New Study Revisits City Business Inventory

\Jamestown Post-Journal, 9/18/2011.

Excerpt:    The business inventory nearly overlaps its 1986 counterparts, but falls short by one block at Fifth Street and cuts off the corridor at Harrison Street.

Once again, the business composite has changed. There are 307 total business entities, and an exhaustive tally by type now includes night clubs, ladies' boutiques, call centers and digital cable suppliers. Large retail has moved over for more service-oriented stores, including more banking options, insurance companies and employment agencies.

About a half-dozen industrial companies remain in the old downtown corridor, compared to 13 in 1986. Whereas Hills Department Store has dropped off the map, it is replaced by the Riverwalk and Brookside Professional centers, whose combined staff of 171 exceed the total number downtown medical workers in 1986 by 60 people. And the new tally counts 16 other medical-type businesses. These physicians have also been joined by accountants and attorneys.

At a glance, Harkness said some conclusions are already apparent, stating "we have gone from lower-paying retail jobs to a more professional workforce."

It is unclear whether net jobs were gained or lost in the downtown. The current employee count is about 3,370, yet several business did not report employee totals, including all business west of Washington Street, several banks, and those located north of fifth street. The public school's administrative offices have since moved to Martin Road, outside the scope of the new survey.

Changing Downtown

Jamestown Post-Journal, 9/18/2011

Excerpt: The 1986 data was internalized in a private consultant report for a proposed Civic Center Development District in downtown Jamestown. Using the reborn Reg Lenna Civic Center at its starting point, it envisioned this Third Street locale and other key structures as anchors to support an expansive redevelopment.

The study considered several opportunities - new buildings, the rehabilitation of aging structures and land clearance - to promote an array of attractions, including new office space, retail, hotel/residential, cultural/institutional, open spaces and transportation/parking.

It accepted that retail had largely taken flight to the Chautauqua Mall and beyond to Erie and Buffalo. But it stated potential remained, as shoppers who come to downtown Jamestown "do so in conjunction with other activities - they work downtown, or have business or doctor's appointments, or are attending a cultural event."

But its prescription for a healthy business mix veered toward bold plans to attract wider regional investment. An amphitheater in Tracy Plaza next to a new towering office building, a riverside hotel, and the anticipation of Reg Lenna's repertoire, would be bound together with a new pedestrian-friendly streetscape, it revealed in drawings.

Other concepts rested on firmer ground. The study suggested addressing highly visible vacancies including the Grants and Arcade buildings and Broadhead Mills below First Street. Key rehabilitations, it stated, "must be part of a larger strategy which includes development of complementary office and cultural space in the city hall area, providing increased downtown activity and demand."

Laura Mary Lamberton Harper, 1918-2011

Laura Mary Lamberton Harper, 92, of Warren died at home on September 8, 2011. She was born on September 25, 1918 in Germantown (Philadelphia) Pennsylvania to Robert E. Lamberton and Helen Henderson Lamberton. She was the only daughter in a family of five children. She graduated from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland in 1940, and did graduate study in Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She married S. Knox Harper in 1945, and worked as a social worker in Pittsburgh before moving to Warren in 1949.

Laura was devoted to her husband and children. She was also active in the Warren community for many years. She served on the Board of Directors of Warren General Hospital, Hospice of Warren County, and the Crary Home. She was Director of the Warren Senior Center from 1972 to 1985. She loved her work there and made many friends. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church and participated in its Tuesday Afternoon Study Group. She also belonged to Philomel Club, Woman's Club, the League of Women Voters, and the Street Landscape Committee of the City of Warren. For recreation she loved to walk around Warren with her good friend Joyce Davis.

Laura approached life with cheerfulness and a wonderful sense of humor. She tried to better the lives of others, always looked on the positive side of things, and maintained grace and fortitude in the face of adversity.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 49 years, S. Knox Harper, and her brothers John, William, and Robert E. Lamberton, Jr. She is survived by one brother, Hugh Lamberton of Dallas, Pennsylvania, and her four children, Rebecca of Warren, John of Bologna, Italy, Jane of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Stephen of Miami, Florida, and six grandchildren, Antonia and Sara Harper, Andrew and Anna Davis and Alexander and Samuel Harper. She is also survived by her cousin John Zacherle of New York City and a number of nieces and nephews.

Chapman Dam Turns 60

August 31, 2011.

Excerpt: The site that is now the park was originally the location of a lumber mill founded in the mid-19th century. The mill processed pine that was taken to Brown Run for transport on the Allegheny River. While the mill changed hands several times throughout its' history, it was in continuous operation into the 20th century. By 1940, the mill had closed and the land was used as a private fishing and hunting club. In 1945, the land was approved to become a state park and construction of the dam commenced in 1949. The park was opened for day-use in 1951 and named after Dr. Leroy E. Chapman, a Warren native who was a local doctor and also served as mayor, County Coroner, and state senator, holding that office from 1929 until 1963.