.

He credits the allaround knowledge he gained under instructor Xavier Smith at JCC for helping him pick up the work quickly.

“Once I got the job here I definitely didn’t know everything but it was enough to where I could do most of the simple stuff,” Papasergi said. “And the stuff that was a little more complex I was able to ask somebody and pick up pretty quick because of what I had learned.”

Papasergi recommends the programs to people who “like working with their hands and like something that can be challenging.”

“It’s gratifying,” he said, “when you complete something that was just on a sheet of paper, and then it’s right in front of you.”

Funding may be available for qualified students to cover all or part of the course fees.

Visit sunyjcc.edu/ workforce or call (716) 338-1005 for more information.

JCC, ALFRED STATE, GENESEE CC ESTABLISH WNY WORKS INITIATIVE

Three State University of New York colleges have joined forces to help employers eager to hire along with workers ready to learn the needed skills for advanced manufacturing careers.

Jamestown Community College, Alfred State College and Genesee Community College established a collaborative marketing initiative called WNY Works in response to the crisis Western New York employers face in finding and hiring skilled manufacturing workers. The goal is to attract more students to study and pursue rewarding manufacturing careers.

“JCC is excited to partner with Alfred State and Genesee Community College in fulfilling the mission of WNY Works,” said Dr. Kirk Young, JCC’s vice president of Student Affairs. “We stay in constant communication with our regional employers’ needs and understand the skills graduates must have to land rewarding jobs. This project continues to power our dedication to training our local workforce and supporting our manufacturers.”

Betsy Penrose, vice president of enrollment management at Alfred State, said WNY Works is a collaborative effort to heighten awareness and interest in associate degrees, certificates, and non-credit training to provide the knowledge and skills necessary for individuals to launch high-demand careers.

“The goal of this effort, in part, is to reframe perceptions of learning opportunities that lead to careers such as highly skilled trades

and technical opportunities in manufacturing,” she said. “Stackable credentials and laddered programs now provide opportunities for both traditional-aged students and adults seeking retraining to

start a new, viable, and well-compensated career.”

The National Association of Manufacturers estimates that 2.1 million jobs will be open by 2030. Western New York manufacturers employ

more than 60,000 workers who earn an average of $85,474 annually. However, 77% report that they cannot find skilled professionals to fill open positions.

In Western New York, annual wages

include $60,800 for computer and electronics manufacturing jobs, $79,300 for transportation equipment work, $60,100 for fabricated metal workers, and $60,460 for mechatronics technicians, according

to the U.S. Department of Labor. More career options can be viewed at WNYworks.org/advanced-manufacturing.

The three colleges, spread across the Western New York region, offer dozens of certificate and associate degree programs in manufacturing that can help workers retrain and upskill to gain better-paying jobs and a more fulfilling future.

Thanks to a grant from the Wilson Foundation, manufacturing opportunities offered by JCC, Alfred State, and GCC are shared on the recently-launched WNYworks.org website. Through the website, brochures, social media, digital advertising, and videos to showcase graduate success stories, the goal is to increase the number of skilled workers in Western New York who are needed to fuel the local economy.

The project has focused on empowering the colleges to generate brand awareness, drive applications and enrollment, and broaden their share of the market for manufacturing.

The colleges have enlisted the expertise of Interact Communications, a leader in student recruitment for two-year degrees, to implement a regional marketing strategy. Advertising has begun on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat, Google, Spotify, Pandora, TikTok, and Amazon OTT with the aim of driving traffic to WNYworks. org and connecting Western New Yorkers to a variety of manufacturing career paths.

Photos provided

A SUNY Jamestown Community College student works on a CNC machine.

Photo provided

SUNY Jamestown Community College’s short-term Workforce Development programs can lead to new paths in a career.

Samples

WALSH/SO. TIER CATHOLIC STUDENTS RETURNING TO ST. JOHN’S SCHOOL THIS FALL

By KELLEN M. QUIGLEY

OLEAN — Archbishop Walsh Academy/ Southern Tier Catholic School announced earlier in March it will move operations to the former St. John’s School to prepare for the next academic year in September.

Walsh/STCS officials reached an agreement with the Diocese of Buffalo and St. John’s Parish to move its elementary and secondary school classes from the North 24th Street campus to St. John’s on North Union Street.

“Now we can actually focus on the future,” Frank McAndrew, Walsh/STCS board president, said when the moved was announced.

McAndrew said the move not only keeps the school’s identity as a faith-based institution but allows them to move

forward without worrying about maintaining an aging building that no longer effectively serves the shrinking student body.

The Diocese of Buffalo listed the Walsh/ STCS building for sale last summer to comply with guidance given by a bankruptcy court. After several attempts to purchase the building for fair-market value, the school board of directors opted for a more fiscally viable path that builds for the future, McAndrew said.

Extensive renovations on the existing school building, listed along with its 11 total acres for sale at $300,000, have been estimated at more than $2 million.

Both the Montessori prekindergarten through eighth-grade programs of Southern Tier Catholic School as well as the Archbishop Walsh

Academy ninth- through 12th-grade programs will relocate to St. John’s.

“We’re now in a better position to preserve and build upon the great education offered here because that’s been the goal all along,” he added. “Moving to St. John’s will allow us to truly focus on what we do and who we are.”

McAndrew said that focus will be on continuing to nurture individualized learning with small class sizes in a faith-based environment. He said that will be much easier now that they can shift investing in teachers and student programming rather than emergency building repairs.

Dr. Colleen Taggerty, Walsh/STCS president, also noted several priority areas for growth, including online learning clubs among their extracurricular offerings.

She said numerous Walsh/STCS families said in a recent survey that we could improve our extracurricular activities to supplement the lessons learned in our classrooms.

“We agree. We’ve listened. Now we have the capacity to make it happen,” she said. “We’ll even be working hard to implement e-sports because they’re so incredibly popular and key to a well-rounded learning experience in today’s digital age.”

The high school curriculum will also begin a new partnership with Catholic Virtual, a hybrid digital instruction model that will fill teaching vacancies and eliminate scheduling conflicts. It also offers additional online learning capacity to network and study alongside students from partner schools around the world.

McAndrew said they’ll be providing in-person instruction and mentoring in the space while augmenting their lessons with class offerings that are unavailable in most other high school environments. “That future is already here, and we have a responsibility to prepare our high schoolers to thrive in a 21st-century work environment where our graduates will be collaborating with co-workers and employers both in person and in remote locations,” McAndrew said. “Where else can a student take Chinese, website design and aeronautics at all, let alone in a way that fits their busy schedules?”

Southern Tier Catholic School was formed in 1987 as a consolidation of St. John’s and St. Mary of the Angels, which were the two remaining

parochial elementary schools in the region at that time. STCS joined Walsh at the current North 24th Street campus in 2009. The St. John’s homecoming is particularly fitting with a smaller physical footprint for a more intimate academic setting, said Brittany Thierman, board vice president.

“We understand the nostalgia many of our alumni and supporters have for Walsh as a place — myself included,” said Thierman, a Walsh Class of 2007 alum. “We tried to recreate the past, and it’s not possible. It’s not even wise. Does the private school experience need to be the same one from 25 years ago? We’re not preparing children for a world 25 or 50 years ago. We’re preparing them for the next 50.”

SENECA CASINOS CONTINUE DRAWING VISITORS TO REGION

By KELLEN M. QUIGLEY

SALAMANCA —

When the coronavirus pandemic first hit Western New York, one of the largest employers in the Salamanca area paused all operations for three months before opening back up with required masks, social distancing and other safety regulations.

But over the past year, Seneca Gaming Corporation and its three properties in Salamanca, Buffalo and Niagara Falls have seen a steady return to pre-Covid popularity.

“It’s clear, and extremely gratifying, that our properties, including Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino, remain destinations of choice for our guests who continue to make us a central part of their plans,” Kevin Nephew, CEO of Seneca Gaming. “We’re excited about the year ahead.”

Nephew said Seneca Allegany is such a special destination because it’s not a one-facet destination. He said there is something for everyone to enjoy, whether they are coming for a night out, a vacation away or a special occasion, including the gaming floor with a great variety of slot machines and table games, several restaurants, top-tier entertainment and Four Diamond luxury and quality accommodations in the hotel.

Nephew also credited Seneca Gaming with having “the best team in the industry” committed to making each day special for guests and offering them an experience that is unmatched from the moment they arrive until they leave.

“Our team makes that happen,” he said.

“With all of the exciting amenities and attractions in the surrounding area, the Southern Tier is a great spot to be and a great spot to come back to.”

With big crowds returning for concerts without Covid regulations in place Nephew said the magic of live entertainment is really special. In 2022, they had performances by Rick Springfield, Ron White, Air Supply, Terry Bradshaw, Martina McBride

and Amy Schumer in the Seneca Allegany Event Center.

“Our outdoor concert last summer, featuring Little Big Town, was memorable night for many people,” he said. “Performances by Jeff Foxworthy and Travis Tritt have already been announced, and we will have many more big shows to announce in the weeks and months ahead.”

The only real hiccup in attractions the past year came after not having enough snow or cold weather in February to hold the annual SnoCross event. Although unexpected, Nephew said they look forward to welcoming the racers back next year.

MEANWHILE, all 413 hotel rooms at Seneca Allegany were renovated over the past year, which Nephew said was an exciting project because they want every night that guests spend there to be wrapped in luxury.

“We always invest in our properties and amenities to stay at the leading edge and to provide our guests the best environment and most excitement possible,” he said. “It’s all about the guest experience for us. That has been the hallmark of our properties since we opened.”

Seneca Resorts & Casinos properties are regularly recognized among the best destinations in the gaming and hospitality industry, Nephew said. Seneca Allegany was again awarded the

Four Diamond Award from AAA, something they’ve received every year since 2009.

“That’s an honor that only four percent of hotels and restaurants across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean earn, so being annually recognized among the best is a testament to our team and their attention to meeting our guests’ expectations,” he said.

Seneca Allegany was also recognized with 13 Best of Gaming awards from Casino Player magazine, including firstplace awards for Best Players Club, Best Hosts, Best Reel Slots and Best Roulette along with honors in categories like Best Hotel Staff, Favorite Casino for a Staycation and Best Hotel.

IN JUST over two decades, Seneca Gaming casinos have continued to provide thousands of jobs and invested over $500 million to build and develop in Western New York communities like Salamanca, Nephew said.

“First and foremost, we’re local. Just look back just two decades,” he said. “The site where Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino is built was farmland.” Now, it attracts millions of people to Salamanca every year from across New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Ontario and beyond, he said.

Including the investments Seneca Gaming has made at their Niagara Falls and Buffalo properties, Nephew said

they’ve made more than $1.7 billion in private investment in 20 years.

“That’s a giant leap in a relatively short period of time,” he said. “We are incredibly proud of our role in the local economy, because we know how that impacts the lives of thousands of people and families.

Nephew said employing thousands of people — including

more than 500 Cattaraugus County residents — takes on a deeper meaning for Seneca Gaming because they see the positive impact their operations have every day.

“We’re not a corporate entity based somewhere else — we live here,” he said. “Our employees live in every corner of this community. We know what it

means to them and to their families to have Seneca Gaming Corporation and our properties here. We know what it means to our hundreds of local business partners and the people they employ to have Seneca Gaming Corporation here. Our success stays here and helps improve our neighbors’ lives, our communities and our region.”

OLEAN GENERAL, UAHS MAKES STRIDES IN RECRUITMENT, STABILIZING DEPARTMENTS

The past year has seen a a great deal of progress at the hospitals operated by Upper Allegheny Health System. With a new administration taking the helm following a few tumultuous years hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic, things are looking up at the Olean General Hospital and Bradford Regional Medical Center campuses. The new administration, compromised of many local individuals who live and work in the community, is focused on providing a sustainable healthcare system with high-quality services and a top tier patient experience.

“Physician and provider recruitment have been a major win for us this year,” said Dr. Jill Owens, president of Olean General and BRMC. “We’ve been able to recruit multiple new providers for our area through our partnerships and bring in new services.”

These new providers include Dr. Lalchand Goyal, cardiology; Dr. Eduardo Morales, general surgery; Dr. Grant Schofield, oncology; Dr. Joseph Staszel, pain management and physical medicine; Dr. Aubrey Ashie, orthopedics and sports medicine; Dr. Steven Pancio, orthopedics and sports medicine; Mike Wilt, PA, cardiology; Abbey Paulsen, NP, primary care; Kellie Krzos, NP, general surgery; and Sarah Heidler, PA, orthopedics and sports medicine.

There are also new providers coming soon, including Dr. Hasan Rizvi, oncology; Dr. Muzamil Sheikh, pulmonology; and Dr. Avrille

George, infectious disease.

Dr. Lalchand Goyal returned to the area to oversee the cardiology department along with Mike Wilt. Meanwhile, at Olean General, the Interventional Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory — the “cath lab” — was renovated this past year.

OGH features the state-of-the-art Siemens Artis Icono Lab that allows the cardiology team to provide full comprehensive cardiology services to the region.

Since 2013, the cath lab at OGH has performed nearly 5,000 cardiac catheterizations and treated over 700 heart attack (STEMI) patients with excellent outcomes.

The Twin Tiers also saw the reintroduction, after a few years’ hiatus, of pain management services with the recruitment of Staszel. What makes the services different is that these providers are living and working in the Olean and Bradford communities. Upper Allegheny officials said this is a testament to the new culture surrounding the patient experience within the entire system. The team is focused on creating that special re-

lationship and five-star experience with every patient seen at BRMC.

WHILE STAFFING shortages continue to play a large role on the quality of care not only in the local healthcare system but throughout the nation, Olean General and the entire UAHS system have made strides in regard to recruitment. With a multimillion-dollar investment, UAHS leads a market adjustment initiative to make the healthcare network not only the provider of choice, but an employer of choice within the region. This investment has helped with not only retention but also recruitment efforts to bring in new talented individuals to the organization.

In addition to employees seeing an increase in their paychecks, new hires are also starting at a higher rate. In December, UAHS said it conducted market research on wages for all positions within the network. While some positions saw a rate increase the past year, remaining positions went through a thorough analysis increasing starting wages to be competitive within the industry.

“Our administration is vested into this community. We want the best for our family, friends, and neighbors,” Owens said. “We’re committed to developing a new company culture where we are not only patient-centric but geared towards our employees also.”

UAHS reported progress has been made regarding the change in the emergency de-

partment services. In December, the emergency department changed from Keystone Health Partners to a new company, Delphi, that coordinates the ED operations. This changeover was seamless as the majority of physicians and providers in the emergency department made the conversion between the two companies. Also, patients didn’t see any disruptions in the services provided. The transition continued to allow the emergency departments to be staffed by board-certified physicians and provide care 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

MEANWHILE, Olean General and BRMC in January announced the successful completion of its new accreditation process from DNV (Det Norske Veritas) Healthcare.

By earning accreditation, OGH and BRMC demonstrated it meets or exceeds patient safety standards set forth by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. DNV’s accreditation program is the only one to integrate the ISO 9001 Quality Management System with

the Medicare Conditions of Participation.

UAHS has three years from the date of its accreditation to achieve compliance with ISO 9001, the world’s most trusted quality management system used by performance-driven organizations around the world to advance their quality and sustainability objectives. DNV is a global independent certification, assurance and risk management provider, operating in more than 100 countries. Through its broad experience and deep expertise, DNV advances safety and sustainable performance, sets industry benchmarks, and drives innovative solutions. DNV’s accreditation program, NIAHO, involves annual hospital surveys — instead of every three years — and encourages hospitals to openly share information across departments and to discover improvements in clinical workflows and safety protocols.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has created the perfect storm not only for healthcare in our region but for the entire nation,” Owens said.

“I’m proud of this team

and the progress we’ve made in less than a year. We’re striving to become five-star rated facilities and elevate the overall patient experience. Through our initiatives we’re nearing our goal of creating a sustainable, quality-driven, and comprehensive healthcare system with a wider breadth of services for our entire region.”

Also in Bradford, the update and relocation of the occupational health center highlights the focus that BRMC is continuing to improve and sustain services to the community. The new office opened in 2023 with the majority of the renovations being completed in 2022 to bring the new Anita Herbert, MD, Occupational Health Center to fruition. The new office was named for longtime community physician, Dr. Anita Herbert, who spent countless hours providing this essential service to the community and actually helped to launch the program at BRMC.

The new office has been updated and is conveniently located on the first floor of the hospital, making it easier for patients to access.

MARIJUANA SALES BOOMING IN SALAMANCA, SENECA NATION

By KELLEN M. QUIGLEY

SALAMANCA —

While the licensing process for marijuana dispensaries overall in New York state has been slow — and permitting is outright halted in Western New York because of litigation — timetables have not been a concern of sellers in Salamanca and the Seneca Nation’s Allegany Territory.

With no guidelines or laws from New York state, marijuana dispensaries popped up across Salamanca and the Allegany Territory to the point that city and Seneca officials are looking at what can be done to set some regulations.

Because most marijuana retailers are operating out of buildings or on properties not approved for retail use, and none have a license, some propose that any sale is not legal.

But with recreational and medicinal marijuana possession allowed in New York state, uncertainty over laws regarding Seneca Nation territories and no state laws to back up fining sellers, others say it’s not illegal, either.

A joint meeting earlier this year between the Salamanca Common Council, Plan-

ning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals featured lengthy discussions on handling dispensaries in the city along with other concerns including signage, new retail developments and future processes for handling planning and zoning requests.

Planning board chair

Lindley Pryor said the legality of many is something the council, planning board and property owners need to look at. Many sites are owned by Senecas, which makes them legal in regard to the Seneca territory, but some are not. Officials said some marijuana sellers are claiming they are “home occupation” businesses, which only applies to a specific type of business.

“Those that are in residential zones shouldn’t be there,” he said. “In the residential areas, you don’t have the ability to put non-conforming uses.”

Meanwhile, Pryor said the dispensaries in the commercial zones would need to meet building codes and zoning codes, citing the sheds that pop up on plots of land without applying for the appropriate paperwork through the city.

“One of the things is

A planning board member said she has been approached by Salamanca residents who expressed their own

concerns about dispensaries being located near schools and churches.

Pryor said the state will issue guidance on how many feet from a school or church a dispensary has to be, but in the meantime they need to look at the zoning laws already on the books.

“Prospect is probably in a residential zone. The high school is probably in a residential zone,” he said. “They shouldn’t be allowed to begin with, let alone 200 feet away.” When the state regulations are adopted, Pryor said they may be similar to where places that sell alcohol or tobacco can and can’t be located. He said there may be new zoning regulations that come into play that could be adopted by the council for the city.

IN A STATEMENT from

Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong Sr., he said the Nation is in the process of developing pertinent guidelines and accompanying regulatory framework for its territories.

“That work is ongoing, as the Nation prepares for the launch of the first Nation-owned facility, Nativa Cannabis, which will open on our Niagara Territory in

the coming weeks,” he said.

Council member Barry Smith, R-Ward 3, wondered if dispensaries that are already open could be grandfathered in once the state regulations are released.

Council member John “Jack” Hill, D-Ward 1, said the state should have finalized all of it before making marijuana legal.

“This is really screwed up,” he added.

“It makes our job a lot harder.”

Council member Janet Koch, D-Ward 5, said she thinks none of the dispensaries are legal to begin with because none of them have state licenses. Code Enforcement Officer Brandon Smith agreed.

“The thing we’re overlooking is, when this first happened, we didn’t know what to do. We talked about special use permits and we were going to go down that road,” he said.

“Then it was decided by the council that we’re just going to let it go until we get state regulations to have an idea of where we were. We didn’t want to overstep our bounds trying to force people to comply with something and find out we were wrong.”

Dr. Jill Owens

File photo

Olean General Hospital and Upper Allegheny Health System have welcomed about a dozen new physicians and physician assistants in the past several months.

the Americans with Disabilities Act,” he added. “Where’s the handicap accessibility? Where’s the parking? Where’s the lighting? Where’s

Photos by Kellen M. Quigley/Olean Times Herald Marijuana dispensaries like 888 Cannabis Co., located at 888 Broad St. in Salamanca, have been popping up all over the city and the Seneca Nation’s territories since possession became legal in New York state.

The Salamanca dispensary Next Leaf Pharma is next door to Cattaraugus County Bank, sharing the same building space on Broad Street.

OLEAN-AREA RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE A SELLER’S MARKET

By RICK MILLER

OLEAN — Twenty years ago, when Claudia Attard-Keary first got into the real estate business as a Realtor, the Olean area was a buyer’s market.

“There were always at least 100 homes on the market when I started,” Attard-Keary said. “The prices ranged from $55,000 to $85,000. Now the starting prices are $85,000 or higher. It moved up crazily.”

The lead sales agent for Premier Listings Real Estate, Attard-Keary handles residential and commercial real estate as well as land purchases.

In mid-March this year, there were 20 homes listed for sale in the Olean City School District, Attard-Keary said. “It’s been that way for the past four years. We haven’t had enough inventory for buyers in several years.”

It all comes down to supply and demand, Attard-Keary said. “The housing inventory is very low. We haven’t built any new housing developments in the Olean area for a long time.”

It was a buyer’s market when prices were low — young families looking for a first home, established families looking to upsize or downsize, and investors looking for rental housing or to buy a house, fix it up and flip it.

In the seller’s market

A BIG YEAR

Last year, she said, most area Realtors enjoyed record years. Attard-Keary, for example, sold $13 million worth of real estate — residential, commercial and land.

“Last year was everybody’s best year,” Attard-Keary said. She had 106 sales that equaled $13 million. “It was the perfect storm to sell your house and make the highest profits ever.”

A market local Realtors hadn’t seen before popped up around parents of St. Bonaventure University students, Attard-Keary said. “People were buying homes in town so they could be near their kids at St. Bonaventure and watch them play sports. They didn’t have to deal with big city drama.”

Attard-Keary said plans announced by companies owned by Ellicott Development of Buffalo to build more than 50 apartments

ed housing to the area. Olean has seen there is a market for highend housing as well as evidenced by the full occupancy at the newly renovated Manny Hanny Building that sat vacant for 20 years.

Believe it or not, higher interest rates haven’t been that much of a hindrance to real estate sales, Attard-Keary said. A few weeks ago, however, when rates pushed up to 7.5% for a couple of clients, they had to back out because the income-to-payment ratio was too high. Even 6% can prove too high for some low- to middle-income homebuyers.

Attard-Keary has found that some families are willing to make that leap, knowing they plan to refinance when rates go down in the next few years.

A higher-priced home can strain a family’s finances with the higher interest rates and the need to put down 20% of the purchase younger couples and check-to-paycheck,” Attard-Keary said. There programs to help new COVID-19 slowed housing and commercial

sales at the outset of the pandemic in early 2020, Attard-Keary said. “COVID slowed things down, but not horribly. It did not kill the market. We had to follow a lot of rules and the market picked back up.” She added: “People are still waiting for that next house to come on the market.”

UPSIZING OR DOWNSIZING

There are people who are selling their home because they are leaving the area or are upsizing or downsizing. “If you have a house, let’s get it out there,” Attard-Keary said.

single family home in Western New York was $159,900, up 2.6% from a year earlier, according to realtor.com.

Most home sales in the Olean area are lower than other city and suburban areas in Erie County for example.

Longtime Olean Realtor Dennis Pezzimenti, now with Howard Hanna Professionals office on Wayne Street, said most of his firm’s business these days is largely residential property. He handles much of its commercial business, which varies.

“There are not a lot of commercial properties selling right now,”

than just car dealers.

SLOWING DOWN

“The past two years have been very unusual,” Pezzimenti said. “We’ve never had that big of a seller’s market.” With a low inventory and interest rates creeping up, things are starting to slow down.

“Before, we were getting three to six offers on a home — now it’s one or two,” Pezzimenti said. “If you price a house right, it doesn’t last on the market very long.” The selling time is usually pretty quick.”

Pezzimenti said, “Our office has done very well in the last two years. Even though the inventory was low, we are selling them quicker.”

Pezzimemnti recalls about 15 years ago when the Olean Board of Realtors had 130 Realtors in the Olean area. There are around 50 now. With 15 agents, Pezzimenti said his group at Howard Hanna is the biggest in the city.

Where are people going who want to sell their homes?

“Some are going south, some are upgrading to something bigger or smaller,” he said.

“Real estate is the best thing to invest in right now,” he said. “There are so many people looking for flip houses to make into rentals. The rental market is crazy too.”

Building a new home is expensive as well. Attard-Keary said one homebuilder told her recently the cost of a single family home with good building materials was in the $200 per square foot range.

Land prices have gone up, too.

In February 2023, the average price for a

Pezzimenti said in an interview. The commercial business is not bad, he explained. The key — as always — is location.

West State Street near Walmart is a good bet right now, especially with Chipolte and Starbucks taking leases on new construction. “There are some good things going on in that end of town,” Pezzmenti said.

East State Street is one of Olean’s busiest streets Pezzimenti said. Evidence of this is the opening of a Tim Hortons there. It’s more

“The older generation are heading to the Carolinas and Florida.” That frees up some homes.

Other homes become available when the owner transitions to assisted living or must enter a nursing home.

According to a fiveyear study by SmartAsset.com, Cattaraugus County ranks No. 3 in New York state in terms of school value, No. 7 in best overall average home value and No. 9 in home value growth. The county’s average property taxes are ranked at No. 58.

Photos by Rick Miller/Olean Times Herald Claudia Attard-Keary is lead sales agent at Premier Listings Realty on East State Street, Olean.

Dennis Pezzimenti heads the Olean office of Howard Hanna Professionals on Wayne Street.