Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance
Minutes of the Board of Directors – Work Session
Thursday, February 12, 2026
4:30 p.m. at 201 West 3rd St. Jamestown, NY 14701 & via Zoom
Directors Present: Don Emhardt, Martin Proctor, Jim Andrews, Pierre Chagnon, Andy Goodell, Larry Anderson, Paul Wendel Jr., Mike LaTone (Zoom), Mike Moss (Zoom), Rick Syper (Zoom), Twan Leenders, Whitney Gleason, Heather Nolan-Caskey, Rob Yates, Bruce Erickson, Janet Bowman, Ellen Barnes, David Chertoff.
Directors Absent: None
Staff in Attendance: Randall Perry – Alliance Executive Director and Jay Young – Alliance Communications Coordinator
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I. Call to Order
R. Perry called the Board Meeting of the Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance (Alliance) to order at 4:30 PM. A quorum of 18 out of 18 Alliance Board Members were present at the start of the meeting.
II. Seating of the Board of Directors.
R. Perry welcomed the incoming directors and indicated that all have completed their orientation and paperwork necessary to be seated, including the Acknowledgment Form and Conflict of Interest Form. R. Perry thanked the new and returning directors. R. Perry indicated that the Board seating process is complete.
III. Election of Officers
The Board discussed the process for electing officers and the roles of officers. R. Perry indicated that there are currently vacancies for Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary, positions with one-year terms. R. Perry thanked the former officers for their service.
L. Anderson made a motion to select P. Chagnon as Chair. The motion was seconded by D. Emhardt and was passed unanimously.
M. Proctor made a motion to select M. LaTone as Vice Chair. The motion was seconded by P. Wendel and was passed unanimously.
L. Anderson made a motion to select E. Barnes as Secretary. The motion was seconded by R. Yates and was passed unanimously.
D. Emhardt made a motion to select J. Andrews as Treasurer. The motion was seconded by L. Anderson and was passed unanimously.
P. Wendel inquired about the possibility of creating a new Board position, such as parliamentarian or legal advisor, for A. Goodell given his expertise and prior experience.
A. Goodell indicated he would be willing to help the Board as needed but did not think a formal role is necessary.
IV. Approval of the 1/8/2026 Board Meeting Minutes
B. Erickson made a motion to accept the minutes from the 1/8/2026 Work Session Meeting. The motion was seconded by J. Andrews and was approved unanimously.
V. Financial Update
R. Perry indicated that the meeting packet includes an updated financial summary report for January along with the unaudited Balance Sheet and Profit & Loss Statement through the end of 2025. R. Perry indicated that there was no grant activity in January, and the month included some annual expenses paid at the start of the year such as rent and insurance but that all expenses were within the approved budget.
M. Proctor made a motion to accept the financial update as presented. The motion was seconded by J. Andrews and was passed unanimously.
VI. Lake Management Consultant Update —Discussion with AJ Reyes, GEI Consultants
R. Perry introduced the Alliance’s lake management consultant, AJ Reyes from GEI Consultants, who joined the Board by Zoom to discuss a brief wrap-up of GEI’s 2025 deliverables, an update on the navigation lane coordination work, and GEI’s proposed scope and fee for 2026.
R. Perry provided an overview of the GEI deliverables for 2025 and indicated that any questions today would be incorporated into the final versions. No questions arose from the Board.
A. Reyes provided an overview of the ongoing navigation lane coordination work. A. Reyes suggested that lines of communication among Members remain open regarding the overall lane-based approach but that further detailed discussion should wait until DEC responds to the Chautauqua Lake Partnership’s permit applications.
M. LaTone indicated that A. Reyes did a good job describing the situation and that the CLP is still waiting to hear from DEC.
Discussion followed including the types of products proposed by CLP for use in 2026; elodea’s role in 2025 nuisance conditions; chemical options for managing elodea; broad spectrum versus species specific products; proposed locations of commercial/navigation zones; and the need to secure permits early in order to effectively respond to emerging conditions later in the season.
R. Perry and A. Reyes provided an overview of the proposed 2026 scope and fee for GEI.
R. Perry indicated that the proposal stays within the approved Alliance operations budget for 2026 and begins to address all five high priority recommendations from GEI’s 2025 year-end summary, plus at least two medium priority recommendations.
A. Reyes outlined the tasks planned for 2026, for a proposed fee of $82,070, including: (i) data analysis to evaluate long-term effectiveness of management actions; (ii) establishment of a starry stonewort Technical Advisory Group and development of a management plan; (iii) consulting related to service provider meetings and management action support, board funding and management strategy advisement, and other tasks; (iv) spring and summer lake reconnaissance visits; (v) advisement at periodic Alliance Board meetings; and (vi) year-end summary and recommendations.
Discussion followed including the value of GEI’s direction for the Board in 2025 and plan to be more action oriented in 2026; goals of using GEI’s advisement to strengthen local capabilities in the long-term; importance of local coordination among Members; availability and utility of existing data to investigate priority questions; DEC feedback on topics to be addressed by GEI; effect of planning and monitoring costs on management budgets; effect of monitoring and coordination on management decision making; weather impacts on lake conditions and management; general concepts of lake uses and health; importance of public sewers for water quality; potential for integration of HAB research; potential roles of Artificial Intelligence; local financial indicators around the lake; and GEI’s invoicing schedule.
After discussion, D. Emhardt made a motion to approve the GEI proposal for professional consulting services related to lake management in 2026 with a total fee of $82,070. The motion was seconded by B. Erickson and was passed unanimously.
VII. Alliance Consolidated Local Funding Program
R. Perry indicated that grant award announcements from both the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation and the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation are expected in the next few weeks.
A. Goodell asked if the Alliance receives additional revenues from other sources.
R. Perry indicated that the Alliance generally receives revenue from Membership dues, fees earned for work on state grant projects, Chautauqua County grants, and local charitable foundations grants. R. Perry indicated that donations are not solicited but are accepted if offered, usually at a nominal amount each year. R. Perry indicated that the Alliance does not fundraise in order to avoid competing with its Members.
A. Goodell inquired about other possible sources for raising funds.
R. Perry indicated that starting a fundraising program would be a deviation from current practices.
P. Chagnon indicated that the Alliance does not typically apply for state grants itself, but often assists Members with securing and administering state grants.
R. Perry summarized for the Board a request and supporting documentation received from the Chautauqua Lake Association for additional funding of $8,983. R. Perry indicated that this request is for starry stonewort management assistance performed by the CLA in 2025.
R. Yates indicted that the starry stonewort management would not have been possible without the work done by CLA and use of their equipment.
A. Goodell made a motion to award $8,983 to the CLA to fund 2025 starry stonewort management work. The motion was seconded by T. Leenders and was passed unanimously with abstentions by H. Nolan-Caskey, D. Emhardt, and B. Erickson.
VIII. Board Meeting Schedule and Format Discussion
P. Chagnon provided an overview of the current and past practices related to Board meeting format; the May Member Meeting stipulated in the Alliance By-Laws; and the requirements that apply to the Alliance as a 501c3 non-profit organization.
Board discussion followed that included the practices of other non-profit organizations; level of public and media interest in Alliance Board activities; factors influencing changes to the meeting format in the past; opportunities to increase public access and awareness; outreach by individual Members; capacity for and objectives of expanded outreach and its frequency and timing; and trade-offs between work sessions and public meetings.
P. Chagnon suggested that the Alliance staff develop for next month an overview of existing and planned outreach and communication mechanisms for the Alliance. P. Chagnon suggested the Board defer further discussion about the meeting format until considering the staff’s plan in March.
IX. Other
R. Perry indicated that the Town of Chautauqua has secured two NYDEC Water Quality Improvement Project program grants to replace two aging culverts.
D. Emhardt thanked Alliance staff for their assistance in securing those grants.
P. Wendel indicated that the Chautauqua County Lake Symposium will be held on 3/21/26 at the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel, and that expected presenters include North Carolina State University, GEI Consultants, NYSDEC, and The Jefferson Project, with others possible.
P. Chagnon indicated that the South & Center Sewer Districts have secured funding for Phase 3 of the sewer extension from Midway State Park towards Point Chautauqua. P. Chagnon indicated that this phase would complete public sewers around the perimeter of the lake.
P. Chagnon indicated that he had discussions with a local newspaper reporter about the Alliance, but it appeared nothing has been written yet. P. Chagnon provided several highlights based on his review of the Alliance’s Articles of Incorporation.
X. Adjourn
B. Erickson made a motion to adjourn the February 12, 2026 meeting. The motion was seconded by P. Wendel and was passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 6:27 PM.
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The Alliance Board of Directors passed a motion to approve these 2/12/26 Meeting Minutes on 3/12/26.