News Release

Capital Plan Preview 2/25/2011

Click here for a pdf version of the following

Office of the Mayor
Olean Municipal Building
101 East State St. -- P. O. Box 668
Olean, NY 14760-0668

Tuesday’s public hearing on a grant application for housing and infrastructure improvements may be an opportunity to provide input on a related project: the city’s Five Year Capital Plan.

“We have been working on formulating our capital plan for the past year and now with a new chairperson for our Strategic Planning Committee we are making progress,” said Mayor Linda Witte.

She said she hopes to see the community getting involved in the planning process. She said she welcomes suggestions, and promises to listen to complaints that could lead to helpful planning suggestions and achievable funding sources for long-range improvements to services in the city.

“The local government will be transparent in this planning process. The New York State Comptroller’s Office is providing guidance and agrees that public input is a crucial component of capital planning for future improvements.”

Some examples of the items included in an early draft of the plan are Bradner Stadium, Front Street and East State Street replacement, and relocation of the City Garage.

Mayor Linda Witte invites city residents to bring ideas to the brief hearing scheduled at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, in the Common Council Chambers. The city’s Community Development Department will be seeking ideas at that time in preparation for a funding application to the State Office of Community Renewal, New York State Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program.

The CDBG Program is just one funding source but there are many ideas that need to be talked about in-depth and a lot of planning that will be required to carry the city into the future.

The Strategic Planning Committee has been working on creating a systematic plan to improve and repair the city’s infrastructure. Members are prioritizing a long list of items that need attention and will eventually hold public meetings. The Mayor said she hopes constituents will be involved in all phases of the process.

The CDBG program to be discussed Tuesday benefits low to moderate-income communities. Cities with populations under 50,000 can compete for funding by submitting proposals to address and resolve a specific community development need for 1) housing, 2) public infrastructure, and 3) public facilities. The final proposal should support a planning effort identified within the city’s Comprehensive Development Plan 2005-2025.

The Strategic Planning Committee will hold its meeting and continue discussions on the Capital Plan at 6:30 p.m., following the public hearing. Public comments on the Capital Plan are also welcome at that time.

The Youth and Recreation and Finance Committees will meet later Tuesday night.