South and Center Chautauqua Lake Sewer District Director Tom Walsh addresses Public Facilities Committee (June 13, 2022)

The expansion of the South Chautauqua Lake Sewer District to include the rest of the west side of Chautauqua Lake has cleared the County Legislature’s Public Facilities committee.

The Committee reviewed three resolutions related to bonding for $24 million for the project, establishing a capital account for construction, and establishing the new district boundaries.

South and Center Chautauqua Lake Sewer District Director Tom Walsh, speaking to the committee, said the Phase 2 extension is a build-on to the Phase One extension that is currently being built between Ashville and Stow, “Phase 2 will approximately offer municipal sewer for over 500 parcels for 350 developed properties. By extending the district and offering sewer to the west Phase 2 customers, this will complete the sewer extension and provide sewer service to the entire west side of Chautauqua Lake itself.”

Walsh said Phase 1 construction is currently on schedule and on budget.

Edwards said that Derelict structures are an eyesore for our communities and create safety hazards for our residents and deter economic development in our communities.  By amending the County’s Shared Services Agreement, he said the county government will work together with municipalities to make our County a better place and remove these derelict homes and buildings from our county.

According to the resolution, the proposed amendments to the County-Wide Public Facilities Shared Services Agreement would:

• Waive Landfill Tipping Fees for construction and demolition waste by giving each participating town, village, and city annual credits for tipping fees.
• Allow the County to join in municipalities’ enforcement of building codes, zoning ordinances, and derelict structure laws.
• Assist local governments in obtaining titles through tax foreclosures to advance their funding awards and use the County Land Bank to help with the potential resale or redevelopment of project properties.
• Enable the County to provide project assistance where possible, and provide letters of support to assist individuals or groups with their grant applications and funding requests.

The resolution will be reviewed by the Public Facilities Committee on Monday, December 10th at 4 p.m. in room 331 of the Gerace Office Building in Mayville.

The Public Facilities Committee will meet at 4 p.m. in the Gerace Office Building and will review several pieces of legislation, including agreements with Chautauqua County Soil and Water Conservation District for timber sale services. The panel will also receive an update from the county’s Airport Task Force.

At 5:30 p.m., the legislature’s Administrative Services Committee will meet. Among the items to be reviewed is a resolution establishing summer hours for county employees, as well as a motion – sponsored by George Borrello (R-Irving) – declaring Friday, May 25 as “Mayday for Mandate Relief” Day. The motion is aimed at raising awareness in Albany that decisions made at the state-level have a direct impact on the property tax levy and local community services in Chautauqua County.

Both meetings are open to the public.