Exit leaves major void in City Hall
Wurster takes planning director post with county
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A key member of Mayor Wilfred Rosas' administration is moving on. City of Dunkirk Planning and Development Director Rebecca Wurster will be taking the job as planning director with Chautauqua County.
"I have decided to take a position with Chautauqua County, they offered me a position there," Wurster announced at the Dunkirk Land Development Corp. meeting Wednesday. "It was a hard decision, I love the city of Dunkirk, I love the work that I've been doing here for the last four-and-a-half years, Dunkirk is my second home."
Wurster said that she feels that her position at Chautauqua County will just be an extension of what she can offer the city of Dunkirk.
"I think of this as a win-win," Wurster said. "Our team will still be strong, I know that our department will continue to do great things."
Wurster began working for the city in September 2016 when she was tapped for the position by Rosas. "She did an outstanding job and I wish her well," he said.
A Jamestown native, she worked in the eastern part of the state twice before coming to Dunkirk. She has a master's in urban planning and did a comprehensive plan for the town of Plattsburgh.
Under her leadership, the city has received several grants such as the $2.5 million in Smart Growth funding for pier and bike path improvements and the "Central Connection," which will bring together the city, SUNY Fredonia and the village of Fredonia and a $50,000 grant from the New York State Department of Transportation to create a more pedestrian-friendly crosswalk at the intersection of Central Avenue and Lake Shore Drive.
She was instrumental in bringing about the Wright Park Improvements Project at the Lakeside Pavilion, which included the splash pad, pickleball courts, futsal courts, improved basketball courts and additional amenities provided at the newly renovated pavilion.
She worked with Fieldbrook Foods and Wells for the $87 million expansion and upgrade of the plant at 1 Ice Cream Drive while also working on a number of brownfield initiatives.