By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
OLEAN — Faced with a $200,000 repair bill for the Municipal Building elevator, the Olean Common Council’s Finance Committee settled on a plan to use funds set aside for future work at Oak Hill Park.
City Auditor Lens Martial suggested use of the city funds that had been set aside for Oak Hill Park improvements. The fund consists of about $300,000 from the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant, which funded a number of downtown projects including the revitalization of North Union Street. The original fund was $350,000.
Finance Committee Chairman Sonya McCall, D-Ward 4, said she would like to see some of the Oak Hill park money set aside for improvements to the entrance and for the removal of some dangerous trees and planting of new trees.
Council President Vernon Robinson Jr., I-Ward 6, agreed that redirecting some of the Oak Hill Park funding to repair the Municipal Building elevator was appropriate.
Alderman John Crawford, D-Ward 5, said there should be sufficient funds remaining to landscape the west side of the park, fix the entrance and attend to trees that need to be trimmed or removed.
Martial said there was $294,000 left in the Oak Hill Park fund, with about $200,000 needed to repair the elevator.
Mayor Bill Aiello said the elevator was critical and he endorsed the transfer of existing city funds in the Oak Hill Park fund.
Robinson noted that the council has also been talking about updating Franchot Park for years.
McCall agreed with Robinson, saying Franchot Park was “well utilized” and deserved to be upgraded. She added the council should consider a comprehensive park plan to be updated each year.
The transfer will be on the agenda for next week’s regular meeting.
The Finance Committee also heard reports on three other capital project requests: a rear parking lot at Fire Station 1, new security cameras and the Bartlett House roof.
Public Works Director James Sprague estimated the cost to pave the lot out up a 6-foot fence at around $87,000, while re-using chain link fence from Marcus Park and using millings to pave the lot could be done in-house for about $28,000.
It’s estimated that it would cost $23,000 to replace 21 interior and exterior cameras at the Municipal Building.
Sprague said requests for proposals for a new roof on the Bartlett House have not been published yet because one may have been previously issued before he was appointed a few months ago.
Sprague also reported to the Public Safety Committee that a plan to redirect a streetlight at the Queen Street railroad crossing and install a new light on the other side of the tunnel should provide sufficient lighting inside the galvanized interior. There had been complaints that there were no lights in the tunnel.
Sprague also reported to the Strategic Planning Committee that Public Works was seeking an extension for a grant to install an electric vehicle charging station. A new timetable for installation will be necessary to apply for the extension.
The public works director said requests for proposals for a consultant to draw up plans for the charging station will be prepared.
Crawford said the new level 2 charging stations would show up on an electric vehicle owner’s power app, which shows available charging stations when batteries dip below a certain level. That could bring cars off Interstate 86 and into the business district, he added.
