Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

The City of Olean is expected to take the next step forward in developing its 500-acre Brownfields Opportunity Area. During its meeting Tuesday common council is expected to approve a resolution that would authorize Mayor Linda Witte to enter into an agreement with Bergman Associates for consulting services to update and expand the pre-nomination study prepared in 2007. Part of the area in North Olean is the 62-acre former Agway-Felmont site, which was once home to the Socony Vacuum Oil Company. In 1930 a fire caused thousands of gallons of oil to spill onto, and seep into, the ground. The state’s Brownfield Opportunity Area Program provides financial and technical assistance to municipalities to revitalize brownfield sites. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The City of Olean and the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council on Thursday announced that the first stage of construction of the East State Street Reconstruction project in Olean has begun on the strength of the $1 million award it received as part of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s Regional Council initiative. This project will reconstruct East State Street (NY Route 417) from Front Street to King Street, and will support 67 jobs with a total project cost of $2.45 million. City of Olean Mayor Linda L. Witte welcomed state representatives to the city today for a ceremony at the construction site. “I am proud to see Olean is front and center with a shovel in the ground today,” said Mayor Witte. “East State Street, with its potholes the result of deferred maintenance and lack of funds, will once again provide smooth passage for the 13,000 vehicles that travel this road daily. It will be a stunning gateway for workers, visitors, shoppers and business owners. The neighborho...

Olean Common Council has decided it’s not going to be frack friendly. According to the agenda for tonight’s meeting, Mayor Linda Witte plans to introduce a resolution asking the county Legislature to ban horizontal drilling within two miles of the city’s well water aquifer. Council will also consider an amendment that would prohibit any wastewater or similar byproduct from high-volume fracking, oil drilling or natural gas drilling operations. Another amendment would require any vehicle that exceeds the allowable state size and/or weight to obtain and possess a permit from the city’s public works department prior to operating the vehicle on any roadway maintained by the city.

OLEAN – The most visible phase of an ongoing community cleanup effort will begin Thursday evening in the neighborhood roughly bounded by Jamestown Community College, North Barry and East State Streets. From 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. volunteers will gather in JCC’s parking lot and fan out to provide residents with information about city codes and safety, while picking up trash and litter along Laurel, Tompkins, North Clinton, North Barry and Hamilton Streets. “Please feel free to come out and join the Neighborhood Preservation Committee Volunteers,” said Mayor Linda Witte about the kickoff in a series of neighborhood cleanups that organizers say will continue throughout the city. “We want to commit to doing this as long as there is an interest and a need.” Residents will meet representatives of two departments that provide key services that can turn around neighborhood deterioration. The Code Enforcement Office and the Olean Police Department can help residents identify dilapidated structures...

OLEAN – Fred Fowler and Bernard Morris of the Airport Support Group (ASG) presented Olean Mayor Linda Witte and Director of DPW Ashok Kapoor seating for eighty persons and ten tables for use during events at Cattaraugus/Olean Airport. This latest donation brings to over $13,000 of equipment provided by ASG for use at the airport. Previous donations have included new reception area and meeting room furniture, air compressor, an aircraft tug, personal computer, and garage doors. Funds for these purchases were raised by ASG with the invaluable assistance of The Rally in the Valley. Comprised of airport tenants and other users, the Cattaraugus/Olean Airport Support Group exists to promote the use, maintenance and improvement of Cattaraugus/Olean Airport, a community asset and economic development tool for Olean and Cattaraugus County. Photo and information provided by Kathleen Kellogg

Mayor Linda Witte asked the Olean Common Council Tuesday to begin reviewing the numbers contained in her $15,925,177 budget proposal for 2010-2011. “We’re trying to keep the tax rate flat this year or up only slightly,” said Mayor Witte, referring to the tax rate of $14.24 per $1,000 of assessed valuation that is projected in the draft. Under this plan, homeowners of properties assessed at the citywide average of $60,000 could expect to receive a tax bill of about $854.40. “Increases in our projected spending with my plan total $425,765, and that’s a modest 2.7 percent hike over the 2009-2010 level of appropriations,” she added, pointing to the $281,595 increase, or 4.25 percent, in the property tax levy, which totals $6,902,949. Mayor Witte said that she slashed the spending increase from the 15.17 percent increase tallied in the first round of departmental budget requests. But she said she expects the city’s aldermen will make further changes to the plan in the coming weeks and tho...

It's official. Olean will have a new mayor next year. The results from the Cattaraugus County Board of Elections show that Linda Witte garnered 1,921 votes to current Mayor David Carucci's 1,726. That's a difference of 195 votes. The unofficial results on Election Night showed a difference of 185 votes. Carucci said he wouldn't concede until all the absentee votes were counted and the results were made official.

It seems Olean will have a new mayor next year. According to unofficial numbers posted by the Cattaraugus County Board of Elections, Linda Witte beat incumbent David Carrucci by a count of 1808 to 1623. With 74 of 79 districts in the county reporting, challenger Lori Rieman has a lead of 7730 to 4709 over incumbent district attorney Ed Sharkey.