Lakeside Park, Mayville

The Village of Mayville has been awarded $675,000 in state funds for improvements to Lakeside Park.

The funding is part of $16.4 million in Local Waterfront Revitalization Program monies awarded to 23 communities in New York State.

The funding will be used to design and construct improvements at Lakeside Park along Chautauqua Lake including Chautauqua Belle gateway enhancements, a new kayak and canoe launch; and a waterfront multi-use trail.

This project will implement the Chautauqua Lake Local Waterfront Revitalization Program goals to improve public access, expand recreational opportunities, and attract residents and visitors to downtown Mayville.

Chautauqua County also received $193,500 to will assist the coastal Towns of Hanover, Sheridan, Dunkirk, Pomfret, Portland, Westfield and Ripley, the Villages of Silver Creek and Westfield, and City of Dunkirk to prepare and adopt Local Waterfront Revitalization Programs (LWRPs) and supporting local regulations.

The LWRPs will promote the State’s coastal policies along Lake Erie and guide future economic development and preservation of natural and cultural resources, and expand public access along the shoreline.

The Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) provides grants to communities to develop a community-driven plan with a vision for their waterfront, guided by several environmental policies to ensure projects work in harmony with waterfront natural resources and ecosystems.

The meeting was the second information session held by the Chautauqua Lake Protection and Rehabilitation Agency and consulting firm, Barton & Loguidice, as part of Phase One of the process. The goal was to present options on how to form a district and what made the most sense based on input.

The CLPRA estimates that, based on historical spending by local agencies, it would take a minimal annual budget in excess of $3 million to maintain current in-lake and watershed initiatives. Funding from a Lake District would be funneled through the CLPRA to those agencies.

Barton and Loguidice’s Jayme Berschard said there are several ways to define boundaries of a lake district including near lake properties that have waterfront access or shoreline properties, “Then we have our watershed, based on the HUC boundaries, which is lot of what the Lake Watershed Management Plan would have drawn up are the watershed boundaries that contribute to some of the watershed for the lake basin and how water basically moves in a particular area. Another potential idea to draw a boundary is to possibly use the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program.”

Berschard said Chautauqua County is unique in that it has an almost regional version of a LWRP.

When it comes to funding mechanisms for the Lake District, Bershard presented possible options such as a Near Lake District Tax, a Watershed/Drainage Area District Tax, a User Impact fee, and a Boat User fee.
Based on polling done at the meeting and online, over 60% of attendees support long-term and sustainable funding for Chautauqua Lake.

When ranked, attendees preferred to see a hybrid model for funding a lake district, with a watershed tax district coming in second, and a watershed impact district coming in third. Many cited creating a county-wide tax district as part of the hybrid model.

Deputy County Executive of Economic Development Mark Geise said another public meeting is set to occur late this Fall, possibly in November, as part of Phase One of the study. He said Phase 2 is anticipated to start in 2023 and would involve fleshing out what model will be used for a district, what the fees will be, who will pay those fees, and where the money will be directed.

Attendees were directed to send any additional input on the Lake District to the project page, which can be found here: https://bartonloguidice.mysocialpinpoint.com/chautauqua-co-lake-fund

The suit contains a letter from October 2020 from the State DEC saying a permit hasn’t been granted as the request for the stage and attached docks is not consistent with the Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan, or LWRP, The letter said the area including the stage not being a water dependent structure, that the event will limit access to the waterfront because it’s a ticketed event, as well as limiting access to water-related activities.

The Chautauqua Lake concert series is currently scheduled to start this Saturday, July 10th.

The study is a 24-month planning effort focused on opportunities for economic development and community recreation along the Jamestown riverfront.

The City of Jamestown recently completed draft documents during the implementation of three NY State planning grants targeted at the Chadakoin River and the properties near the River. These grants include two Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) studies and a Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) study.

The purpose of the BOA studies are to advance the redevelopment of underutilized, abandoned, or contaminated commercial and industrial sites within two designated study areas, and the purpose of the LWRP is to provide a framework for the revitalization of Riverfront properties and to enhance connections between the River and other parts of the City.

To make the most effective and efficient use of the grant funds, the City elected to merge the separate studies into one project. As part of the planning project, the City has sought community input at various times during the project. Wednesday’s meeting will serve as the final meeting in this stage of the project. It will provide a brief overview of the project scope and results of various analyses, and discuss the proposed redevelopment plans that resulted from these efforts. The public will be given an opportunity to comment on the plans during the meeting.

The meeting will be conducted by LaBella Associates, P.C. in conjunction with the Jamestown Urban Renewal Agency and the City of Jamestown Waterfront Advisory Committee. The effort builds upon existing plans, including the City’s Urban Design Plan.

Completion of the additional planning efforts will help the City, as well as businesses and property owners in the area, with obtaining grants and financial incentives for riverfront redevelopment.