Planning & Economic Development Committee Minutes 04/16/14. Minutes. Planning & Economic Development Committee. Wednesday, March 19, 2014, 6:00 p.m.

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1 Minutes Planning & Economic Development Committee Wednesday, March 19, 2014, 6:00 p.m. Gerace Office Building, Mayville, NY Members Present: Borrello, Chagnon, Larson, Niebel Absent: Heenan Others: Daly, Geise, Nixon, Tampio, Gould, Horrigan, Wilfong, Himelein, Cady Chairman Borrello called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Approval of Minutes (03/19/14) MOVED by Legislator Niebel, SECONDED by Legislator Chagnon Privilege of the Floor There was no one to speak at this time. Proposed Resolution-Confirm Appointments-Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency Chairman Borrello: Are there any questions? Legislator Niebel: I just have one quick question. At one time, they used to for the appointments to this board they used to be balanced geographically and Piazza I think used to be a labor leader. Is this Brad Walters associated with labor? Chairman Borrello: That is a good question. Bill, do you want to answer that? Mr. Daly: Brad is the Director of the Southern Tier Builders Association which it is really close enough because his cliental is all union and non-union contractors. That is what he does. Chairman Borrello: I remember reading that in his resume that we got. Legislator Niebel: Piazza used to be associated with something in the southern part of the county. 1

2 Mr. Daly: Mike was for 20 some years the president of the auto workers at SKF. Chairman Borrello: But, he is representing labor as the Southern Tier Builders Association. Mr. Daly: He would be more than labor. He would be the whole construction industry Chairman Borrello: Are there any other questions on that? All those in favor say aye. Proposed Resolution-Confirm Appointments-Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau Board of Directors Chairman Borrello: Are there any questions? Those two names should look familiar to everyone. All those in favor say aye. Proposed Resolution-Confirm Re-Appointments-Off Track Betting Chairman Borrello: Are there any questions? All those in favor say aye. Proposed Resolution-Confirm Re-Appointments-Agriculture & Farmland Protection Board Chairman Borrello: Are there any questions? All those in favor say aye. Proposed Resolution-Confirm Appointment-Chautauqua County Planning Board Chairman Borrello: Are there any questions? All those in favor say aye. Proposed Resolution-Authorize Memorandum of Understanding in Support of the Creation of the Chautauqua Lake Watershed Management Alliance Chairman Borrello: Are there any comments or discussion? I just have a comment on my behalf as a sponsor of this Resolution I think it is great that we are bringing together all of the ABC agencies into one all-encompassing group. Mark, did you want to comment on this? 2

3 Mr. Geise: Going back as far as actually a couple of years ago the CLMC recognized that it needs to morph into something more than just an advisory committee. When they were created 7 plus years ago as an advisory committee they didn t have a bank account or they really didn t have any real clause to actually implement the projects that were recommended in the Watershed Management Plan. Now, they are being recommended in the management strategy that we are doing. So, about a year and a half the stake holders got together and said well let s look at what we should become and let s look at other models out there and let s see what makes sense. Whether it be a municipal agreement or whether it be something that is housed within Chautauqua County Government or whether it is a not-for-profit or whether look at one of the existing not-for-profit and what we concluded was that it made a lot of sense based on other models out there that were successful to look at becoming a new 501C3. So, for the last year and a half we have gotten a couple of grants from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation to do some facilitation meetings with the stake holders to flush out what their concerns were and what they thought this should be. We have had a number of public meetings and we more recently hired a law firm that is helping us to create this new entity that will do three things. One is to prioritize projects for Chautauqua Lake. Number two is to procure funding and number three is to allocate that funding to existing agencies to do the work that needs to be done in Chautauqua Lake. We are asking for the support of the Chautauqua County Legislature. Legislator Chagnon: Mr. Chairman, it might be helpful if I actually read the Memorandum of Understanding that we are asking the County Executive to sign since he was not included with the Resolution. It is a very brief Memorandum of Understanding. It says Resolved that the undersigned hereby endorse the framework for the Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance in the attached presentation. Resolved that the undersigned hereby approve and ratify the continued participation in the development of the Alliance by their designated representatives set forth below. Resolved that the undersigned intend to participate I the Alliances members subject to establishment of a satisfactory Alliance structure and dues framework. Chairman Borrello: Thank you very much. Are there any other questions or comments? All those in favor say aye. Discussion-Appointment of Environmental Committee as a Sub-Committee of the Legislatures Standing Committees Chairman Gould: This is a sub-committee that I would like to set up to study environmental issues when they come up. This has been on the agenda for four out of five committees so far. We are getting more and more environmental issues with fracking and the lakes and I would like one person from each of these committees to be on this environmental committee. You guys can figure out who would like to be on there or ask for volunteers. At one time, there was an environmental committee which was discontinued in 97. With the new Charter, there is not any provision for having this committee. So, that is why I am making it a sub-committee. It will meet when needed. It won t meet monthly or anything like that. 3

4 Chairman Borrello: Do you envision like we would refer something to the sub-committee before it goes to the committee? So, if we were going to have any kind of Resolution discussing fracking then you would send it to the sub-committee first and they would study it and give a recommendation? Chairman Gould: Yes, they would study it and recommend to the committee what they feel should be done. Chairman Borrello: It sounds like a good idea to me. Legislator Chagnon: Mr. Chairman, I support this initiative 101%. I will exhibit my one percent by volunteering to serve on this committee. Chairman Borrello: Let the record show that Pierre has volunteered. Chairman Gould: We have needed something like that because the environmental issues are so divided up amongst the committees now. We have needed a committee like that now for quite a while. Pierre has been a supporter of it. Chairman Borrello: When we talk about the issues in the lakes and agricultural issues that often involve the environment and sewers. Chairman Gould: We are talking about sewers around the lake now. Chairman Borrello: It definitely sounds like a good idea. We have our volunteer and we certainly think it is a great idea. Legislator Niebel: George, I have a quick question. Jay, your sub-committee will have access to county employees and county department heads like the Health Department and Environmental Health and such and such? Chairman Gould: Yes. Legislator Niebel: You have discussed that with the County Executive or there won t be any problems? Chairman Gould: There won t be any problem. Chairman Borrello: The County Executive has given us his official thumbs up. Thank you very much. Are there any other questions? Presentation-Andrew Nixon-CCVB Other 4

5 County Executive Horrigan: I have a little update on some things. I have been out and about and I have visited 35 businesses in the first 100 days here. Of course, there has been an awful lot of activity going on. I would say in general that probably today was one of the biggest telling s of businesses that are locally in our county that are corporately owned outside. The objectives of that outside corporate owner are the shareholders and that was made clear today. The business that we have locally is about efficiency. A corporate company in making decisions and looking at the efficiency of our local business so everywhere we go that efficiency is something they are watching like a hawk. We have people hiring out there. I was at Dunkirk Specialty Steel and they are going to continually hire. There is some exciting stuff going up in Silver Creek that is going on and it is very high tech stuff with the Navy and stuff going on continually hiring. But, where we see the challenges out there are some of the larger corporations similar to the Con Agra story but Monofrax that is really at the mercy of some of the international competition from China. They are at the mercy of product demand which they are really hurting on right now. They are hoping to stay in business. But, it is clear to me that going forward we in Chautauqua County really have got to focus on small business and we have to focus on the industries that are going to be here for the long term. Tourism is clearly one. Tourism is doing well. The wine country and the Loci Desi Center and the hotel projects are alive and well. I think that is great and the Visitor s Bureau has a customer service piece that is great. In the north county, starting tomorrow we visit the Con Agra campus finally for the first time and they are letting us in there and we will take in a perspective business that is very interested up there. But, we will tour that and we will look and see what type of facility or changes or adaptations that need to take place up there to make it an agri-business campus. The thinking is we will never get one business in there but maybe two or three. So, that is something that we are working with when we go through at some point in the future we will be making an ask to Con Agra about what we would like them to do to return that to a place that will support our businesses. We are not ready to do that yet. But, we really haven t been inside the facility. But that agri-business piece the vision is in agri-business campus it is supporting our grape growers with contracts coming in there. That is very important to us. The infrastructure piece both the Westfield Wastewater Treatment and the water district in the north part of the county and Chautauqua Lake sewers around the lake is clearly something that we have to get done. Our CFA application process is soon underway here of what we are deciding what we are going to put in for. But, that infrastructure is an important part of it. Today, I chaired a meeting up in the Fredonia Incubator on workforce development. We have pretty much as you remember the State of the County I had three areas. I had efficiency, workforce development and growth. This workforce development piece appears to be the first one out of the box that we really want to focus on. It is a blend of education and it is a blend of BOCES and career development and it is a blend of the soft skills and the Workforce Investment Board all coming together to create the workforce that is not only there for the jobs of today but the jobs of tomorrow. So, as we look at economic development and the challenges that we have in this county there is going to be a lot of discussion on what is the economy of Chautauqua County for tomorrow. If we just continually say well what we are going to do is just try to get another company to come in and fill in this last company like it never went out then we are not thinking long-term. Technology is a machine and agri-business is clearly there and tourism is clearly there but we have to put ourselves in a position where we are looking forward and creating not only the education but the workforce for the jobs that are coming for tomorrow. So, 5

6 one thing that I do want to highlight is Bill has got April 30 th at Chautauqua Inn & Suites from 8:00 to 10:00 StartUp New York will do a big presentation and that will be open to the community and we have everything up there. Mr. Daly: Registration is at 8:00 and the presentation is from 8:30 to 9:30. Chairman Borrello: This is for businesses that are interested in potentially participating? County Executive Horrigan: Yes, it is just informational. So, you know as I tour and see things out there-there are clearly opportunity and there is clearly growth but there are clearly challenges. It is a mixed bag out there of what we have. Many of the things are beyond our control. However, what we are focusing on is communication and intelligence and knowing what is going on. From my focus, I am focused on an offense. We have to get offensive in the county in terms of economic development and planning. So, that is where we are really headed. Through Audit & Control probably the next one we are going to come with some general planning guidance. One of the things that we are supposed to do and I guess the Legislature from the Charter is supposed to give us some general guidelines and hey for your budget this is the guidance that we are looking at and here is where you should be and here are some general ideas and policies. Then, the County Executive takes that with his staff and wraps that into an executive budget and then it comes back to the Legislature. So, next month our goal will be to come to the Audit & Control and we could do it at Planning & Economic Development or whatever and say look here is how we see where we are going. Obviously, nobody wants tax increases and all that but as far as emphasis and objectives and then get some feedback from the committees here and from Audit & Control and then we will take that and start cranking on that budget to try to take the Legislative perspective which is the way it is supposed to be done. I didn t recall the last couple of years that we did that. But, I think that is an important thing. We are focused on the offense and the Buffalo Niagara piece is critical to us and I think tapping into the Buffalo Niagara enterprise the agri-business the tourism and the technology piece as we go forward. So, I just wanted to give you that update and it is on everybody s mind and I know that everywhere I go. That and fish but fish we will take to the landfill. But, this is important. Legislator Larson: Vince, in your State of the County message you mentioned airport parks. I think one thing that this committee could do between now and September when you are putting out your tentative budget the one thing that we could do in May, June or July is we could take a look at what land the County owns, not the IDA but the land the County owns at the two county airports and we could get a handle on which of it is zoned for industry or commercial and which of it the FAA will allow us to use and what infrastructure would it take to be shovel ready. Can Fredonia s StartUp New York or JCC s StartUp New York do their plans and incorporate possibly any of the lands at our county airports. I think that is a part of your State of the County message economic development piece that this committee should work on for you and for the people the next three or four months. We are going to have our own presentation on StartUp New York next month at our meeting. County Executive Horrigan: We want to be ready and we want to recruit and we want to retain and we need the resources to do that. We have to play offense. I am sick and tired of chasing jobs out there and we need to get the development and I mean when I say that of course 6

7 we do everything we can to retain and grow. But, it is a different time in our country economically and I think we are going to see businesses come and go in Chautauqua County but I am more focused on what is the long term strategy and how do we develop a workforce with the education system for the jobs of tomorrow in Chautauqua County. They are not just the same and some are the same but others I think are different. So, I think it is an exciting opportunity and I solicit input from the Legislature from the different areas to be able to be able to develop that strategy so we are all on the same path moving forward. Cory Duckworth is ready to go and JCC and Kevin Kerns are all about this. So, I think we are all aligning this effort along with the northern LED committee up there. Legislator Niebel: Vince, as part of your offense, maybe either you or Bill can answer this but do you think it would benefit us if we had communication or dialogue with the CFO s or CEO s pf these corporations that are headquartered in Virginia or South Carolina or would it help us to be talking to them to know what their plans are? For example, the Carriage House the management there locally I don t think they had any idea of what was coming down. I think the decision came down from corporate headquarters out of state and that was it. I don t think there was a whole lot we could do because from what I can pick up is they were eliminating a competitor basically and consolidating. But, I am just wondering if maybe part of our offense could be talking to the folks down there. County Executive Horrigan: I think you are right. It starts for example, today we were at a company down in Falconer and looking at their Canadian based corporate headquarters and talking to them and they are doing well. There is another company or another division that is not but I think yes we have to be ready to engage and I talked about that in my State of the County. We have to have that communication line and we have to have the intelligence to know what is going on and what people are thinking so that if we can interject we can get in early enough in the cycle. With Con Agra that was not going to happen. Some will not communicate with us but we need to make that offer. Next week Todd will be down to Columbus Indiana but that is a very good point. I think we have to plan on that. Legislator Niebel: I am not sure how beneficial it will be but at least we might have a line of communication open to the people that are the actual decision makers. County Executive Horrigan: Remtronics you know the CEO is in Cleveland and we need to go see him. Chairman Borrello: I think that is a good point because you look at it this way. If you are outside of New York and we have the reputation as being the most difficult unfriendly state in the nation and I mean we consistently rank at the bottom of the list. But, I think it is important and I think we need to let people know that at least here in Chautauqua County we don t have the portfolio and I am glad to hear that whether it is Columbus Indiana or where we have to go to meet face to face. Legislator Niebel: This tour tomorrow of Carriage House what time is it? 7

8 County Executive Horrigan: It is at 9:00 and I have to be here at 8:30 for Audit & Control for Forestville. Legislator Niebel: Can some of the Legislators from the north county come? Mr. Daly: I would be very careful about that. County Executive Horrigan: They wanted an approval list that was going. Mr. Daly: It is invitation only. Legislator Niebel: I understand I am just asking. County Executive Horrigan: One of the things in talking to Doug and others is with that facility some of it is very old and should it stay there or should it come down or should it be put into different but we are bringing a person through tomorrow that really has a lot of interest and we will see where we go. Legislator Larson: If I could, Vince if I have learned anything about economic development in my different roles in the county some of them are not happy lessons. One is with the exception of Cummins which added a tremendous number of people the last fill in the blank 6 or 7 or 8 years but unfortunately no matter how we work with mature businesses in the county because they all are under pressure to become more efficient they never have a goal of adding more jobs or adding workers for the sake of adding workers. They are always under pressure to be more efficient and if anything if they have 100 workers today if they can improve their process and improve their equipment and have 85 workers next year that is a success for them and it is a loss for the county. But, existing businesses we should bend over backwards for them and we should work with the Manufacturing Technology Institute at JCC and every other job training avenue we should subsidize their equipment purchases and so forth. But, the odds of them adding any significant numbers of jobs is slim so where do the new jobs come from other than Cummins or call centers and they are up and down depending on the contracts they have. But, beyond that it has been the businesses that have started up new or we have attracted brand new. Serta Mattress came in to the county and of course they weren t here before so they come in and they open and they got 85 jobs and we gained jobs. Southern Tier Brewery was a start-up company right here and whatever they have 35 jobs or whatever they have or 50 jobs and you start at zero and it is a new business and over time you have 50. Those are gains. So, why do I pound so much on you and this committee on industrial parks and shovel ready sites. It is because we are not going to attract a lot of new companies into 70 or 80 year old factory buildings. Almost nobody and especially in the food industry that is one reason eh brewery started up in our brand new clean spec building and the food industry they are very picky and they have to be about what kind of a building they go into and what it was used for before. To think that our old factory buildings in Jamestown or Dunkirk or Forestville or wherever are likely to have a lot of life left to them and bring jobs is not too good. Most places want a modern efficient facility. If we have to work with them to build something we have to have sites that are ready for that. So, that is a summary of what I think I have learned the last 20 years. 8

9 County Executive Horrigan: We get that and we very much understand that and the only thing that I will say is we need to keep every single job that we have. We cannot allow people to go. As an example the one company that if we don t work with them to try and get them a local building they will be taken over by someone else and the chances are we will lose them. But, yes you make a good point. Legislator Larson: I empathize with you that sometimes you are going to work your butt off to have someone who has 100 jobs today keep 50 of them next year. Again, I understand that but the chances for new jobs come from new companies and start-up companies. I think that is where we are at. Chairman Borrello: Is there anyone else under other? MOVED to adjourn by Legislator Chagnon, SECONDED by Legislator Niebel The meeting was adjourned at 8:02 p.m. Respectfully Submitted and Transcribed, Becky Cady, Committee Secretary 9

Agenda. Planning & Economic Development Committee. Wednesday, April 16, 2014, 7:00 pm, Room 331. Gerace Office Building, Mayville, NY

Agenda. Planning & Economic Development Committee. Wednesday, April 16, 2014, 7:00 pm, Room 331. Gerace Office Building, Mayville, NY Agenda Planning & Economic Development Committee Wednesday, April 16, 2014, 7:00 pm, Room 331 Gerace Office Building, Mayville, NY A. Call to Order B. Approval of Minutes (03/19/14) C. Privilege of the