The Chautauqua County Planning Department said counties outside New York City are no longer required by the state to develop a new plan or revise and update a previously approved plan.

The shared services initiative generates property tax savings by enabling collaboration between local governments across the state.

County Executive PJ Wendel and the Department of Planning and Development will work with project partners and municipal leaders in 2023 to submit applications in order to receive match funding for savings achieved from the implementation of new shared services actions completed in 2022.

The County also will in 2023 reassess the 2021 Plan and decide if there are new projects that would be eligible for match funding based on the likelihood of the implementation of these projects taking place in 2024.

For more information on New York State’s County-Wide Shared Services Initiative, you can email County Planning Coordinator Rebecca Wurster at wursterr@chqgov.com.

Bird’s Eye View from Ellery Center
Photo Credit: Adam McAdoo

The Chautauqua County Energy Commission has released an Energy Reference Guide.

The guide was developed for the purpose of providing stakeholders with an overview of the current and ever-changing energy landscape and to provide easy access to reference information about clean energy.

It’s organized into seven categories of Outreach and Education; Legislation and State Goals; Resiliency and Sustainability; Resources for Residents; Business Development; Clean Energy Technology & Infrastructure; and Clean Energy Articles & Miscellaneous.

The Chautauqua County Energy Reference Guide is available on the County Planning Department‘s website at https://planningchautauqua.com/resources/chautauqua-county-energy-reference-guide/

For more information on the Reference Guide, contact Courtney Domst at (716) 336-3623.

EDITOR’S NOTE: As a point of transparency and disclosure to our audience, the CCIDA is a corporate underwriter for WRFA and has provided a financial contribution for the general operations of the station within the past year. Funding we receive for General Operations is not used to fund our coverage of local news in the community. That is only made possible through a Community Service Grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 

The meeting on the “Study of Funding Mechanisms for Chautauqua Lake Protection and Rehabilitation, Phase I” will take place at 5:00 p.m. in the Legislative Chambers (3rd floor) of the Gerace Office Building.

The County’s Chautauqua Lake Protection and Rehabilitation Agency estimates that, based on historical spending by agencies, it would take a minimal annual budget in excess of $3 million to maintain current in-lake and watershed initiatives.

The CLPRA hired engineering and planning architecture firm, Barton & Loguidice, to develop a study of funding mechanisms for a lake district.

A CLPRA survey completed in 2021 found 60% of survey takers support the formation of a Lake District.

While the meeting is in person and open to the public, it will also be streamed on the County’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ChautauquaCountyGovernment/.

Interested groups or organizations have until October 1, 2022 to submit applications.
The application link can be found at: https://bit.ly/CHQTourismGrants2023. Hard copies of the application are also available at the offices of the Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Development located at 201 West Third Street, Suite 115, in Jamestown, N.Y., during normal business hours.

The Tourism Product Development Grant Program is funded through the County’s 5% occupancy or “bed tax” for the rental of lodging units within the County. Three-fifths (3%) of the revenue that is generated from this tax is used to increase tourism, conventions, trade shows, special events, and other directly related or supporting activities including businesses in the county. The two-fifths (2%) occupancy tax is utilized solely for the enhancement and protection of lakes and streams in Chautauqua County. A portion of the 3% occupancy tax is intended to provide grants for projects that will achieve and/or support special tourism product and event development initiatives.

After tourism declined in 2020 due to pandemic restrictions, the 2021 occupancy tax revenues exceeded expectations by nearly 40% with revenues exceeding budget by more than $500,000. Revenues exceeded 2019 levels, before the pandemic, by 5.4%.

According to recent travel industry studies, in addition to eco-tourism, wellness activities or wellness-centric travel was a priority. Wellness can be immersive cultural experiences, mental, physical, or spiritual growth such as lifelong learning opportunities, reunions of families and friends, and food and beverage experiences.

Those applying for funding should have programs and initiatives that help create destination awareness of Chautauqua County as a place to visit and/or improve the likelihood of repeat visits to the area. A key concern for the future of Chautauqua County’s tourism industry is to create and promote products and experiences that will attract more visitors, particularly for overnight visits and in the pre- and post-summer seasons.

Grant funds are not intended for facility maintenance or long-term operational costs.

Applications for the 3% Tourism Product Development Grant Program may be submitted by various groups and organizations, including: not-for-profits, governments, businesses/corporations, public or private schools, and all landowners of Chautauqua County.

For more information, please contact Nate Aldrich at (716) 363-3672 or aldrichn@chqgov.com.

Overland Trail in Chautauqua County

The Chautauqua Region Economic Development Corporation has received a grant to work on ways of bringing trail groups together.

The $25,000 grant from the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation will explore the feasibility of establishing a “Friends of Chautauqua County Greenways Group.” This effort will bring together various trails organizations and determine how best they can work together as a Friends group to provide mutual support and seek funding together.

Chautauqua County has also set aside $250,000 in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act for trail maintenance and upgrades. The County plans to purchase new trail maintenance equipment to improve efficiency, and repair bridges on the Overland Trails, among other projects. Funding was also allocated for various trail projects, including major improvements to the Westside Overland Trail in Chautauqua Gorge and Mount Pleasant State Forests, the installation of trailhead kiosks on the Overland Trails and the Chautauqua Rails-to-Trails, new trail signs on the Overland Trails, and trail maintenance projects on the Chautauqua Rails-to-Trails.

County Parks Commission member Jacob Bodway said the promise of a comprehensive “Friends Group” will help break down the silos that have made it difficult for communication and county-wide planning, “The ‘Friends Group’ will help get everyone on the same page and will enable us to seek larger grant dollars for future trail projects. This moment represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to upgrade and expand the county’s greenspaces and to market the county as a regional leader in outdoor recreation.”

The County Planning Department has also been working in partnership with the Town of Westfield to develop the Welch Trail, which will connect downtown Westfield to Chautauqua Creek via a mile-long loop trail. The project, funded through a grant from the New York State Office of Parks and Historic Preservation, is expected to be completed this spring. The Department has also been working to secure easements for a portion of trail that would connect Barcelona Harbor to the Chautauqua Institution, with additional funding from OPRHP.

For more information on Chautauqua County’s ongoing trail development projects and access to the County Greenway Plan, visit planningchautauqua.com/planning/trails/.

Applications may be submitted by not-for-profit organizations, governmental units, businesses, corporations, public and private schools, and private landowners.

Successful projects funded through this program may include but are not limited to streambank/shoreline/ditch stabilization, sediment retention basins, watergardens, buffer strips, and habitat improvement projects.

Applications and instructions are available on the County’s website at www.co.chautauqua.ny.us and navigate to Legislature and click on “Occupancy Tax”; or by going to the County Planning website at www.planningchautauqua.com and navigate to the watershed management link and clicking on “2 percent Bed Tax Grants.”

For more information or assistance with the application process, contact the Chautauqua County Planning Department at 661-8900.

Completed applications are due by 4:00 pm June 15, 2013 at the following address: