Salamanca, other local entities receive $3.4 million in NYS project grants PAGE 3
JANUARY
8 2026
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January 8, 2026
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Cattaraugus County Community Source - For Reader Ads Call 716.372.3121
January 8, 2026
In this week’s edition: Seneca Nation-led law enforcement measure signed into law by Hochul See Page 4
Salamanca, other local entities receive $3.4 million in NYS project grants BY KELLEN M. QUIGLEY
SALAMANCA — Five projects in Cattaraugus County will receive funding totaling $3,41,551 from New York state to boost economic growth, historical preservation and address housing concerns in the region. Governor Kathy Hochul on Dec. 24 announced more than $463 million had been awarded statewide through the Regional Economic Development Council initiative, including more than $313 million for 381 projects statewide. About $55 million was earmarked for projects in Western New York and the Southern Tier. The City of Salamanca was awarded $587,129 to help build a new chalet at the Bill Flanigan Memorial Ice Pond, featuring a skate rental area, concessions, accessible restrooms and a heated gathering space. The ice pond located at the south end of Fawn Avenue has long been a beloved community hub for free skating and outdoor winter recreation, and these improvements aim to ensure this cherished tradition continues to thrive for generations to come. Additionally, Salamanca received an $81,000 grant to update its existing
Photo by Kellen M. Quigley A new chalet is planned to be built at the Bill Flanigan Memorial Ice Pond in 2026, replacing the former warming hut pictured here, which was demolished in 2023.
comprehensive plan, last revised in 2010, to incorporate smart growth principles. The plan will address challenges related to housing development and neighborhood revitalization; infrastructure and public facilities; community services and amenities; public safety and technology; historic, cultural, and tourism assets; and
more, while serving as a foundation for future zoning, long-term sustainability, and smart growth. Meanwhile, the Village of Cattaraugus will use $2 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to improve its existing drinking water infrastructure. Earlier in 2025, the village was awarded up to $10
million in Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) funding for projects throughout the heart of the village. In Gowanda, the Historic Hollywood Theater has received $502,672 for a stage roof replacement project, part of the theater’s ongoing preservation efforts by securing the original stage beams that have crowned the theater stage since its
opening in April 1926. Improvements will play a major role in preparing the stage area for additional, codecompliant theatrical equipment. This restoration project hopes to promote tourism, attract quality performers and create a more audience-friendly experience. The Citizens Advocating Memorial Preservation (CAMP)
organization will use a $246,750 grant toward restoration of the Civil War Memorial, located across Court Street from the Cattaraugus County Center Building in the village of Little Valley. CAMP is hoping to reopen the long vacant building through a Phase 1 restoration project, removing asbestos from the interior. This project will allow CAMP to open the site to the public as the Civil War Memorial and community space with the goal of renewing community pride and attracting visitors. “I remain grateful for everyone involved in advancing the work of the Regional Economic Development Councils,” Hochul said. “Their dedication to this ongoing publicprivate effort has had a transformational impact in every corner of the state.” The REDC process continues to support and empower regional stakeholders in developing strategic plans and funding priorities that meet local economic needs. To date, through the REDC Initiative, more than $8 billion has been awarded to more than 10,000 job creation and community development projects consistent with each region’s strategic plan.
WVCA CARES donates time to Ashford Food Pantry WEST VALLEY — The West Valley Cleanup Alliance (WVCA), the Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management’s prime contractor at the West Valley Demonstration Project, recently helped paint the interior of the Ashford Food Pantry’s new location on Route 240. Through the WVCA CARES Program, painting materials were purchased to make the space more welcoming for local families. On their day off, WVCA employees joined food pantry volunteers to paint the interior of the new location. “This was a wonderful surprise from WVCA,” said Food Pantry Manager Kris Aldrow. “This year alone, they’ve donated food, contributed financially and now helped renovate our new space. We couldn’t be more grateful.”
Photo courtesy West Valley Cleanup Alliance Employees with West Valley Cleanup Alliance volunteered at the Ashford Food Pantry recently, helping paint the interior.
The Ashford Food Pantry remains a vital resource, providing immediate hunger relief while supporting long-term health, economic stability and community resilience. Food pantries unite volunteers, donors and clients, strengthening community bonds and offering support where it’s needed most. “It’s about being a good neighbor,” said Jason Casper, WVCA President and Program Manager. “Our employees’ generosity directly supports the well-being of this community, and I’m proud of their dedication to the food pantry.” WVCA’s CARES Program dedicates a portion of company earnings to local initiatives, reinforcing the organization’s commitment to improving the quality of life in the region.
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Cattaraugus County Community Source - For Reader Ads Call 716.372.3121
January 8, 2026
‘Pay It Forward’ distributes holiday cheer
Photo submitted
File Photo
The local “Pay It Forward” group made Christmas brighter for many area families. On Dec. 21, five volunteers distributed food boxes and gifts to qualifying people waiting in line in their vehicles at the former Terra Publishing building on North State Street. Organizer Tim Jackson said personnel from the SNI Fire Department delivered to seven families that were unable to make their own pickup. In 2024, the program served 164 families with over 400 children. Jackson said this year’s program served 138 families with over 250 kids.
Boxes packed with food for families in need are part of the Pay It Forward group’s Christmas program giveaway.
Seneca Nation-led law enforcement measure signed into law by Hochul BY KELLEN M. QUIGLEY CATTARAUGUS TERRITORY — The Seneca Nation has secured key legislation to help in its ongoing battle against illegal drug activity on its territories. On Dec. 26, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law a bill that leaders presented and advocated for throughout this year’s New York state legislative session, amending Section 8 and adding a new Section 79 of New York Indian Law. The new law clarifies existing law, enabling the Seneca Nation to better work in coordinated partnership with New York State Police, county sheriff offices and City of Salamanca police in removing non-Native intruders engaged in drug trafficking and other illicit activities from the Seneca Nation’s sovereign territories. “This is a long-awaited and hard-fought victory for the Seneca people,” said Seneca Nation President J. Conrad Seneca. “Governor Hochul did the right thing in signing this legislation.” Seneca said the law provides a new, needed and incredibly powerful tool in ridding Seneca territory of non-Native people who are using our territories as a haven for drug trafficking and drug use. “This should send a clear message to those individuals who are terrorizing our people: the Seneca Nation
File Photo Seneca Nation of Indians President J. Conrad Seneca (left) and New York State Governor Kathy Hochul.
will stop at nothing to protect our people, our territories, and our communities,” he added. Hochul said public safety is her top priority, adding that coordination and collaboration between all levels of law enforcement
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is essential to driving down crime and keeping New Yorkers safe. “With this legislation, we are ensuring the Seneca Nation has the tools and resources they need by partnering with the state police and local law enforcement to fight drug trafficking, combat criminal activity and further protect the Nation,” she said. Hochul also thanked Seneca for his work in advocating for this legislation and the work he continues to do to rid the Seneca Nation of illicit drugs and combat addiction and substance abuse. Seneca acknowledged the tireless and selfless efforts of the Seneca Mothers Against Drug Dealers (SMADD) in highlighting and demanding action to combat illegal drug activity on the Nation’s territories. Members of SMADD have gone to great lengths, including camping
outside known drug houses with spotlights, in an effort to keep the community safe, he said. “The members of SMADD have been demanding action, even placing themselves in harm’s way. We listened and have made combating the drug issue a top priority,” Seneca added. Along with SMADD, Seneca thanked the county sheriffs and other local law enforcement partners who supported this legislation, the bill sponsors — state Sen. Sean Ryan and Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes — and legislative leaders who worked with the Nation to pass the bill, as well as Hochul for considering the bill’s importance and signing it into law. Hochul’s signature comes at a critical time in the Seneca Nation’s ongoing battle against illegal drug activity. Over a 60-day period
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earlier this year, the Nation witnessed three murders on its territories, each with a suspected connection to drug activity. In recent years, Seneca and his predecessors in the president’s office have issued multiple executive orders excluding known drug dealers from Nation territory, and the Nation has moved to evict tenants at several properties on Nation lands where criminal activity is known and proven to have taken place. The Seneca Nation’s territories are in the middle of a known drug trafficking corridor from nearby Jamestown through Salamanca and across the Southern Tier, as well as along the New York State Thruway and up toward Buffalo. All the while, ambiguities in existing law left sheriffs and local law enforcement to navigate conflicting interpretations of
removal authority, and drug dealers have exploited the confusion, Seneca said. In response to the Seneca Nation’s warning that unclear New York laws were allowing outside drug traffickers to exploit jurisdictional gaps and put the community at risk, the public education advocacy organization Alliance for Quality Education earlier in December called on Hochul to sign the law. “These amendments were drafted by the Seneca Nation and passed with unanimous bipartisan support after leaders across Western New York agreed that the solution was both urgently needed and ready to be enacted,” said Marina Marcou-O’Malley and Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari, co-executive directors of the Alliance for Quality Education. “New York State cannot claim a commitment to equity while its own statutory confusion continues to put an entire Nation at risk,” the statement continued. “AQE stands with the Seneca Nation in urging Governor Hochul to sign its amendments to Section 8 of New York Indian Law and affirm that justice in all Native communities is inseparable from the just future New York says it seeks to build statewide.” Armed with the clarity of this new legislation, the Seneca Nation will immediately begin working with our local law enforcement partners on agreements and strategies to cooperatively address the issues facing Seneca territories, the president said. “We are going to stay vigilant on every front of this ongoing battle: working with law enforcement, working with federal, state and local governments, staying active and alert in our communities, and providing critical support and pathways to recovery for those dealing with addiction,” he added. “We have to finally put a stop to what has been going on for far too long. Drug dealers have had the upper hand. That’s going to change.”
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