March 15, 2013 Volume 2, Issue 6

A Bi-weekly Report on the City of Olean

From the Desk of Mayor Linda Witte

Community Update

March Brings Colon Cancer Awareness..............................1 Volunteers still needed…….......……………………..........1 Bradner Stadium photos......................................................2 Eyes on N. Union St.: Discussions.....................................2 Good Times Family Recreation Center progress photos....3 2013 Salute to Olean...........................................................4 Community Initiative to improve county health standing..5 Page 1 Photo Caption.......................................................... 6 Olean Area Federal Credit Union Expands.........................6 Announcements/Can the city help? .........………………...6 E. State St. Construction Update………………………….6 Thinking of getting married?..............................................6

Newsletter Topics

March: Colon Cancer Awareness

Volunteers Needed! Snow shoveling is no longer the greatest need as tem-

peratures warm city sidewalks and driveways. However,

there are many older and infirm residents who could use

a neighbor’s hand with small chores. These and other volunteer opportunities are essential to life in our beauti-

ful city of Olean. Knock on your neighbors’ door and

see if you can help out, or call Casey Jones (372-3772) and Lila Ervay to help out with cleanup efforts on our

public rights-of-way.

Mayor Linda Witte proclaimed March as Colon Cancer Awareness Month, working with the Cancer Services Pro-gram staff from Allegany & Cattaraugus Counties to kick off the event in down-town Olean. On March 1Mayor Witte and Pamela Medler, Community Outreach worker, (l), placed a sign on the Municipal Build-ing lawn at the intersection of N. Union and East State Street. Blue is the official color of the drive. Balloons were tied along N. Union Street and around the Municipal Build-ing. Blue-frosted cupcakes were served and enjoyed by all who participated. The kickoff event is a reminder to talk to your doctor about obtaining a diagnos-tic exam.

Mayor Witte and

Court Security Guard

Michael Vitello

Mayor Witte and City Clerk

Alexander Utecht

Alternatives for improving Olean’s main N/S thoroughfare, North Union Street, are being explored by the public and by local officials, with surveys, studies, public information sessions and public com-ments all under way. A Dec. 17 public meeting introduced the “North Union Streetscape Design Project” which is funded by Em-pire State Development. A second meeting introduced some design concepts in late January 2013 and a public comment deadline of Feb. 25 has been kept open indefinitely to obtain as much feedback as possible. About 40 comments have been received and more are expected. Consultants have refined their concepts and are now final-izing the design. Hatch Mott McDonald will present two options that have been selected for further discussions, under a format yet to be decided, during the Common Council’s Strategic Planning Commit-tee meeting at 6:30 p.m. April 16 in the Municipal Building.

Bradner StadiumBradner StadiumBradner Stadium

Eyes on North Union Street: Discussions Yield Ideas on Infrastructure, Safety, Walkability, Complete Streets, Beautification, Transportation, Parking, Biking, Neighborhood Planning

To see information about the project, go to: http://www.cityofolean.org/commdev/nunion/

Mayor Linda Witte photographed these technicians conducting a

survey on March 5 on North Union Street , collecting data for a

Walkability Study of conditions that contribute to the usefulness of

the city’s downtown commercial district.

Removal of the old

bleachers and their foun-

dations has continued ,

with the work in early March at right and left,

and the new bleachers in

place above, right. As the

last pieces of foundation

are dislodged, upper left,

the future outfield can be

seen in the background.

The press box, above

center, will soon be re-

painted and some land-

scaping will begin.

To ask questions or make comments contact Mary George, Pro-

gram Coordinator, Community Development Dept., 101 E. State

St., P. O. Box 668, Olean, NY 14760-0668 (Phone: 376-5647).

Good Times Family Recreation Center Mayor Linda Witte’s camera records the rapid progress as building takes shape during

the first half of March overlooking Forness Park off East State Street

Good Times Family Recreation Center is coming to-gether speedily for a summer opening on the edge of For-ness Park. Visitors will arrive along the repaved East State Street. In the meantime, this high-profile development has prompted the Olean Common Council to develop a new access on the eastern boundary. This access will extend Chestnut Street south of East State Street into Forness Park. Currently, Chestnut runs north and south between Bishop and East State Streets. Recreationists usually travel Row-land Avenue to get to Forness Park, but will soon have an

alternate route when the extension is finished.

On March 12 the Council agreed to establish a special $150,000 capital reserve account that will be used to save

money to pay for the extension of Chestnut Street.

On Thursday, March 7, the Olean-Bradford Area YMCA held The 2013 Salute To Olean in recognition of seven individuals and to present awards to three special recipi-ents from our area. These 10 people came to the attention of the YMCA for their contributions that make Olean a better community. A reception was held for them at the Bartlett Country Club, followed by a brief welcome, dinner and annual meeting. David Shults was named 2012 Volunteer of the Year; Sophie McCabe was named 2012 Youth Volunteer of the Year; and Rosemary Warner received the Charleen Roward Excellence in Child Care Award. These are the seven who were honored with the 2013 Salute to Olean. In alphabetical order: Betsy Cashing, a former teacher in Olean’s middle school, and a lecturer in St. Bonaventure Univer-sity’s School of Education as well as a faculty counselor for Bona’s Kappa Delta Pi, she is active in the arts, volunteers for a number of area organization and serves as the Board president of the Southern Tier Sym-phony. She is active in the First Presbyterian Church of Olean and is the elder commissioner to the Presbytery of Western New York. The YMCA saluted her for sharing her “charismatic spirit...through language, music and the arts.” Anthony L. Evans, the executive director of the Cattarau-gus County Youth Bureau, was a founding board member of Interfaith Caregivers and led the effort to establish the Chaplain/Counseling Department at Olean General Hospi-tal. He is a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Olean where he is an education and supply minister. He established four local Interact Clubs and has served on several area organization boards, including the Olean YMCA, Olean Child Day Care Center, the Olean Rotary Club, Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation; and Allegheny Highlands Boy Scout Council. The YMCA saluted him for being a “champion of youth, an innovator and spiritual leader in the community.” Patricia A. Magnano is president of Park Center Develop-ment, assuming the title after the 2011 death of her hus-band, Louis A. Magnano, and she was the organization’s vice president until that time. She is active in St. Joe’s and St. John’s churches, the Mahrajan Festival and the Bartlett Women’s Golf Association. A noted fundraising volun-teer, and philanthropist with her husband, she is a past PTA President at School No. 5 (Boardmanville Elemen-tary). The YMCA saluted her for her philanthropy and love of Olean, enhancing the community’s quality of life. Deacon Dick Matthews, a 34-year teacher, counselor and

chairman of the special education section at Ellicottville Central School, he has also worked for the past 15 years as an adjunct instructor of English and philosophy at James-town Community College. He is an ordained deacon and serves at St. Mary of the Angels Parish, Sacret Heart Ora-tory and St. Bonaventure University Campus Ministry to minister to those in need of comfort or help, and he is an ambassador to Olean’s Asian communities. His past and current service includes the Olean Child Day Care Center Board, Genesis House, Department of the Aging, St. Mary’s Community Christmas Dinner and annual Parish Festival, and the Diaconotes singing group. The YMCA

saluted him as a spiritual and educational advisor. Linda Matthews, a 33-year teacher in Jamestown Community College’s human services program, extended her talents to St. Mary of the Angels Parish’s religious education, vacation Bible school, children’s liturgy and the community Christmas dinner and Spring Festival. Her volun-

teer work at Canticle Farm includes education of share-holder and local school children, service as chairman of the Board of Directors, help in developing “Camp Crea-tion” and service on the finance, fundraising, marketing and education committees. She also served as a board member of Cattaraugus County Community Services, Di-rections in Independent Living, Home Health Care of Cat-taraugus County; and she is a Genesis House staff trainer, Development Committee member and she served on sev-eral mental health councils. The YMCA saluted her for caring for the people and the environment. Michael J. & Sally Nenno were honored as a duo and share much community work and achievement. Sally Nenno has worked for more than 30 years as an adminis-trative secretary and district clerk of Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES. Mike has worked at Cooper Power Systems for more than 33 years, and for 28 years as Holiday Valley’s ski team coach and events coordinator at Holiday Valley. The pair both volunteer for Rebuilding Together, Gus Macker, Rally in the Valley, the Corporate Challenge, and St. Bonaventure Church’s Bonafest Committee, giving countless hours to the Sports Booster Club. Mike was a Midget football coach and board member, was a member of the Corporate Cup Committee and Polar Bear Series and is the current NYS Ski Racing Association treasurer. He founded the Enchanted Mountain Stage Race and or-ganized other bike fundraisers and races. She has been active in youth soccer coaching, Holiday Valley Ski Team Parents’ Association, the Chamber’s Annual Clambake and the Outdoor Show. She is the current Dresser-Rand scholarship committee chairperson and Olean Sports Boosters. The couple was saluted for contributing to the community’s health and giving of their time.

(Excerpted from 28th Annual YMCA Salute To Olean Program)

2013 Salute To Olean

Cattaraugus County is one of only three New York counties getting help from a federal grant to the New York State Department of Health. It’s called the “Community Transformation Grant” (CTG) and targets problem areas identified in a county-level Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System survey in 2008-2009. According to a recent press release issued by the Catta-

raugus County Health Department, Cattaraugus County will receive $450,000 for some specific strategies. (Chautauqua and Broome Counties were also awarded funds, based on high-level needs compared to the rest of the state.) Our three counties will try to prevent and re-duce health problems and expand community preventive services. Cattaraugus County is using the funds to address: 1)

tobacco-free living, 2) active living and healthy eating, and 3) creating healthy and safe physical environments for children ages 0-18. The award will cover two years, with a sustainability component. Mayor Linda Witte attended the Cattaraugus

County Healthy Livable Communities conference on the morning of March 1 at Bethany Lutheran Church. As a civic leader and a member of the Community Advisory Team, she is looking for community input to help the consortium (and the entire community) to plan solutions that will improve our county residents' health and the county's standing in the statewide lineup. The group is looking at information that has been col-

lected about our county to improve conditions here and make us all healthier. The members have learned that out of 62 counties in the state, Cattaraugus County in 2012 was ranked 50th in Health Outcomes (mortality and mor-bidity), and 53rd in Health Factors (health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors, and physical environment). Cattaraugus County ranks below Allegany, Chautauqua and Erie Counties. Data indicates Cattaraugus County’s smoking rate of

23.5 percent is higher than other NYS counties’ 16.7 per-cent rate. An estimated 24 percent of adults live in homes where smoking is allowed compared to 19% elsewhere. For high schoolers in the Buffalo region smoking rates were 15 percent higher. Obesity rates among our county’s elementary and middle/high school students are 31.9 percent higher than the statewide 16.3 percent (except NYC). Adult obesity rates are higher in Catta-raugus (31.9%) than the rest of the state’s 23.6% meas-urement. This is important, because overweight children are more prone to becoming overweight adults, especially at high Body Mass Indexes (BMIs) or if they have an obese parent.

Plans include Gowanda Central, Olean City, and Sala-manca City School District geographic areas, targeting: an increase in the number of child care centers and child care homes to provide developmentally appropriate physical activity for young children and to increase par-ticipation in the Child and Adult Care Food Program; integrating physical activity into elementary classrooms, encourage walking/biking to school, food procurement, menu planning, and improved nutrition in school lunch programs for those schools, while prohibiting tobacco use off campus at school-sponsored activities. The county’s municipalities will adopt complete streets policies, re-duced availability of sugary drinks in public buildings, and smoke-free multi-unit properties for local housing authorities. Dr. Watkins, Public Health Director, stated that

“obesity among children and adolescents has tripled over the past three decades. Currently, a third of New York's children are obese or overweight; in Cattaraugus County, over twenty percent (20%) of students in Olean, Sala-manca and Gowanda school districts were identified as overweight and/or obese, and this has become a public health crisis.1 This pilot program, which will implement changes to reduce the long term effect of childhood obe-sity, is the first step in addressing this crisis and we look forward to working with the school districts and local officials to implement these changes.” At the conference, participants met in small groups to

learn about specific factors in the community that can affect an individual's ability to be or become healthy: safety, access to fresh foods, unhealthy behaviors and the built environment. According to Mayor Witte, the group will be trying to

encourage trails, walking, and anything fitness-related to increase our ranking and our overall health. She said she has also heard there is a high level of underage drinking among the population that must be addressed. Mayor Witte has circulated a survey asking for input from ranks of the city government staff on health behaviors, clinical care availability, social and economic factors and the physical environment. For more information review the Cattaraugus County Health Department’s press release at www.cattco.org/health. Other information is available there regarding Stu-dent Weight Status Category Reporting Survey Results: County Level Report 2008-2010 NYS Department of Health Cattaraugus County Department of Health: "Public Health for Healthy Communities" For more information about this ongoing conversation,

visit www.p2wny.org

Would you participate in a community initiative to improve the county’s overall health standing?

The Online Bill Pay & Customer Service option is up and running on the city’s website for a $3 fee. Go to www.cityofolean.org and click on “The Online Bill Pay & Customer Service” button from the menu on the right side of the home page. At the online pay-ments home page, choose between wa-ter/sewer bill payment and parking ticket payment options.

Water and Sewer bill payers regis-ter and set up a password, then view transaction history and chart water consumption through by billing date. Parking ticket payers simply search for the citation number or vehicle info. (This destination can also be reached by typing this into your browser: https://

w.municipalonlinepayments.com/

oleanny/utilities.)

Can the city

help? Page One Photo Feature: This Canadian goose is an early visitor at the Forness Pond in early March.

Photo by Mayor Linda Witte

Announcements

As your Mayor I

continue to have an Open Door Policy on the first floor of the Municipal Building at 101 East State St. You can call my office at 376-5615 with questions and com-plaints. Please stop in and pick up a 2013 City Directory for phone numbers of Department Heads and Alderman or check the website, www.cityofolean.org. At that location is a link where you will find this newsletter!

East State Street Construction Update Construction is still suspended for the winter and two direction

traffic is open. For information call the Department of Public Works at 376-5650.

Jim Brady, Ward 1 716-372-3692 jbrady@cityofolean.org

How do you contact your 2013 Alderman?

Paul Gonzalez, Ward 3 716-790-1121 pgonzalez@cityofolean.org

Matt Keller, Ward 4 585-378-0557 mkeller@cityofolean.org

Council President Ann McLaughlin (Ward 2)

Tom Morgan, Ward 7 716-373-4860 tmorgan@cityofolean.org

Nate Smith, Ward 6 716-307-8199 nsmith@cityofolean.org

Jim Finch, Ward 5 716-373-0163 jfinch@cityofolean.org

Standing Committees and the Common Council meet Tuesday nights beginning at 6:30 p.m. in

the Council Chambers

The Olean Area Fed-

eral Credit Union has

begun an expansion at

its location at 1201

Wayne St. The project has seen substantial

progress and is seen

here March 14

(above) and March 6

(right).

Olean Area Federal Credit Union

Are You Thinking of Getting Married? Call Mayor Linda Witte to schedule your wedding in the Olean City Limits. Mayor

Witte has performed many weddings during her term in office and will be happy to schedule yours. To schedule a ceremony, call 376-5615. It is New York State Law that marriage

ceremonies cannot be performed for 24 hours after a marriage license was issued. To obtain a license, call the Department of Vital Records at 376-5605 or the City Clerk (376-5604). The nearby John Ash Community Center on North Barry Street is an excellent spot for the reception! To book that space, call 376-5666.

Online Bill Pay Option