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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 20, 2008 SCHUMER URGES RELEASE OF CRITICAL FEDERAL DOLLARS FOR JAMESTOWN TRAIN STATION - SCHUMER-SECURED MONEY IS SET TO EXPIRE AT THE END OF THE YEAR In 2005, Schumer Succeeded in Securing Over $380,000 in Critical Funds to the City for Train Station Revitalization Project Bureaucratic Red Tape Has Stalled Release of the Funds to the City Schumer Writes Personal Letter Urging Release of Funds So City Can Start Project to Renovate and Reconnect WNY to Its Historic Train Station and Waterfront U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today urged the immediate release of critical federal funds that he helped to secure for Jamestown’s Train Station Revitalization Project. Bureaucratic red tape has stalled the released of these much-needed funds for the Jamestown Gateway Intermodal Station and Riverwalk Connector project “We have waited far too long for these much-needed funds and I urge their immediate release so that the City can start the Jamestown Train Station project” Schumer said. “This project is the gateway to the redevelopment of the Jamestown Train Station and Waterfront that will be an economic catalyst for Western New York. I am going to fight tooth and nail to cut through the bureaucratic red tape that is stalling the project.” In 2005, Senator Schumer secured over $380,000 for the Jamestown Gateway Station Intermodal and Visitors Center project and the completion of the Jamestown Riverwalk Connector Trail in the 2005 Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The projects, which would renovate the historic Erie Lackawanna Railroad Station and reconnect the station to the Riverwalk Connector Trail, are vital to the progress of redevelopment efforts in downtown Jamestown. The funds, however, are being held up as the City waits for the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) and the Federal Highways Administration (FHWA) to decide whether or not the two projects will be combined and placed under the sole oversight of the FTA. Recently, the FTA assigned the City of Jamestown a project number, which has allowed the City to submit their application for final approval and release. With the deadline for the expiration of the funds fast approaching, Schumer wrote a personal letter to both Labor Department Secretary Elaine Chao and FTA Administrator James Simpson to urge the immediate release of the $380,000 to the City of Jamestown. Citing the extensive review by both departments of the project and the already-secured funds, Schumer wrote, “It is my hope that this last round of review move very quickly so that this project can move forward without delay.” Schumer has a long history in boosting and helping the Jamestown Gateway Intermodal Station and Riverwalk Connector project. In May, Schumer announced that following a flurry of phone calls from the Senator to top federal officials, and a personal visit in March to the project site in Jamestown, he secured a final agreement for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to be the lead agency on overseeing the development of both Gateway Train Station and the Riverwalk Connector as a single project, a decision that will save the city an estimated $325,000 and jumpstart the long-delayed project. These calls came on the heels of the Senator’s visit in late March of 2008 to the historic train station where he stood with County Executive Gregory Edwards, Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi and local officials from the Downtown Jamestown Development Corporation and demanded that the feds immediately choose a lead agency for the project, as the City had earlier requested. By having two agencies administer federal funds for the project, the City would unnecessarily be forced to pay nearly double their local share, as each agency requires a percentage of the total cost. In addition, the Senator secured an agreement from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to reimburse the city $100,000 for conducting a FHWA-required environmental study. Below is a full copy of today’s letter from Senator Schumer: Elaine L. Chao August 18, 2008 Secretary U.S. Department of Labor Frances Perkins Building 200 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20210 James S. Simpson Administrator Federal Transit Administration 1200 New Jersey Ave SE Suite E56-205 Washington, DC 20590 Dear Secretary Chao and Administrator Simpson, I write to urge the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to expedite final approval of the application (TEAM Number: NY-04-0039-00) of the City of Jamestown, New York, to become the recipient of funds from the FTA. This application was submitted to the FTA on August 13, 2008. The City of Jamestown is seeking the release of these federal dollars for the Jamestown Gateway Station Intermodal and Visitors Center project and the completion of the Jamestown Riverwalk Connector Trail. These complementary projects, for which I helped secure appropriations in the 2005 Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), are vital to the progress of redevelopment efforts in downtown Jamestown. The projects would jump start the long-awaited renovation of the historic Erie Lackawanna Railroad Station, an Art Deco landmark vacant since 1973, and reconnect the station to the Riverwalk Connector Trail, now underway along the Chadakoin River. The adaptive reuse and reclamation of the vacant Erie Lackawanna Railroad Station, designed by Erie Railroad architect Graham King and built in 1931, is a linchpin to revitalization initiatives in the downtown area. Recently the FTA has assigned the City of Jamestown a project number, which has allowed the City to submit their application for final approval and release. With the deadline for the expiration of these funds fast approaching, final approval from the DOL and the FTA is imperative. As you known this project has been extensively reviewed up to this point and it is my hope that this last round of review move very quickly so that this project can move forward without delay. Again, I urge the DOL and the FTA to expedite this approval in order for the City of Jamestown to receive these highly-anticipated funds. With these funds set to expire on September 30, 2008, the end of the fiscal year, expeditious approval will be vital to the continued revival of downtown Jamestown. Sincerely, Charles E. Schumer U.S. Senator ### |
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