By Carol Fisher-Linn
He Says – She Says – circa mid 1990’s conversation at Special*E*Fects newspaper:
Does Ellicottville need a parking ramp?
She ((author of this article)) the ever-gullible, wide-eyed, trusting one) Says: “Hank, If Ellicottville businesses keep drawing in tourists the way they have been since the 80’s “boom” visitors will have to leave their cars outside of town and shuttle into the village. We need a parking ramp!” Hank (Dubey – Special*E*Fects editor/owner/musician/all around wild and crazy party of one): “Carol, Carol, Carol … “The only ramp you need is one to jump off with your crazy, high-flying ideas for a village our size. We are, after all, only one-square mile. Heck, my size 13 “stompers” can carry me from one end to the other in 10 minutes. Carol, you are nothing more than a car-crazy city slicker without an ounce of good-ole-fashioned country girl sense!”
of course, tourists.
Those of you who remember the zany, rather irreverent column Hank Dubey and I co-wrote in his paper years ago are likely smiling. But seriously, Ellicottville has needed a parking lot for the past thirty years or more! Now, acknowledging that dreams can come true, hope continues to surface for the Route 219 Extension that we in the Southern Tier have been coveting.
Folks – pull out the bullhorns. Shout it loud and clear! Ellicottville has a PARKING LOT! The land, located at 9 Mill Street, purchased partially by Cattaraugus County, is located near the DPW behind the Martha Washington building on Martha Street. Coming from 219, drive up Mill, pass Martha Street and you will see the driveway and lovely sidewalks on your right. This long-awaited lot provides room for 125 cars and thanks to National Grid’s Electric Vehicle Make-Ready Program, there are four Level 2 EV charge plugs in the new lot to accommodate residents, customers of the various business in the village, and, of course, tourists. There are five, well placed handicapped parking spots and modern overhead lighting. Sidewalks lead you out and to Martha Street or back onto Mill, taking you in whichever direction you wish to go. The parking is free but if you have need for the chargers, they are charged at .25 per kilowatt hour – the first 30 minutes are free, with a 3-hour maximum time so others can take their turn. If you plan to shop or have lunch/dinner at one of our top-line restaurants, please time your charges and return to remove them, so someone else can hook on after you are “filled up.” FYI, unrelated to this project, there are two free chargers at Ellicottville Town Center (the old Cooperative Extension property) one at HoliMont, and Holiday Valley has a Tesla charger which drivers pay to use.
Mayor John Burrell is the first to credit National Grid (and especially lead program manager Whitney Skeans for making herself available whenever needed throughout the development of the lot) for their help in this project, and rightly so. However, kudos must go to Mayor Burrell, the determined Village Board, Brian McFadden at the Chamber of Commerce, and to Doug Bush who spearheaded the project.
Ellicottville is a wonderfully busy place, much more so than in the nineties when we first started lobbying for a parking lot. Back then, in the “mud season” and summer months, we were lucky to have a few hundred visitors – these days Ellicottville hosts more than 25,000 visitors each weekend, not to mention the special events that fill our streets and hills with 100,00 or more. Ellicottville has just added a bit of frosting on the cake with this new parking lot, after having been named in April by USA Today as boasting one of America’s best Main Streets. Yahoo, Ellicottville!
A bonus for this project is National Grid’s EV Make-Ready Program has also provided the village with extra funding to add more units to those already in place, allowing for future expansion. And, since this is Ellicottville, the future is eagerly at our doorstep! Many thanks go out to Amy Hayward, Ellicottville’s Village Clerk, for her contributions to this article.