Baldwin reports on local bank branch closures, Andover water project funding, and an interesting police chase that ended with the arrest of a fugitive from Pennsylvannia:
A business that has served Wellsville and the region for four decades is closing a location Friday. The branch of Community Bank at 4196 Bolivar Road closes permanently at the end of this week. It first opened along with the emerging Bolivar Road corridor as Columbia Bank. Community Bank, N.A. completed its merger with Steuben Trust Corporation last June. Community Bank System acquired Steuben for a combination of stock and cash representing total consideration valued at approximately $98.3 million. The acquisition extended Community Bank System’s footprint into two new counties in Western New York State. The bank still has two Wellsville locations: 475 North Highland Avenue and 113 North Main Street. Branches in Hornell, Bath and Canaseraga are also closing effective Friday.
The New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation Board of Directors has approved more than $48 million in grants, interest-free loans, and low-cost loans to support vital drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects across New York State. The village of Andover is earmarked to receive $3.5 million in short-term interest free financing and $3 million grant for development of a new groundwater well, a new water filtration plant, replacement of aged/deteriorated water mains, safety and security upgrades at the existing well treatment building, a new booster pump station, a new telemetry/ supervisory control and data acquisition system to allow remote monitoring and control of the water system, and new water meters.
After two separate police chases, Town of Willing police arrested Nicholas Tubbs of Mills, PA. He was charged as a fugitive of justice warrant from the State of Pennsylvania, two counts of failure to comply with a police officer, unlawful fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle and numerous other counts. Tubbs was arraigned via the Allegany County on-call Justice and held pending extradition for the Pennsylvania State Police. A further investigation led to the seizure of a large quantity of methamphetamine, numerous drug paraphernalia, digital scales and drug packaging materials and a significant quantity of cash. Tubbs will be charged with felony criminal possession of a controlled substance in the second degree, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree and possession of a hypodermic instrument. The Willing Police Department was assisted by the Village of Wellsville Police Department, the State Police and the Allegany County District Attorney’s Office. This investigation is ongoing and more charges are pending.
