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County says it cannot use taxpayer funds to repair private access for Dawson Metal; offers loan and state-aid options
Summary
County leaders told Dawson Metal stakeholders the county will not pay to build or replace a bridge that primarily benefits a private business, citing legal limits and a risk of setting precedent; officials recommended state grants, IDA low-interest loans and private financing as alternatives.
Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel and officials told the Planning and Economic Development Committee on June 17 that county taxpayers cannot be asked to pay for a private access bridge serving Dawson Metal and that other funding paths will need to be pursued.
"If we were to vote and pass a resolution to fund this via the county, this would be the first time and you would be opening Pandora's Box as to every other business," Wendel said. County staff and the county attorney briefed the committee that county capital dollars generally cannot be used to fund infrastructure that principally benefits a private company.
Mark Geise, CEO of the Industrial Development Agency, and county staff reviewed prior outreach. Officials said the project team has explored multiple avenues — state programs, federal funding searches and IDA assistance — but found no straightforward source of county capital for a private-access road. Staff cited a past conceptual engineering study by Clark Patterson Lee that estimated full bridge replacement at about $4.7 million and put an access-road alternative at slightly more than $1 million. A 2011 higher-level estimate for repair work was cited at about $185,000, but committee members said conditions and costs have changed.
County staff described one state option that had been discussed: a targeted capital grant for bridge work in which state support might cover roughly 20 percent of a project in certain circumstances. "They could do potentially 20% of the project," a staff member said when reviewing state interest for the bridge rather than an access road.
Officials recommended alternatives if the county could not provide direct capital. Those included applying for state grant support, seeking an IDA low-interest loan to help assemble a financing package and pursuing private borrowing. Geise and others suggested combinations of state grant assistance, an IDA loan, and private equity as a realistic path forward, while cautioning that any county role in direct funding would raise legal questions.
Committee members pressed whether the bridge's condition presented an immediate safety hazard; staff said the bridge remains in limited use and that alternate access exists through Chandler Street. The committee agreed to have staff follow up with Dawson Metal and to inform the company of the conversation and available options, with no county-funded solution approved at the meeting.
Next steps: staff will contact Dawson Metal to summarize the committee discussion and continue exploring grants and IDA loan options. The committee indicated it would not bring a county-funded resolution forward without clearer legal authority and broader policy justification.
