Growing Our Communities was Topic of the Planning Board’s Annual Leadership Conference

The Cattaraugus County Planning Board held its Annual Leadership Conference on Wednesday, July 24th, 2013 at Good Times of Olean with 90 people in attendance. The staff of Good Times of Olean gave informative tours of the new facility and explained its purpose and its many options for sports activities and dining.

West Long, General Manager of Long Consulting and co-owner of ETJM Property Management, was the keynote speaker. His topic was "Growing Our Communities".

Mr. Long's latest project, Good Times of Olean, opened in mid-July and has already drawn much interest and excitement from area residents. Mr. Long, a Portville native who still resides there, is very enthused about the Opportunities that exist in the Greater Olean Area and Cattaraugus County and feels this new facility, with its many family activities and dining options, is one of those "missing pieces" that will promote further growth in our area. He briefly listed the features of Good Times: a 1,400 person event center, three restaurants - The Point, Hammer Back Bar & Grill, and the Snak Shak; a 16 lane bowling center, an arcade, an 18 hole miniature golf course, and pool tables, darts, card tables, shuffle boards, beach volleyball courts, batting cages for baseball and softball, an outdoor patio on the first and second floors and plenty of space outdoors for additional events and activities. The project used, as much as possible, local contractors and products. When fully operational it will create approximately 150 full and part-time jobs.

To emphasize the importance of the local area and its history, he invited all to view the numerous vintage photographs on the walls of The Point. Many of these photos came from our local historical societies.

He concluded by spotlighting some of the virtues and values this area provides for living, working, raising our children and investing in our community. His business will use a three "A" approach: Arts, Athletics and Academics, to supply the community, both young and old, with a wide range of activities. In addition, they would like to add additional activities in the future such as sports camps, music festivals and art exhibitions.

Growing Our Communities was Topic of the Cattaraugus County Planning Board's Annual Leadership Conference