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ACIDA and county economic-development staff report brownfields activity, building grant and tourism gains; youth employment program readies 50 participants
Summary
ACIDA Assistant Director Melissa Pingitore updated the committee on EPA Brownfields activity (10 Phase I approvals, 4 complete, 3 in process, 3 expected), an EPA Revolving Loan Fund application in development, and an ACIDA building grant due July 9; Director Ashley Smith reported a 38.3% increase in visitor traffic and a 55% rise in overnight stays between April and May, while Employment & Training reported a Summer Youth Employment orientation for 50 participants supported by $26,000 in grant funding.
Melissa Pingitore, Assistant Director of the Allegany County Industrial Development Agency (ACIDA), and Ashley Smith, Director of Economic Development, briefed the Planning & Economic Development Committee June 17 on a range of economic-development activities including brownfields work, building planning and tourism metrics.
Pingitore said ACIDA included a Builders Exchange article in its report to promote Allegany County to developers and reported the agency is awaiting notice on microenterprise grant funding after the Office of Community Renewal requested audit documentation. She reviewed the EPA Brownfields dashboard the IDA Board requested and said project names are coded to protect owner privacy. According to the report, 10 projects have been approved for Phase I environmental assessments: four are complete, three are in process and three are expected to begin after current assessments finish; one project is on hold while a developer determines next steps. Pingitore said ACIDA staff are preparing an application for an EPA Revolving Loan Fund to support brownfield cleanup costs and that the County evelopment Corporation has loan infrastructure that could be used to make small business loans.
Pingitore also said additional information has been provided for the Rural Biodiversity Development Grant zone rating and that they expect a rating decision in the next few weeks. On the ACIDA building project, she said the grant application is due July 9 and that the IDA Board has unanimously approved final exterior design concepts prepared by CPL; proceeds from the sale of the current building are expected to help fund a new facility.
Smith described ongoing infrastructure conversations with RG&E and said staff are exploring a Power Up Grant application through Empire State Development with assistance from Delta Development. She said a private developer ropped preliminary plans for a residential project on County Road 20 because upfront costs and parcel size made it infeasible but that staff continue to assist the developer in site selection.
Smith reported that representatives from six counties (Cattaraugus, Livingston, Wyoming, Genesee, Orleans and Allegany) are meeting monthly to develop a Western New York Wilds regional marketing program targeted for launch in 2027. She said the May tourism report showed a 38.3% increase in visitor traffic and a 55% increase in overnight stays (origins tracked within a 150-mile radius), with New York City, Philadelphia and the Albany area leading visitor origins.
Employment and Training Program Director Reita Sobeck-Lynch told the committee the Summer Youth Employment Program will hold an orientation next week for 50 participants, that the program received $26,000 in grant funds (about $5,000 more than last year), and that participants will receive CPR training provided by EMS. She said 147 businesses participate in SYEP and six new businesses joined this year; staff are awaiting final WIOA funding figures for later in the month.
The committee approved other routine agenda items and recessed into an executive session on real-property matters before returning and taking the grant-application vote recorded elsewhere in committee minutes.
