New Bills stadium task force disbanded as other oversight committee gets started

The group’s mission was to review contractor hiring numbers for the new $1.7 billion Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park and report back to the Erie County Legislature about whether the community is reaping enough benefits from the $850 million in public money being invested into the project.

But, as it turns out, many of its responsibilities overlapped with that of the Community Benefits Oversight Committee, which met for the first time Monday and began setting its future course for reviewing project data.

The committee also announced Monday that Developments by Jem, a construction and development and project management consulting company in Buffalo, has been brought on to help the Bills and its general contractor Gilbane Turner reach their goals for hiring women- and minority-owned businesses in the building of the new stadium.

“The New Stadium Inclusion Task Force has served its purpose and is now adjourned,” Erie County Legislator Chair April Baskin said in a statement. “I want to thank all members of the task force for their hard work and dedication to getting us to this point. The Community Benefits Oversight Committee, which had its first meeting (Monday), in connection with Development by Jem, will now oversee the agreement. I intend to remain engaged to ensure the actual outcomes of this project includes as many locals as possible.”

The main difference in the two entities is that the Bills are represented with three appointees on the nine-person Community Benefits Oversight Committee, while the task force was composed of community business owners, associations and advocates for minority businesses reporting directly to the Legislature. It included representatives from the Buffalo Urban League, NAACP, Independent Contractors Guild of WNY and the Buffalo Black Chamber of Commerce.

The task force, which started meeting in…