COUNTY OF CATTABAUGUS
INI)USTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
BOARD MEETING MINUTES
October 20, 2015
CCIDA OFFICE
9 East Washington Street
Ellicottville, New York
11:15 a.m.
Roll Call:
-Taken-
Members
Present:
Mr. Thomas Buffamante Chairman
Mr. Joseph Higgins Vice Chairman
Mr. Brent Driscoll
Mr. Gregory Fitzpatrick
Mrs. Crystal Abers
Mr. James Boser
Mr. Michael Wimer
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—
CCIDA Staff:
Mr. Corey R. Wiktor Executive Director
Mr. George Cregg, Jr. – Agency Counsel
Mr. Gregory Sehr, Upstate Consultants, LLC. (IDA Consultant)
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Presenters/Guests:
Ms. Jann Wiswall – Ellicottville Times
Mrs. Brenda McGee – St. Bonaventure University – Senior VP Finance & Admin.
Chairman Thomas Buffamante called the meeting to order at 11:40 a.m. A roll call of the
Board of Directors of the CCIDA was conducted everyone was present.
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APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
A Motion was made by Brent Driscoll, with a second by Gregory Fitzpatrick to accept the
September 15, 2015 CCIDA Board Meeting Minutes as presented to the CCIDA Board. Motion
Carried
*Resolutions From Prior Applications/Projects that are in Process*
(#1.) 7 Washington Street, LLC: The next item on the Agenda is the final approval of the 7
Washington Street, LLC Project which had asked the CCIDA to consider their application for the
reconstruction and renovation of the “1887 School Building” that is located in the Village of
Ellicotttville, New York. The total project investment amount is $3,916,500.
A Public Hearing was held at 9:00 a.m. on October 8, 2015 in the CCIDA Office. For the
official record, there was nobody in attendance; in addition, no comments were received prior to
the Public Hearing relating to the proposed project.
A Motion was made by Joseph Higgins, seconded by Crystal Abers, RESOLUTION
DETERMINING THAT ACTION TO UNDERTAKE A PROJECT FOR THE BENEFIT
OF 7 WASHINGTON STREET, LLC IS A “TYPE II ACTION” AND NO FURTHER
ACTION IS REQUIRED UNDER SEQRA WITH RESPECT THERETO. A Roll Call vote
was taken with Mr. Higgins, Ms. Abers, Mr. Boser, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Wimer, Mr. Driscoll,
and Mr. Buffamante voting yes. Motion- Carried.
A Motion was made by Crystal Abers, seconded by Michael Wimer, RESOLUTION
AUTHORIZING EXECUTION OF DOCUMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH A
LEASE/LEASEBACK TRANSACTION FOR A PROJECT FOR 7 WASHINGTON
STREET, LLC (THE “COMPANY”). A Roll Call vote was taken with Mr. Higgins, Ms.
Abers, Mr. Boser, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Wimer, Mr. Driscoll, and Mr. Buffamante voting yes.
Motion- Carried.
(#2.)HoliMont Inc:. HoliMont Inc. has asked the County of Cattaraugus Industrial
Development Agency (CCJDA) to consider their application for the construction and installation
of various items to the Resort that include upgrades/machinery for the 2015-2016 Ski Season.
The Total project investment amount is $472,388.
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A Public Hearing was held on October 8, 2015 in the CCIDA Office at 10:00 a.m. For the
official record, there was nobody in attendance; in addition, no comments were received prior to
the Public Hearing relating to the proposed project.
A Motion was made by Brent Driscoll, seconded by Joseph Higgins, RESOLUTION
DETERMINING THAT ACTION TO UNDERTAKE A PROJECT FOR THE BENEFIT
OF HOLIMONT, INC. WILL NOT HAVE A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON THE
ENVIRONMENT. A Roll Call vote was taken with Mr. Higgins, Ms. Abers, Mr. Boser, Mr.
Fitzpatrick, Mr. Wimer, Mr. Driscoll, and Mr. Buffamante voting yes. Motion- Carried.
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(Mr. Buffamante did note that his firm has done work for HoliMont Inc. but has no financial
interest or direct involvement in this proposed project.)
A Motion was made by James Boser, seconded by Joseph Higgins RESOLUTION
AUTHORIZING EXECUTION OF DOCUMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH A
LEASE/LEASEBACK TRANSACTION FOR A PROJECT FOR HOLIMONT, INC.
(THE “COMPANY”). A Roll Call vote was taken with Mr. Higgins, Ms. Abers, Mr. Boser,
Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Wimer, Mr. Driscoll, and Mr. Buffamante voting yes. Motion- Carried.
(Mr. Buffamante did note that his firm has done work for HoliMont Inc. but has no financial
interest or direct involvement in this proposed project.)
Election of Officers for 2016
Proposed 2016 CCIDA Slate of Officers were submitted as follows by Crystal Abers:
Chairman:
First Vice Chairman:
Second Vice Chairman:
Secretary:
First Assistant Secretary:
Treasurer:
Director:
Mr. Thomas Buffamante
Mr. Joseph Higgins
Mr. James Boser
Mr. Gregory Fitzpatrick
Mrs. Crystal Abers
Mr. Brent Driscoll
Mr. Michael Wimer
Proposed Audit Committee Members:
Chairman:
Member:
Member:
Mr. Gregory Fitzpatrick
Mr. Thomas Buffamante
Mr. Brent Driscoll
Proposed Governance Committee Members:
Chairperson:
Member:
Member:
Member:
Mrs. Crystal Abers
Mr. James Boser
Mr. Joseph Higgins
Mr. Michael Wimer
Proposed Finance Committee:
Chairperson:
Member:
Member:
Mr. Brent Driscoll
Mr. Gregory Fitzpatrick
Mr. Thomas Buffamante
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A Motion was made by Brent Driscoll and seconded by Michael Wimer to accept the Slate of
Officers for the CCIDA as submitted for 2016 . A Roll Call vote was taken with Mr.
Buffamante, Mr. Boser, Mr. Higgins, Mr. Driscoll, Ms. Abers, Mr. Fitzpatrick, and Mr. Wimer
voting yes. Motion Carried.
FINANCIAL REPORTS:
A Motion was made by Brent Driscoll seconded by Michael Wimer to accept the September
2015 Operating Statements for the County of Cattaraugus Industrial Development Agency as
presented. Motion. Carried.
Mr. Wiktor stated that we recently had income from Mazza Mechanical Services, Inc. of $7,018,
Win Sum Ski Corp. $10,472 for sales tax letters and application fees of $1,500, this brings the
total income to $18,990 for the month of September. We are still in the closing process for
Olean Gateway LLC, Totaline Development LLC, and Premo Limousine.
Mr. Wiktor provided all Board Members with a proposed Meeting schedule for 2016. Mr.
Buffamante had one change he requested and the schedule has been changed. Brent Driscoll
made a motion to accept the 2016 CCIDA Board Meeting schedule with changes recommended,
seconded by Crystal Abers. Motion Carried.
Mr. Wiktor presented the Proposed 2016 Budget to the Board Members adjustments were made
after discussion with all members. The 2016 Budget will be sent to Cattaraugus County
Administrator for review. A Motion was made by Brent Driscoll and seconded by Michael
Wimer to accept the Proposed 2016 Budget with changes. All members approved. Motion
Carried.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS REPORT:
A Strategy for Prosperity: This a Progress Report for September 2015 done by the Western
New York Regional Economic Development Council in regards to the latest round of CFA
Funding and Projects. As discussed Cattaraugus County has had 14 Completed Projects and
another 10 that are still under construction. This brings at total of $312.3 Million dollars in value
of construction projects completed, underway or proposed. This is great news for Cattaraugus
County and the job market.
Olean Times Herald Article: (October 6, 2015) “Industries Kick off Manufacturing Month
tours for the Olean Public” A hand-out provided by the Buffalo Niagara Partnership was given
to Board Members. This is to highlight the Months Events for October Manufacturing Month.
Olean Times Herald Article: (October 7, 2015) “Ellicottville officials open Holiday Valley
Road” This project has been in the works for a very long time and has finally come to
completion, which will be a great asset to the Resort’s parking. “In simple terms, they made the
upper tier of the parking lot into the road, and the old road into parking” explained Steve
Crowley, director of Mountain Operations. The construction of the new road was quite involved
to be able to meet the requirements of the Town of Ellicottville. This new road accounts to $1.1
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million of the total $4 million in improvements at Holiday Valley this year and next year.
Buffalo Business First Article: “Holiday Valley ranks 3rd for Skiing”. The Valley just keeps on
improving and excelling. Securing the ranking helps Holiday Valley attract more skiers and
visitors to the Ellicottville destination. The ski ranking came from a poll it conducted in March
of its readers. Holiday Valley came in the top ten in 13 of the 18 Ski magazine categories that
ranged from skiing conditions to the efficiency of the lifts and overall customer service. This is a
significant accomplishment for our local Resort.
Ellicottville Times Article: “Ellicottville Greets New Businesses in Third Quarter” A recent
article highlighting the many new businesses that have opened in Ellicottville. This article
showcases several new stores, restaurants, residential, ski resorts, local laws and the Ellicottville
Central School. All of these have shown significant changes over the last year.
Olean Times Herald Article: By Christopher Michel and Rick Miller – “Boomtown Olean” A
recent article highlighting some of the commercial real estate “vibe” in and around the City of
Olean, relating to the upbeat tenor of various buildings and projects. The Greater Olean Area
Chamber of Commerce, Larry Sorokes stated that it seems developers don’t want to miss out on
the potential economic renaissance for downtown Olean rooted in the “Walkable Olean” concept
of the $8.85 million North Union Street streetscape project. This is very good and exciting news
for Olean and the surrounding areas.
Buffalo Business First: Mr. Wiktor discussed a letter dated September 24, 2015 from Buffalo
Business First in regards to the Roundtable Event that was held on October 15, 2015 presented
by Hodgson Russ LLC and held at their downtown Buffalo office. This event and discussion
was centered around development in Western New York.
China Meeting: This meeting was held at Empire State Development Office on October 7,
2015. This meeting is intended to discuss the current trends in China Foreign Direct Investment,
the Empire State Development China project book and will cover the details of their Global NY
Grant that will make grant funds available for Foreign Direct Investment purposes.
Nonprofit Networking Day: This event is to be held on November 6, 2015 by the Cattaraugus
Region Community Foundation. This is a great learning tool for the area’s leaders who are
involved with nonprofits. If anyone is interested in participating in this event please let us know
and we will register you for this very informative day.
CanAm Council: Mr. Wiktor gave a brief update on what is happening at the CanAm Council.
He has attended several meetings in regards to the CanAm Council. The council seeks to create
value for its members through programming that includes advocacy, business to business
development, communications and cross-border best practices.
Labor statistics for the Western New York Region: Mr. Wiktor gave a brief update to the
Board in regards to the recent article that details the labor market in Cattaraugus County and the
Region. The Western New York region has made a steady comeback from the worst US
economic downturn in 75 years. The region has experienced over the year private sector job
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growth every month since April 2010. Since then, the regional economy has added a total of
16,000 private sector jobs, regaining all but 400 jobs lost during the recession.
MJ Painting Contractor Corp.: Mr. Wiktor gave a update on the September 2015 Company
Newsletter. Phase II land development and building construction was started October 12, 2015.
MJ Painting has already erected 2 buildings in 2015 with the new Paint Shop building coming
soon. The completion for land development will be in the spring of 2016. It has been a very
busy and exciting year for Mike John and has business and we wish him well in the future.
The New York Times: “New York’s Southern tier, Once Home for Big Business, Is
Struggling.” This recent article highlights some challenging times in the Conklin, NY area.
This town of roughly 5,500 residents looks like dozens of other towns and cities in New York’s
Southern Tier, a vast part of the state that runs parallel to Pennsylvania. Years ago, the region
was a manufacturing powerhouse, a place where firms like General Electric and Westinghouse
thrived. But over time companies have downsized, or left altogether, lured abroad or to states
with lower taxes and fewer regulations.
New Study: “Corporate Tax Rate Most Important Single Factor for Investment” A recent
article noting what is important to businesses and how they make decisions on where to site a
business. This new study finds that policymakers should lower corporate rates, thereby both
incentivizing companies to maintain their headquarters to the US and encouraging Foreign Direct
investment.
After Gov. Cuomo Bans Fracking: “NY Jobs Report Shows a Struggling Upstate”
Unfortunately for New York residents, especially living in the Southern Tier, the energy
intensive manufacturing operations are moving to states with more affordable energy sources.
States like Ohio have not only seen a huge boom in jobs directly fueled by shale development,
they are also reaping the rewards of a growing manufacturing sector. Governor Cuomo didn’t
just kill 54,000 jobs with his ban on hydraulic fracturing, he killed decades of opportunity for
those living anywhere besides New York City.
ADJOURNMENT:
A Motion to adjourn the CCIDA Board Meeting was made by James Boser, seconded by
Gregory Fitzpatrick at 1:10 p.m. Motion Carried.
The next CCIDA Board Meeting: Tuesday December 8, 2015 at 11:15 a.m.
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