In 2013, the Chautauqua County Land Bank Corporation received the first of two grants for $1.5 million from the state Attorney General’s Office to use toward residential demolitions. In 2014, the land bank received an additional $1.3 million from the state to use toward both residential and mixed-use property demolitions. The grants, which total more than $2.8 million, need to be expended by the end of 2016, said Gina Paradis, land bank administrative director.

”We plan to expend it all by the end of this year,” she said. ”There will be a total of more than $2 million spent on demolitions. The rest of the balance helps fund administrative costs, professional fees, contracts, money set aside for purchasing bank foreclosures, some is used to help in depositing of vacant lots and some is used on marketing too.”

Paradis said the land bank has about $1.2 million left to spend from the state grants. She said a third of that will be used on mixed-use properties.

”We will be needing to spend about $500,000 on mixed-use. We might go over that $500,000 on mixed-use. The rest will be spent in residential areas, with the biggest portion allocated toward Jamestown,” she said.

Paradis said land bank officials will be moving at the same rate on demolitions that they have been since 2013 to expend all the state funds by the end of the year.

”We might step it up a touch,” she said. ”We’re hoping to accomplish another 25 to 30 demolitions in Jamestown. We have accomplished about 20 in Jamestown so far and they (city officials) have done another 13 by using their (Community Development Block Grant) funds. About 35 (demolitions) will be done by the end of this quarter. In Dunkirk, the numbers are smaller with about eight being completed by the end of this quarter. The city is doing another five with CDBG funds.”

In other land bank news, Mark Geise will continue to be the executive director. Earlier this month, it was announced Geise has been appointed as the senior planner for the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation. Geise comes to the JRC from Chautauqua County, where he served as deputy director of Planning and Economic Development since 2009. Geise will be replacing Peter Lombardi in his new role. Geise will be responsible for providing creative planning recommendations and approaches for a wide variety of neighborhood and urban planning issues.

”He got the blessing from the county executive (Vince Horrigan) and from the County Legislature, who don’t want to see a change there,” Paradis said about Geise staying on as the executive director for the land bank. ”There has been no indication that there will be a change.”

However, Lombardi, who is the land bank board chairman, is expected to no longer be in that position following the land bank’s March organizational meeting. Lombardi, who was JRC deputy director, took on a new job as an associate with CZB and is now a part-time consultant with the JRC.

”He has indicated he will be stepping down. His new position requires a lot of travel,” Paradis said. ”He will maintain the chair position until the annual organizational meeting, which is tentatively scheduled for March.”

The land bank will have a new website soon. Paradis said land bank officials are adding some content and going through their final internal review. She said the site should launch this month.