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County allocates $150,000 to finish Martin E. Cobb Waterway cleanup
Summary
The county amended its 2025 budget to provide $150,000—$87,000 from ARPA interest earnings and $63,000 from an occupancy tax reserve—to complete the remaining roughly 17 miles of hazard removal on the Martin E. Cobb Waterway this summer.
Chautauqua County’s Planning and Economic Development Committee on April 16 approved a $150,000 budget amendment to complete hazard removal on the Martin E. Cobb Waterway.
The committee voted to use $87,000 from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) interest earnings and $63,000 from the 3% occupancy tax reserve to fund the work, which county staff said will allow the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy and Department of Public Facilities (DPF) Parks to clear remaining logs, beaver dams and other obstructions.
Nate Aldrich, economic development coordinator, told the committee the county previously allocated $105,000 of ARPA and $100,000 of occupancy-tax reserve for earlier phase work; that work cleared about half of the waterway’s 35.5 miles and the conservancy now needs an additional roughly $150,000 to finish the remaining 17 miles. Aldrich said the work is difficult and costly because of limited access and the need for specialized equipment. “CWC is confident they can complete it this year,” he said.
Legislators pressed staff for clarity on how the transfer appears in budget documents. Committee members were told the $87,000 ARPA portion flows through an interfund transfer while the $63,000 from fund balance (occupancy tax reserve) appears differently in the accounting entries; staff said the differing presentation explains why some budget lines may look unbalanced on paper but do not increase total county appropriations beyond the approved project amount.
Supporters said the cleanup will restore recreational access and reduce safety risks on a county waterway that staff described as “dangerous” and largely unnavigable in recent years. County officials also said the work feeds a broader plan that may include kayak launches, parking improvements and wayfinding signage to support tourism.
The committee approved the amendment by voice vote; implementation will be overseen by DPF in coordination with the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, which has been undertaking the work.
