OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford Community leaders including, from front left, Fredonia Mayor Douglas Essek, SUNY Fredonia President Stephen Kolison, and Dunkirk Mayor Wilfred Rosas gather Monday to announce a project for Central Avenue improvements.

Expect some changes to Central Avenue. It’s not clear yet what they will be.

An initiative that will “provide improvements on Central Avenue to connect the collective communities through a safe and accessible corridor for pedestrians, bicyclists, wheelchair users, and vehicles,” was announced Monday.

It’s intended as a reinvigoration of the “Central Connection” between Dunkirk, Fredonia and SUNY Fredonia. City of Dunkirk Mayor Wilfred Rosas, Village of Fredonia Mayor Doug Essek, and SUNY Fredonia President Stephen Kolison gathered Monday for a “photo op” next to Central Avenue to mark the occasion.

Chautauqua County Legislator Susan Parker was also there, providing the above quote about the Central Avenue plan in a press release. She is a prominent supporter of “Complete Streets” projects, which aim to make roads safer for pedestrians, cyclists and wheelchair users.

GObike Buffalo officials also came down for the photo on the gorgeous, crisp fall afternoon. “GObike Buffalo is an organization that does work throughout Western New York to encourage and implement Complete Streets initiatives to provide for streets that are designed for everyone,” according to Parker.

Vanessa Ryhal of SUNY Fredonia’s Enactus will work with GObike and other Enactus student members on community engagement for the project. GObike Planning Director Brendan Seney said the initiative includes robust community outreach and stakeholder involvement.

Essek, Kolison and Rosas “expressed their gratitude to all the participating organizations and expressed pleasure at the new excitement surrounding the ideas of once again making Central Avenue a Boulevard for all users and connecting these three great communities,” as Parker put it.

A portfolio of grants is backing this project, Parker’s release revealed. “The Local Economic Development (LED) committee of the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation is contributing $10,000 which was crucial to ensuring that this is a collaborative community initiative. The Chautauqua Health Network is contributing to the funding for part of the city of Dunkirk’s portion of the project. $10,000 in additional funding was allocated by the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth, which is an initiative of the Chautauqua Region Economic Development Corporation (CREDC).

“With the support of the village of Fredonia and its Safe Streets Workgroup, the City of Dunkirk’s mayor and its Development Department, SUNY Fredonia, the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce, and County Legislator Susan Parker; Nate Aldrich of the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth successfully applied with GObike’s Executive Director, Justin Booth, for a $25,000 grant from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Legacy Funds from the Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo.”

A description of GObike Buffalo’s plans can be found online at https://gobikebuffalo.org/project/dunkirk-fredonia-central-connection/