OBSERVER Photo by Jo Ward. The Rec Center at the Chautauqua County Fairgrounds.

The Rec Center at the Chautauqua County Fairgrounds may become an early voting site this year.

According to First Ward Councilman Don Williams, the county is looking at it as a possibility.

“Both election commissioners came down and looked at this building and all I was told was that it needs a new door and some kind of ramp so that people don’t have to step up over to come in,” Williams said at the Personnel Committee meeting March 12. “If we can do that, we can have early voting here.”

The biggest factor for the site to be chosen is the ability to be able to use it for the 2020 primary in June.

“They don’t need it in June this year, but they don’t want to come in here and set up and have it ready and have a plan if they’re not going to be able to use it in June the following year,” Williams added. “They’re willing to even pay us for the months that they’re going to be here.”

Though the idea is promising, Deputy Director of Planning E.J. Hayes was concerned over the fact that the city of Dunkirk doesn’t own the site.

“The only thing I would caution is that first the lease agreement for this place is up this year and it’s not that we’re not paying rent we’re paying to fix it up,” Hayes stated. “As we move forward, before we make these improvements, we need to make sure the city is protected.”

Williams commented that the board of elections will pay for the upgrades to the location.

“They were looking around, the only thing is if they don’t use the Rec Center, they don’t know where else they’d go,” Williams said. “The other thing is that people would have to go to Mayville.”

Early voting throughout the county is an eight-day affair nation wide held just prior to an actual vote date.

According to Williams, they’re looking to have three sites — a Jamestown one, and locations in Mayville and Northern Chautauqua. Even though they looked at the college and a place at the D&F Plaza, the Rec Center proved the most promising, Williams said.

In 2019 early voting for the general election is Oct. 26-Nov. 3.