National Comedy Center and Chautauqua County Board of Elections officials have reached an agreement for the center to be the polling site for Ward 3 in 2021. P-J photo by Dennis Phillips

National Comedy Center and Chautauqua County Board of Elections officials have reached an agreement for the center to be the polling site for Ward 3 in 2021.

On Thursday, Gary Hahn, National Comedy Center marketing and communications vice president, announced the agreement.

“We appreciate the spirit with which this has been resolved, and the county (Board of Elections) understanding of the challenges for the Comedy Center’s business operations during voting days,” Hahn said. “The county (Board of Elections) addressed our concerns regarding the state statute on polling sites with a liquor license, and will use its best efforts to adhere to all National Comedy Center ‘LaughSafe’ health and safety protocols while those precautions remain in place.”

The agreement follows three discussions during meetings of the Jamestown City Council in January and February about the possibility of the center not being the polling site for Ward 3. One of the issues discussed during the council meetings is how some residents of Ward 3 don’t feel welcomed at the center.

Vickye James, Ward 3 councilwoman, said in January several Ward 3 constituents have discussed their displeasure with the possibility of losing the center as a polling site. She said Ward 3 has changed polling sites several times through the years. She added that many city residents have also discussed how center officials seem not “reachable” by the public.

“(National Comedy Center officials) seem to be hands-off when it comes to the public,” she said.

On Thursday, Hahn said the center welcomes the constituents of Ward 3 in Jamestown — whether it’s to vote, to enjoy to the train station concourse, which is fully accessible to the public every day that the center is open, or to experience the National Comedy Center museum.

“We are working directly with Vickye James as the councilwoman for Ward 3 to ensure that the Comedy Center is as accessible as possible to local residents year-round,” he said.

In February, Journey Gunderson, National Comedy Center executive director, discussed the polling site issue with the council during a work session meeting. Gunderson said being a polling site has been a challenge for the center the five times it’s been used since the facility opened in August 2018. She said the June primary date is during the peak of tourist season and having the polling site in the same location as the gift shop does impact business. She said parking is always an issue for the center, especially on the same day the facility is being used as a polling site.

During past talks by the council on the center being a polling site, the topic of the renovations to the Jamestown Gateway Train Station and the federal funding received has been discussed. It has been questioned whether the facility is still being used as a transportation hub, which was a clause in the federal grant that was used to renovate the former Erie-Lackawanna Train Station.

In February, Gunderson said center officials reached out to the Federal Transit Administration to find out if the train station being used as part of the center, which brings in tourist buses from outside the area, is following the grant agreement. She also said the center pays $300,000 a year to pay utilities and maintain the rotunda area of the train station, which would be difficult for local nonprofits and the city to fund. She added, even during the pandemic, the public has regular access to the rotunda area.

“I’m confident we are fulfilling our obligation,” Gunderson said in February.

The discussion about the train station concourse being used as a polling site started last year when center officials informed the Chautauqua County Election Commissioners, Brian Abrams, Republican commissioner, and Norm Green, Democratic commissioner, that the train station’s corridor would no longer be used for election purposes because of the pandemic.

“Due to the pandemic we have restructured our hours and our museum is currently closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. This allows us ample time to provide a thorough cleaning and sanitization of our museum that we have committed to in our Laugh Safe Program,” stated Rochelle Mole, National Comedy Center vice president of finance and operations. “Due to these unusual circumstances, we are able to offer you the space for the Nov. 3, 2020, elections as we are closed to the public on that day. This is a one-time deal. We will accommodate this year due to the unique circumstances in response to the pandemic, but will insist that you find an alternate location in the future as it is a hardship going forward. It is not open for discussion, but given the pandemic, we are able to accommodate this request in 2020.”

In January, Abram and Green sent a correspondence to the council, Mayor Eddie Sundquist and Jennifer Williams, city clerk, asking for their assistance in finding a new polling location in Ward 3.

In February, Abram and Green met with the council to discuss possible new locations. Anthony Dolce, council president, suggesting possible new locations as polling sites in Ward 3 could be the Lucille Ball Little Theatre or the James Prendergast Library.

During the discussion, Abram also discussed how when U.S. Census totals are finalized, there might be new district lines in Ward 3. He said this could lead to a new polling site being used in 2022 after new district lines are drawn. Marie Carrubba, Ward 4 council woman, and James said it would be unfortunate if Ward 3’s polling site was changed three years in a row, if the center wasn’t used in 2021.

“To move it and then move it again, it seems unfair to those individuals,” Carrubba said.