The Jamestown Post-Journal is reporting that that the Town of Ellery won’t sign be signing the MOA presented by Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello last month. The unwillingness to sign the document is primarily due to it restricting herbicide treatment to only the southern basin of the lake during the next two years. A portion of the Town borders the northern basin of the lake and Ellery officials say residents may want to treat that area with herbicide if weeds get bad during the summer months.

Of the 16 agencies and municipalities that were requested to sign the MOA, Ellery is the only one that will not. Even the Chautauqua Lake Partnership, which voiced reservations earlier this month, eventually signed off on the document.

Borrello has already said that the MOA will not be altered or changed for at least the first two years it is in place. But he did say it could be changed in 2021 following a review by stakeholders and the county.

Ellery’s unwillingness to sign the MOA also jeopardizes their chances of receiving outside funding for lake management efforts they endorse. That’s because Borrello had said that organizations should sign off on the MOA if they wish to qualify for funding.

“Any funding from the county, and from many of the local foundations, for efforts dealing with in-lake projects will flow through the Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance. The executive board of the Alliance has preliminary agreed to only fund those organizations who participate in the Consensus Strategy by the signing the Memorandum of Understanding,” Borrello said during his State of the County Address in February.

The consensus strategy was developed through a collaboration of the County Executive’s Office, Chautauqua County Department of Planning & Development, representatives from the Chautauqua Lake & Watershed Management Alliance, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC), and the consulting firm, Ecology and Environment, Inc. (E&E).

A copy of the MOA, along with the 24 tenets, is available on the County Executive’s website.

Chautauqua Institution President Michael E. Hill poses on Thursday with Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello, moments after Hill signed the memorandum of agreement for the Chautauqua Lake Weed Management Consensus Strategy on the Institution’s behalf.

CHAUTAUQUA – Chautauqua Institution has signed on to the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the Chautauqua Lake Weed Management Consensus Strategy.

The MOA is a document that was finalized and put forward by Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello last week. It was unanimously approved by the Chautauqua County Legislature on the same day it was made public.  The document seeks to bring together lake stakeholders so they can more effectively work together to manage invasive aquatic plants, nuisance native vegetation, and hazardous algal blooms in the lake.

Chautauqua Institution President Michael Hill said the MOA represents a comprehensive and scientifically sound approach for Chautauqua Lake conservation.

“I proudly signed this memorandum on behalf of Chautauqua Institution because it represents the comprehensive and scientifically sound approach for Chautauqua Lake conservation that we’ve been advocating for many years,” Hill said. “We are hopeful that all other agencies and municipalities will join us in signing the MOA and supporting this incredibly important strategy. We thank County Executive Borrello for his resolute leadership on this crucial issue. While Chautauqua Lake faces many challenges, we’re confident that with an independently sourced, science-based comprehensive approach and the support and leadership of a consensus of stakeholders, we will save and preserve Chautauqua Lake as the source of so much of our livelihood in Chautauqua County.”

The consensus strategy was developed through a collaboration of the County Executive’s Office, Chautauqua County Department of Planning & Development, representatives from the Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC), and the consulting firm Ecology and Environment, Inc. (E&E). E&E, which is headquartered in Lancaster, New York, facilitated three meetings earlier this year, where it met with key lake stakeholders to discuss their most pressing issues and concerns surrounding the management of weeds and harmful algal blooms in Chautauqua Lake. These stakeholders included representatives from Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua Fishing Alliance, Chautauqua Lake Association, Chautauqua Lake Fishing Association, Chautauqua Lake Partnership, Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, Town of Busti, Town of Chautauqua, Town of Ellery, Town of Ellicott, Town of North Harmony, Village of Celoron, and Village of Lakewood. Other input, which was also considered in the development of the MOA, was communicated to the county executive during informal meetings and in written form.

As part of the information-gathering phase for the consensus strategy, Hill and Chautauqua Vice President of Campus Planning and Operations John Shedd accompanied Borrello and several other county officials and leaders on an October trip to Lake George, New York, to learn about a successful model for lake conservation. In just five years, Lake George stakeholders have united behind a consensus strategy that uses sound, validated science to spur decisions, greatly and demonstrably improving the health and water quality of a lake with challenges similar to Chautauqua Lake.

Last year Chautauqua Institution led an effort to sue the state, saying it didn’t follow proper procedure when approving an application to use herbicides in certain areas of the lake. That challenge took place in Erie County Supreme court and was dismissed near the end of December.
But the lawsuit was just one example of the infighting that has taken place in regards to lake Management and it lead to Borrello to call for a “cease fire” amongst the various stakeholders, via the consensus document.

The Institution is one of the first stakeholders to sign off on the MOA for the consensus. The deadline to sign on to the MOA is April 17.

Those that do not are in jeopardy of missing out on funding for projects they support to battle the weeds and algal blooms that have been occurring more frequently on the lake in recent years.

Pictured above from left to right: Mark Geise, Deputy County Executive for Economic Development; George Borrello, Chautauqua County Executive; Dave McCoy, County Watershed Coordinator; Pierre Chagnon, County Legislator and Chairman of the Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance; and Tom Heins, P.E., Principal of Ecology & Environment, Inc. (Image courtesy of the County Executive’s Office, Chautauqua County).

MAYVILLE – An effort to get all Chautauqua Lake stakeholders literally on the same page when it comes to managing invasive weeds and other nuisances has taken a major step forward.

On Wednesday morning Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello unveiled a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the Chautauqua Lake Weed Management Consensus Strategy.

According to Borrello, the MOA brings together lake agencies and organizations, as well as the municipalities located around Chautauqua Lake, so they can more effectively work together to manage invasive aquatic plants, nuisance native vegetation, and hazardous algal blooms on the lake while being considerate of man’s uses and the environment.

“There are many agencies and stakeholders around Chautauqua Lake that are committed to improving the quality and usability of the lake,” said Borrello. “The differences of opinion regarding how this should be done have resulted in a contentious environment where little forward progress can be made. This consensus strategy will help bring everyone together as we work toward our common goals of addressing and controlling the weeds in Chautauqua Lake while protecting its ecology.”

Borrello says the consensus strategy was developed through a collaboration of the County Executive’s Office, Chautauqua County Department of Planning & Development, representatives from the Chautauqua Lake & Watershed Management Alliance, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC), and the consulting firm, Ecology and Environment, Inc. (E&E).

“Working closely with E&E, we were able to identify essential issues and concerns of the primary stakeholders associated with weed management in Chautauqua Lake,” said Mark Geise, Deputy County Executive for Economic Development. “With this input, we identified key topics, as well as consensus positions for each of these themes, which are important to these stakeholders. These essentially became the 24 tenets of the strategy’s MOA, which will help guide future weed management initiatives.”

Borrello said the plan will involve all of Chautauqua Lake but will immediately address concerns in the lower end of the lake near the Burtis Bay area between Lakewood and Celoron. He said it will call for a multifaceted approach to dealing with the weed problem that has plagued that area of the lake the past few years.

“This is going to be the first opportunity for us to combine the use of herbicides along with creating some strategic buffer zones, essentially. Using the natural weeds that are there to trap  a lot of the fragments while having channels through those weeds to help with navigation. I believe that over the long-run we’ll be able to do this and use this as a model for other areas as well,” Borrello said during a Wednesday morning press conference.

Key lake stakeholders also offered input. They included the Chautauqua Fishing Alliance, Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua Lake Association, Chautauqua Lake Fishing Association, Chautauqua Lake Partnership, Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, Town of Busti, Town of Chautauqua, Town of Ellery, Town of Ellicott, Town of North Harmony, Village of Celoron, and Village of Lakewood.
The MOA was approved by the county legislature in an emergency resolution last night and other stakeholders are expected to sign off on it in the coming days.

A copy of the MOA, along with the 24 tenets, is available on the County Executive’s website.

The Chautauqua County IDA board and staff during the Jan. 23, 2018 IDA board meeting. The county IDA, along with the county Department of Planning and Economic Development, has been without a director since Kevin Sanvidge’s retirement in December 2017. IDA CFO Richard Dixon has served as acting director since that time. 

MAYVILLE – Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello will be announcing the new economic development strategy for Chautauqua County today at 1 p.m. in Room 331 on the third floor of the Gerace Office Building in Mayville.

This announcement will include the appointment of new leadership for the Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Economic Development (CCDPED) and the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA).

The county has been without an economic development director since Dec. 15 when former director Kevin Sanvidge retired from his post. Acting IDA Chief Financial Officer Richard Dixon was appointed as interim director and CEO for the county IDA since Dec. 21.

A centerpiece of the Governor’s strategy to jumpstart the economy and create jobs, the Regional Councils were established in 2011 to replace the state’s old top-down approach to economic development, with one that is community-based and performance-driven.

In Western New York, a total of 105 projects across Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, and Niagara Counties received $62 million. For Chautauqua County, 23 projects received a total of $4.78 million.

Local award recipients included:

• City of Jamestown receiving $1,480,000 for Tracy Plaza Green Renovations;
• National Comedy Center – $600,000 – for National Comedy Center Gap Funding, and another $234,000 for National Comedy Center Tourism Capital;
• Village of Celoron –  $354,220 – for Lucille Ball Memorial Park Improvements- Phase II Construction;
• Jamestown Renaissance Corporation – $111,297 – for Downtown Jamestown Winter Garden Plaza Phase II;
• Village of Lakewood – $100,000 – for Village of Lakewood, Town of Busti Stormwater Management Engineering Study;
• Chautauqua County Soil and Water Conservation District – $94,200 – for Chautauqua County Highway Erosion Control.
• $40,510 to Libera, Inc. for Employee Enhancement Project;
• $30,000 to Town of Ellicott for Collection System Study; and
• $16,945 to Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Economic Development for Marketing Chautauqua County’s Overland Trails.

County Executive Vince Horrigan said that a total of 50 projects in the county had submitted applications. He said the awards awards will go a long way to help keep Chautauqua County on the move, adding that together with the $10 million Downtown Revitalization award for the City of Jamestown, Chautauqua County is truly benefiting from Governor Cuomo’s Regional Economic Development Strategy.

For more information about the awards or the Regional Economic Development Councils, visit www.RegionalCouncils.ny.gov.

The 2015 Chautauqua County Ag Forum is a five-hour event scheduled to take place on Tuesday, November 17, starting at 10 a.m at the Cassadaga Legion.

The Ag Forum will give agricultural leaders from across the county an opportunity to network and learn more about succession planning, industry success stories, and what agri-businesses are doing to grow through innovation.

Participants will also have the opportunity to help shape the future of agriculture in Chautauqua County.

And the forum will also feature a keynote address entitled “Success in Succession Planning” and presented by Gary Snider, an agricultural consultant with over 35 years of experience with Cornell Cooperative Extension and Farm Credit East. There will also be panel discussions from industry leaders and innovators on various topics.

The event is hosted by the Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Economic Development, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County, and County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency.

The event is free but reservations are required. For more information call Cornell Cooperative Extension at (716) 664-9502 or visit www.cce.cornell.edu/chautauqua.

The county’s Department of Planning & Economic Development has announced the availability of housing and neighborhood revitalization funding to undertake innovative housing-related programs.

The program will provide a 25 percent match in the form of a grant, not to exceed $10,000 per project. The funding is open to organizations, municipalities and even individuals.

A broad range of programs are eligible for funding, including education programs that provide instruction in housing rehabilitation; property management initiatives; programs that aim at right-sizing the housing stock and returning high-demand properties to the tax roll; housing development initiatives for retirees; development, promotion and implementation of housing-related urban revitalization initiatives; and code enforcement compliance initiatives.

According to deputy director Mark Geise, the program is intended to increase investment in the county’s housing stock, target investment based on the strategic priorities of each community, and create a partnership with the private sector leading to additional opportunities for revitalization.

For application guidelines and additional information, call 716-661-8912.

The deadline for submission is August 7.

The program is entitled From Baby Boomers to Millennials: The Challenge and the Opportunity.

The County Planning Board, local educators, County, and local officials will gather together to hear Katie Geise, Executive Director of Chautauqua Works and John Slenker, Labor Analyst with the New York State Department of Labor, present on the generational shifts in employment that are taking place and how it is affecting Chautauqua County.

For more information on the event, contact the Chautauqua County Department of Planning & Economic Development at 716-661-8922.

Several officials from Westfield and Chautauqua County were on hand to welcome Coronado Stone, a California-based company, the region. Showing in the photo are: Vince Horrigan, Chautauqua County Executive; Kevin Sanvidge, CCIDA Administrative Director/CEO; Martha Bills, Supervisor, Town of Westfield; Dylan Mowry, Coronado Stone Lodi, CA Plant Manager; Mrs. Kathy Bacon and Mr. Mel Bacon, Owner and Founder, Coronado Stone Products; Aaron Resnick, Executive Director, Westfield Development Corporation; Diego Sirianni, Project Specialist, Empire State Development; John Hemmer, Chautauqua County Legislator; Geoff Turner, Coronado Stone Westfield Plant Manager; Robert Cochran, Deputy Mayor, Village of Westfield (tentative)

WESTFIELD – A California Company that specializes in producing stone and masonry products has selected Chautauqua County as the location to expand its operation.

According to a media release from the Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Economic Development, Coronado Stone Products has acquired the business assets of Crown Hill Stone, Inc., located at 59 Franklin Street and 28 E. Pearl Street in Westfield.

Coronado Stone was founded and is currently operated by Mel Bacon and is a leading manufacturer of stone veneer and thin brick products. As a Christian and a business owner, Bacon brings a second chance philosophy to his company, meaning that it partners closely with local parole and probation departments to offer entry level positions with the opportunity to move up in wages and responsibility, based on skills, work ethic, attendance and commitment. Company officials say the practice is rooted in Bacon’s Christian beliefs that everyone  has worked, with employee turnover remaining about normal and sales continuing to grow.

Conversion of the newly acquired Westfield property is already underway. The new plant will support the company’s expansion of sales into the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States, as well as Eastern Canada.

Shipment of products is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of this year. Company representatives project employment to grow from three to fifty employees by 2016.

The County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA) has been the lead on the project, coordinating state and local assistance in developing an incentive package to attract the company to Chautauqua County. Details of the incentives were not available.

The Village Casino in Bemus Point, on Chautauqua Lake, will be the location of a Chautauqua Lake Rally on Aug. 23, 2014. (Photo from Chautauqua County Government website)

BEMUS POINT  Residents wanting to get an update on the health and status of Chautauqua Lake will want to be in Bemus Point tomorrow morning.

The Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance will be holding a Chautauqua Lake Rally Saturday, Aug. 23 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Village Casino in Bemus Point.

According to county economic and planning officials, the event will include opening remarks from the County Executive Vince Horrigan and other local government leaders, exhibits and displays from numerous lake-based organizations, and presentations about the positive initiatives currently underway to address the health of Chautauqua Lake.

Presentations include:

• 10 a.m.– Mark Geise, Deputy Director of Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Economic Development; Randy Sweeney, Executive Director of the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation; and Linda Barber, President of the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy Board of Directors, will discuss the formation of the new Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance.
• 10:30 a.m. – Doug Conroe, President of Chautauqua Lake Association, will speak about the causes and impacts of algae on lake ecosystems.
• 11 a.m. – Michael Manning and Janelle Chagnon from O’Brien & Gere Engineering will discuss their work in preparing the Integrated Sewer Management Study.
• 11:30 a.m. – Geise and Chautauqua County Watershed Coordinator Dave McCoy will speak about the status of the Marcophyte Management Strategy currently being developed.

Representatives from the Chautauqua Lake Partnership, Chautauqua Lake Association, Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance, Chautauqua Lake Management Commission, Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy and others will also be available to answer any questions the public may have about the Lake.

The Chautauqua Lake Rally is co-sponsored by the Chautauqua Lake Partnership, Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau, Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, and the Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Economic Development. The rally is free and open to the public and a light breakfast will also be provided for attendees.

For more information regarding this event, please contact Chautauqua County Watershed Coordinator Dave McCoy at (716) 661-8915.