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Planning committee approves appointments, environmental reviews and budget amendment
Summary
The Chautauqua County Planning and Economic Development Committee approved a series of resolutions on April 16, including multiple board appointments, SEQRA negative declarations, a CDBG application submission and a $150,000 budget amendment to fund waterway hazard removal.
The Chautauqua County Legislature Planning and Economic Development Committee on April 16 approved multiple resolutions, including board appointments, environmental determinations and a budget amendment to fund waterway hazard removal.
The committee confirmed Ted Whitman as a member of the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency (IDA) board and approved two appointments to the Chautauqua County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board, naming Richard Ushwak as an active farmer representative and Caitlin Wally Stoll to the Cornell Cooperative Extension seat. Mark Geiss, deputy county executive for economic development and CEO of the IDA, introduced Whitman, saying the nominee “has over 2 decades of experience in the industrial sector” and is “very knowledgeable.”
Lawmakers authorized submission of a 2025 Community Development Block Grant application to the New York State Office of Community Renewal for a project the applicant has named Tulip Brunch House; a public hearing will be held at next week’s legislative meeting. The committee also adopted SEQRA (State Environmental Quality Review Act) negative declarations for the North Chautauqua Lake Sewer District wastewater treatment plant expansion and for proposed additions to the 2025 agricultural district (six parcels). Members authorized sending the required materials to New York State Ag and Markets for the ag-district inclusion requests.
The committee approved an amendment to the 2025 budget to provide $150,000 for completion of waterway hazard removal on the Martin E. Cobb Waterway: $87,000 from ARPA interest earnings and $63,000 from a 3% occupancy tax reserve. Economic development staff and partners said the funds will allow the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy and county public facilities staff to finish the remaining roughly 17 miles of cleanup this summer.
Finally, the committee accepted determinations under SEQRA for the county’s submission of 18 snowmobile trails to the New York State Snowmobile Trail Grant-in-Aid program for the 2025–2026 season. County staff noted the county has just over 400 miles of groomed snowmobile trail and described the program as a meaningful economic driver for restaurants and lodging in the county during winter.
Votes on the routine items were taken by voice (“Aye”); no roll-call tallies were recorded in the transcript.
The committee’s approvals now move the matters to the full legislature or to state agencies as required for final action or funding review.
