(rshsdepot) Jamestown, NY

[I95BERNIEW_@_aol.com]

From the Post-Journal.
 
Bernie Wagenblast
 
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 
 
Railroad Station Project Progressing: Council To Vote On Firm  For 
Preliminary Work 
By Patrick Fanelli _pfanelli_@_post-journal.com_ 
(mailto:pfanelli_@_post-journal.com) 


2/25/2008 - After months and months of delays, the  West Second Street 
railroad station renovation project has finally progressed to  the point where a 
firm can be hired to begin preliminary work on the  multi-million-dollar 
initiative aimed at continuing the revitalization of the  city’s west end.

Physical work may still be months away, but City Council  members will vote 
tonight on a contract with TVGA Consultants of Elma to conduct  engineering and 
environmental assessment work on the project as well as the  acceptance of a 
$160,000 grant from the Empire State Development Corp. to cover  the city’s 
share of preliminary expenses.

The project involves the  transformation of the abandoned Erie-Lackawanna 
Railroad Station into a  transportation hub and welcome center, and it will 
benefit from $4.2 million in  federal money secured largely through the efforts of 
U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins,  D-South Buffalo.

The project has progressed rapidly over the last few  months, in contrast to 
spring and summer 2007, when it was still unclear how the  project team could 
negotiate the intricate process of physically securing the  millions in 
federal money that had already been approved.

‘‘It definitely  is a milestone because it helps with the release of the 
funding for the  project,’’ said Steve Centi, city development director. ‘‘As 
of last August, we  were literally nowhere in this process.’’

The project is being shepherded  by the Downtown Jamestown Development Corp. 
and the city Department of  Development.

In November, the city earned the certification it needed to  become a 
clearinghouse for millions of dollars that will ultimately come from  the U.S. 
Federal Transit Administration. But it wasn’t until the ESDC grant was  secured in 
recent days that the project team could proceed with preliminary  work.

The state ngrant amounts to $160,000, covering the mandatory 20  percent 
local share of the almost $700,000 that will be spent on engineering and  
environmental assessment work at the site.

‘‘We had to wait until Empire  State had covered the 20 percent match,’’ 
Centi said. ‘‘It allows these phases  that are absolutely required now ... to 
be taken care of and paid for with the  grant.’’

City Council members will vote on the designation of TVGA  Consulting as the 
lead engineering team as well as formal approval of the  project at a voting 
session at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the council chambers on the  second floor of 
City Hall.



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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org
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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #1683
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org