The city of Dunkirk was one of four Chautauqua County municipalities to receive money from $513,000 in federal Recovery Act grant funding, according to Congressman Brian Higgins. Higgins was in Jamestown Wednesday to announce the grant that will see Jamestown ($367,800), Dunkirk ($136,651), Forestville ($4,490) and Stockton ($4,014) split the almost $513,000 Higgins was able to secure for the area.
According to a release from Higgins' office, Dunkirk will use its allocation to, "conduct public outreach, purchase a 25-cubic-yard packing truck, and purchase recycling totes in order to switch the city's recycling program from a sorted program to a no-sort program and to enhance the curbside pick-up program for recycling goods."
The city has been hoping for the federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program funding that was distributed through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Dunkirk was one of the 206 projects that were picked from 420 submissions in the competitive process.
"The city of Dunkirk is grateful for the funding that the ARRA and Congressman Higgins has provided the city of Dunkirk," Mayor Richard Frey said. "This funding will allow us to implement a 'no sort' recycling program that we are projecting will reduce our landfill usage by approximately 30 percent, thus contributing to a greener economy, while reducing costs for the taxpayers within the city."
At the April 6 Common Council meeting, First Ward Councilman Michael Michalski said he would be looking into the expense side of rubbish collection at a meeting on April 20 of the Public Works Committee he chairs.
Forestville will use its $4,490 to upgrade lighting at its fire hall along with the street and water department garage.
Stockton's $4,014 will go toward the replacement of 53 T12 lamps with T8 lamps and electronic ballasts, along with replacing three incandescent bulbs with CFLs.
The big winner in the ARRA funding was Jamestown and the south-county city will use its $367,800 to implement traffic signal coordination along a seven-signal corridor extending along Main Street from Sixth to Washington streets.
