Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance
Minutes of the Board of Directors – Work Session
Thursday, February 13, 2025
4:30 p.m. at the BWB Building, 201 West 3rd St. Jamestown, NY 14701 & via Zoom
Directors Present: Pierre Chagnon, Ellen Barnes, Don Emhardt, Martin Proctor, Paul (P.J.) Wendel, Jr., Jim Andrews, Janis Bowman, Jo Dee Johnson, Mike LaTone (Zoom)
Staff in Attendance: Randall Perry – Executive Director, Jay Young – Communications Coordinator
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I. Call to Order
D. Emhardt called the Board Meeting of the Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance (Alliance) to order at 4:30 PM. A quorum of 8 out of 9 Directors was present at the start of the meeting.
II. Approval of 1/16/2025 Board Meeting Minutes
E. Barnes made a motion to accept the minutes from the 1/16/25 Board Meeting. The motion was seconded by J. Andrews and was passed unanimously.
III. Financial Report
R. Perry indicated that the meeting packet includes an updated financial summary report for January. R. Perry noted that the only significant changes from the previous month were the movement of funds from checking to savings accounts. R. Perry indicated that he had met with representatives from M&T Bank, who indicated that they will be able to place Alliance funds in a sweep account in order to achieve full Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation coverage. R. Perry indicated that he is in the process of setting up this new account with M&T Bank.
J. Johnson asked about the status of programs that have been funded for the removal of invasive starry stonewort. J. Johnson indicated that the Chautauqua Lake Partnership is intending to apply for permits to test chemical treatment of the algae at two locations in 2025.
R. Perry indicated that at the 1/16/25 Board Meeting, the CLP 2024 Algaecides for Starry Stonewort grant was given a no-cost time extension allowing $5,135 in unexpended funds to be carried over for the same use in 2025.
J. Johnson indicated that in 2023 starry stonewort was detected at around 90 different locations in the lake, while in 2024 it was detected at around 46 locations. J. Johnson indicated she is interested in coordinating with Twan Leenders of the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy on the management of the invasive algae.
M. Proctor asked what might be the cause of the reduction in detections.
J. Bowman indicated that it can be difficult to know if the algae is growing in an established location, or if surveys are detecting fragments that have spread. J. Bowman indicated that in Ashville Bay, where there is a large amount of the algae, there are plans to perform dredging in 2025.
J. Johnson indicated that the populations of the algae at Ashville Bay and Prendergast Point have expanded from 2023 to 2024.
M. Proctor made a motion to accept the financial report as presented. The motion was seconded by P. Chagnon and was passed unanimously.
IV. Alliance Board of Directors 2025 Election Update
R. Perry indicated that the meeting packet includes a 2025 Board of Directors Election Overview. R. Perry indicated that the terms of M. Proctor, E. Barnes, J. Bowman, and M. LaTone will all expire in May 2025. R. Perry indicated that all Directors are eligible for re-election to another term. R. Perry indicated that M. Proctor’s seat is an appointment by the Chair of the Chautauqua County Legislature. R. Perry indicated that E. Barnes occupies a municipal seat. R. Perry indicated that J. Bowman and M. LaTone occupy at-large seats. R. Perry indicated that the Member nomination window will be open from Feb. 26, 2025 to May 1, 2025. R. Perry indicated that nomination information will be sent to all Alliance Members once the nomination window opens, and noted that incumbents must be re-nominated if they wish to pursue reelection. R. Perry indicated that Member voting is scheduled to occur between May 2, 2025 and May 8, 2025, and that election results will be finalized at the May 8, 2025 Annual Meeting at The Lawson Center in Bemus Point.
M. Proctor asked what the current number of Alliance Member organizations is.
R. Perry indicated that the current number of Members is in the low 20s, and that he could confirm the exact number after the meeting.
E. Barnes asked if all lakeside municipalities could nominate a candidate for the municipal seat if they so choose.
R. Perry indicated that all lakeside municipalities are currently Members, and can nominate candidates for that seat.
V. Committees Updates
R. Perry indicated that a Lake Management Committee meeting is scheduled for April.
VI. 2025 Alliance Consolidated Local Funding Program Update
R. Perry indicated that the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation has made a grant award to the Alliance for $266,666 as part of the 2025 Consolidated Local Funding Program.
E. Barnes made a motion accepting the grant and authorizing R. Perry to execute the 2025 grant agreement with the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation. The motion was seconded by J. Bowman and was passed unanimously.
P. Chagnon indicated that this grant award is for the same amount as 2024.
A discussion followed of the role of the local foundations in funding lake and watershed maintenance.
R. Perry indicated that the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation is expected to announce its 2025 grant award before the end of February. R. Perry thanked P. Chagnon for attending a meeting with CRCF staff.
P. Chagnon indicated that the meeting with CRCF was very productive. P. Chagnon indicated that the CRCF staff was very interested in a range of lake topics, including work being done by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and The Jefferson Project. P. Chagnon indicated that during that meeting he emphasized the important role that local funding plays in annual lake maintenance.
VII. 2024 Alliance Consolidated Local Funding Program
D. Emhardt indicated that he did not have any new information regarding the Chautauqua Lake Association’s 2024 request for additional funding.
The Board discussed some additional communications with CLA representatives and if there were any offers by CLA to supply the requested information or visit the Alliance Board to discuss.
VIII. Lake Management Consultant Update
P. Chagnon provided an update on the Alliance’s lake management consultant inquiry. P. Chagnon indicated that he, D. Emhardt, and R. Perry conducted virtual meetings with the four consulting firms discussed by the Board last month. P. Chagnon indicated that based on those discussions, he would recommend that the Board schedule follow-up meetings with two of the consultants.
J. Andrews asked if the cost of these services has been discussed yet.
P. Chagnon indicated that cost has not been directly discussed. P. Chagnon indicated that the conversations with all four consultants were very informative.
R. Perry indicated that he would coordinate the interview schedule with the consultants and the Board.
J. Bowman indicated she would be traveling abroad shortly, and asked if the interviews could be recorded for later viewing by the Board.
R. Perry indicated that should be possible if it is acceptable to the consultants.
IX. Other
R. Perry indicated that the Alliance’s next work session is scheduled for 3/13/25 at 4:30 p.m.
P. Wendel indicated that he had spoken with CLA representatives regarding the outstanding request for additional funding for operations in 2024. P. Wendel indicated that in those discussions, he reiterated that the Alliance Board is simply requesting additional financial information about how those funds were spent in 2024 before authorizing the request.
P. Chagnon indicated that the Board may want to consider the potential for overlap between what the lake consultant may be asked to do versus the Alliance’s Data Analysis and Research Committee.
P. Wendel indicated that he likes the idea of working with a larger consulting firm, rather than individuals. P. Wendel indicated that the Department of Environmental Conservation, The Jefferson Project, North Carolina State University, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are all expected to present at the March 22 Lake Symposium, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel in Celoron. P. Wendel indicated that he recently spoke with Dr. Rob Richardson of NC State about his involvement in lake issues and interest in helping more if desired.
P. Chagnon indicated Dr. Richardson’s offer could factor into the discussions with potential lake consultants.
E. Barnes indicated that she recently had discussions with representatives of lakeside municipalities who were concerned about the change in the Alliance public meeting schedule. E. Barnes indicated that some Members may feel like they are not as involved in lake and watershed management with the reduced number of public meetings.
M. LaTone indicated that the Alliance could reach out to Member organizations for their input on the meeting schedule.
J. Johnson indicated that the Board could consider holding Member meetings on a more regular basis.
R. Perry indicated that he could send out some potential scenarios for new meeting schedules and formats for the Board to consider.
P. Wendel indicated that along these lines of discussion, the Board could also consider the Alliance mission statement and ways that the organization might evolve in the future.
X. Adjourn
P. Chagnon made a motion to adjourn the February 13, 2025 meeting at 5:43 PM. The motion was seconded by P. Wendel and was passed unanimously.
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The Alliance Board of Directors passed a motion to approve these 2/13/25 Meeting Minutes on 3/13/25.