JAMESTOWN – With the start of construction at the National Comedy Center, the planned national attraction is no longer just a concept or an idea: It is a reality.

On Tuesday, foundation work started at the corner of Washington and West Second streets, as phase 1 construction started on the National Comedy Center. Tom Benson, National Comedy Center chairman, said foundation work has begun in the fall in hopes of being able to start construction of the building sooner in the spring.

”We wanted to get a jump on winter so when spring comes we have the foundation done,” Benson said. ”We won’t have to wait for the frost to leave the ground so we can start earlier than we would be able to.”

The National Comedy Center will include the construction of a new building that will be the entrance. The new building will connect to the already built former Jamestown Board of Public Utilities substation. The former BPU building then will connect to the east wing of the Jamestown Gateway Train Station, with interactive exhibits planned to be located in each wing of the former Erie-Lackawanna Train Station.

Benson said the foundation work will first consist of removing part of an old BPU transformer that was located in the parking lot. There are also cement pads that will need to be demolished and removed. It should take five to six days to remove the series of cement pads. After that, the blacktop to the former parking lot will be removed. He said that downtown Jamestown, around the corner of Washington and West Second streets, might be a little louder than normal the next few days.

”With the air hammers and the breaking up of some cement, it is going to cause noise and vibrations, but it has been a while since a lot of construction has occurred downtown. This is the price of progress. It is going to be noisy from time-to-time, but shouldn’t disrupt any activities,” he said. ”The site is pretty much contained within the fence around it, and they’re sealing up the openings with a secured gate on Second Street. There should be no disruptions to traffic on Second or Washington streets.”

Benson said digging the trenches for the foundation will be a little more difficult than at most construction sites. He said a lot of pile-driving will need to be done to stabilize the soil.

”It is a little more complicated than digging trenches and putting in the foundation,” he said. ”That work will take two to three weeks after the preparation work. Then they will bring in the cement and grade beams.”

The foundation work is anticipated to be done by mid-January if the weather cooperates.

”Hopefully Mother Nature will continue to cooperate with the weather,” he said. ”Once winter hits, we will continue to do final design work and raise the rest of the money. This way, when spring hits and let’s say optimistically spring hits in April we are pretty much ready to get back into the full swing at that point.”

The new entrance building will have three sides, with the fourth side being the former BPU building. There will be a curved front to the building, where two large high-definition picture screens will be located. Benson said it is exciting to actually see construction start on the National Comedy Center.

”It is a thrill to get to this point. The groundbreaking in the summer was a ceremonial thing, but now we have heavy equipment over there and the first phase of construction is happening,” he said. ”It is a wonderful feeling for the whole National Comedy Center team, which includes state, county, city and foundation officials. It is great to be full speed ahead, and the activity shows it.”

Lake Shore Paving is conducting the foundation work.

The team of stakeholders in the National Comedy Center project includes the Lucy Desi Center for Comedy; the Gebbie Foundation; the Oishei Foundation; the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation, Lenna Foundation and the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation. The visitor experience has been designed by world-renown creative firms Jack Rouse Associates and interactive specialist Local Projects. Clark Patterson Lee is the lead architect for the project. The center will be a 28,000-square-foot facility, with construction estimated to cost around $20 million.

The National Comedy Center is designed to be a national attraction based on the celebration of comedy: the craft and its contributors, and embodies Lucille Ball’s vision for her hometown of Jamestown.