City of Dunkirk Planning and Development Director Vince DeJoy (left) sits with Councilman Mike Civiletto, the new chairman of the Common Council’s Economic Development Committee, at the committee’s January meeting.

Dunkirk’s chief planning official reviewed various grant-related projects in the city at the January meeting of the Common Council’s Economic Development Committee.

The committee is now chaired by a new councilman, Michael Civiletto, and Vince DeJoy wanted to inform him about ongoing projects. DeJoy started his list with a $412,115 Appalachian Regional Commission grant that will assist the city’s computer system overhaul.

The city is “still in the beginning implementation stages” of that project, he said. The ARC grant will cover expenses of that implementation, and fund 70% of the city’s subscription to the GovSense service at the root of the project.

The grant will “directly will help fund costs that will be incurred yearly by the city,” DeJoy said. “We were planning on doing (the computer project) anyways, so the fact that we have some support from ARC is a big help to city finances.”

City officials have said the new computer system will ensure better financial reporting and communication among city departments, as for the first time, all will be on the same platform.

“We won’t have a need for all these multiple platforms that don’t integrate or talk to each other,” DeJoy said.

However, it turns out that the city assessor’s office won’t be on the system. Civiletto asked if it would be, and city Fiscal Affairs Officer Ellen Luczkowiak told him no.

“That’s pretty much the only area of city government that won’t be on GovSense,” she said. She touted it as something that will not only cover financial and personnel tracking, but everything from parking tickets to utility billing to Freedom of Information Law requests.

DeJoy went on to the rest of his list of grant-funded projects. He mentioned an effort to protect the shoreline at Wright Park Beach and along nearby Lakefront Boulevard. That is funded through a Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Cities Initiative grant.

Project consultants are currently seeking public input on the steps Dunkirk ought to take in the area to protect from erosion and improve attractions. Councilwoman Natalie Luczkowiak asked how much the public surveys would affect the project.

“I think it will have a lot to do with it,” DeJoy responded. “The public is going to have a say where they want to see a beach.” The project is considering whether to keep a public beach at Wright Park or move it to an area less prone to erosion.

DeJoy said a survey about the project is available for the public on the city’s website, and is also linked on the city Planning and Economic Development Department’s Facebook page.

The planning director noted a few more projects, including:

— Tree-planting initiatives funded through New York Department of Environmental Conservation grants. One of the grants is for trees on city streets, the other is supposed to add 200 trees to Point Gratiot.

— The state-funded Downtown Revitalization Initiative has filled out the slate of participants in its Small Projects Fund. The participants include Matt’s News, Mary”# Deli, Pizza Village, the Coburn Block, Copy Boy, Aida’s Cafe (which will reopen under new leadership), and the Boys and Girls Club.

— A 250-megawatt Battery Energy Storage System is planned for a wooded area off Brigham Road. It received preliminary approvals from both the city and county Planning Boards. EJ Hayes, DeJoy’s deputy director, sought to emphasize that the city board has not yet offered final approval of the project.

DeJoy said a host community agreement would pump about $1 million into city revenue. However, he said project planners are still looking to finalize grant funding sources.

— The Dunkirk Local Development Corporation has transferred Washington Avenue property to Regan Development, which plans apartments on the site and at the nearby Save-a-Lot Plaza.

“Construction will begin this year,” DeJoy said. He said former stores at the plaza that will be demolished for the project are currently getting asbestos abatement.