Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance

Chautauqua NY

You are here: Home / Minutes / 2021 / January 2021 Minutes

January 2021 Minutes

By

Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance

Minutes of the Board of Directors – Public Meeting

Thursday, January 14, 2021

4:30 p.m. via ZOOM

Directors Present: Pierre Chagnon, Ted McCague, Mike Jabot, Bruce Erickson, Jim Andrews, David Shepherd, Rob Yates, and Paul (P.J.) Wendel, Jr.

Absent: Mike Latone

Staff in Attendance: Randall Perry – Alliance Executive Director and Taylor West – Alliance Project Manager.

Others in Attendance: Tory Irgang – Chautauqua Region Community Foundation (CRCF); Linda Swanson – Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation; Cassandra Pinkoski – Chautauqua County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD); Marla Connelly – New York State Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation Allegany Region (NYS OPRHP), Amy Gardner, David Groth, and Jim Wehrfritz.

Member Representatives in Attendance: Whitney Gleason, John Jablonski III, and Rebecca Nystrom – Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy (CWC); Dr. Jim Cirbus – Chautauqua Lake Partnership (CLP); Steve Hayes – Town of Ellery; Don Emhardt – Town of Chautauqua; Bill Ward and Dave McCoy – County of Chautauqua; Pat McLaughlin – Town of Ellicott; Doug Brown – Town of Busti; and Doug Conroe and Debbie Moore – Chautauqua Lake Association (CLA).

I. Call to Order

P. Chagnon called the Board Meeting of the Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance (Alliance) to order at 4:31 PM. A quorum of 8 out of 9 Alliance Board Members were present at the start of the meeting.

II. Approval of 12/10/2020 Minutes

D. Shepherd made a motion to accept the minutes from the 12/10/2020 Work Session Board Meeting. The motion was seconded by B. Erickson and was approved unanimously.

III. Projects Update

T. West gave a summary of the following Alliance Projects to the group.

  • 2015 County Round 12 Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) Grants – Streambank Stabilizations:
    • Dutch Hollow Creek & West Dutch Hollow Creek:
      • Phase I construction complete at Dutch Hollow Creek Main Stem (2018)
      • Phase I construction complete at West Dutch Hollow Creek (2018-2019)
      • Design & permitting work by Bergmann is underway at nearby section of Dutch Hollow Creek (Phase II); design/permitting ca. Summer 2020 to Spring 2021; and construction ca. Summer 2021
      • Submission of Joint Permit Application to NYS DEC and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed (ca. late 2020)
      • Quarterly reporting to New York State underway
  • 2017 Celoron Park Improvement Phase IV Design & Construction, Amenities Building (NYSDOS LWRP)
    • Construction complete; Final Grant Close-out in progress;L. Olson (General Contractor) & LaBella (Architect/Engineer)
  • 2018-2020 Invasive Species Early Detection – Volunteer Task Force
    • Water Chestnut (>100 plants) found/removed in Chautauqua Lake Outlet in July-August 2020
      • Collaborative efforts among RTPI, ACNC, CWC, Alliance, and Volunteers – thank you to all who participated.
    • Contact RTPI (Jonathan Townsend) and/or Alliance (Taylor West) to get involved for 2021
    • To help observe/report on your own, please sign up for iMapInvasives: www.imapinvasives.org/
  • 2018 Lakewood Chautauqua Avenue Green Street Retrofit (NYSEFC GIGP)
    • Village issued Invitation for Bids on 10/8/20; bid opening was conducted on 11/10/20
    • Village awarded the construction bid to Kingsview Enterprises (Lakewood NY)
    • Engineering/inspection by Barton & Loguidice; and in-kind work by Village DPW; Construction tentatively scheduled ca. Winter to Summer 2021
    • Quarterly reporting to New York State underway
  • 2018 Busti Precision Swales Stabilization (NYSDEC WQIP)
    • Construction underway by Rock of WNY (EcoStrategies engineering/inspection & Town Highway performing in-kind work); construction planned from Fall 2020 to ca. Spring/Summer 2021
    • Quarterly reporting to New York State underway
  • 2018 Skimming Capital Equipment (NYSDEC WQIP)
    • County bid awarded to Alpha Boats; order fulfillment underway with significant COVID-19 delays (tentative delivery ca. April 2021)
    • Quarterly reporting to New York State underway
  • List of Alliance-partnered NYS grants that have been closed out:
    • 2015 NYS Invasive Species Management Grant (C. Young Senate Initiative), closed ca. Apr 2019
    • 2016 Lakewood-Busti Stormwater Mgmt. Engineering Study (DEC/EFC EPG), closed ca. Jan 2019
    • 2013 Celoron Breakwall & Boardwalk LWRP Phase I Grant, closed ca. Sep 2018
    • 2016 Celoron Breakwall & Boardwalk LWRP Phase II-III Grant, closed ca. Aug 2019
    • 2017 Mayville-Chautauqua Stormwater Mgmt. Engineering Study (DEC/EFC EPG), closed ca. Feb 2020
    • 2015 County Round 12 WQIP Streambank Stabilization Projects at Ball, Bemus, Goose, and Prendergast Creeks, closed ca. Oct 2020

J. Jablonski asked if the Alliance would be inspecting the work performed by the contractor on the Busti Swales Stabilization Project and made comments regarding one of the stabilization sites.

T. West indicated that the project engineer, EcoStrategies, is performing construction inspection services.

R. Perry asked J. Jablonski to send the Alliance an email describing his questions or concerns.

 IV. Alliance Committees Update

a.) Alliance Lake Management Committee Update

R. Perry indicated that Alliance staff anticipate reaching out to members of the Committee to schedule a meeting in early February to review 2021 plans and help coordinate lake management efforts.

b.) Alliance Watershed Management Committee Update

R. Perry indicated that the Committee has not met recently as the majority of the CFA opportunities have not yet been opened up by the State.

c.) Alliance Data Analysis and Research (DAR) Committee Update

R. Perry indicated that the Alliance DAR Committee has been very active lately and asked M. Jabot if he would like to provide the group with a quick update.

M. Jabot indicated that the Committee has been working through a process to draft a scientific summary format to help communicate data to the Alliance and/or general public.

V. 2021 Alliance Consolidated Foundation Grant Request Update

R. Perry indicated that the Alliance staff presented a summary of the request, which totaled $690,000 in November 2020. R. Perry indicated that this request was submitted to The Lenna Foundation, the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation, and the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation (CRCF). R. Perry indicated that he is pleased to report that the Alliance has received a total of $530,000 out of the $690,000 request so far. R. Perry indicated that the Alliance hopes to have an update regarding the status of the total request at the end of January once they hear from CRCF. R. Perry indicated that the Alliance would begin taking the next steps in the funding award process once the full funding amount is known. R. Perry indicated that the Alliance is excited by the progress achieved so far and thanked the Alliance members for submitting their projects through this local grant opportunity.

P. Chagnon thanked The Lenna Foundation and the Sheldon Foundation for their generosity and indicated that the Alliance is looking forward to hearing from CRCF.

VI. NYSEFC/NYSDEC Green Innovation Grant Program & Engineering Planning Grant Opportunity

R. Perry indicated that NYS sent out a press release in late December 2020 indicating that the State is opening up a subset of funding opportunities through their Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) process, which are specific to the Environmental Facilities Corporation’s (EFC) Green Innovation Grant Program (GIGP) and the EFC & Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Engineering Planning Grant Program (EPG). R. Perry indicated that the Alliance identified an opportunity with the County of Chautauqua to resubmit the County Complex Green Infrastructure Retrofit Project, which would allow the County to use their existing plan to upgrade their parking lots at the County Complex in Mayville with green infrastructure in order to use local funding to leverage additional NYS funding. R. Perry indicated that the Alliance is working with the County to submit the grant application by the February 12, 2021 deadline. R. Perry indicated that the Alliance contacted the North Chautauqua Lake Sewer District (NCLSD) about submitting a grant for another inflow and infiltration (I&I) study. R. Perry indicated that based on his conversations with NCLSD, they were not interested in submitting a grant for an I&I study at this time.

R. Perry indicated that the Village of Lakewood’s Grandview Stormwater Project and the Town of North Harmony’s Ball Creek Stabilization Project would likely not be eligible through these grant opportunities. R. Perry indicated that the Alliance anticipates submitting grants for these projects once other State grant categories open up.

VII. The Jefferson Project at Chautauqua Lake Update

R. Perry indicated that a pair of vertical profilers were installed by The Jefferson Project in Chautauqua Lake from late-August until mid-November 2020 and were removed from the lake safely and securely by The Jefferson Project and their subcontractor, Stantec, working on behalf of the Alliance. R. Perry indicated that these vertical profilers logged information about a variety of water quality parameters including current, temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll-a, and chloride. R. Perry indicated that the vertical profilers also collected various types of weather-related data. R. Perry indicated that The Jefferson Project also deployed a field crew at bi-weekly intervals, which collected water quality samples from approximately early September until mid-October. R. Perry indicated that the team is currently compiling data and indicated that the Alliance is looking forward to sharing some of the initial 2020 data in the future. R. Perry indicated that the Alliance is happy with the work performed in 2020 and is looking forward to 2021. R. Perry indicated that the Alliance is in the process of coordinating a scope of work and budget proposal with The Jefferson Project for 2021 and will have more details soon.

R. Perry indicated that Lake George experienced their first documented harmful algal bloom (HAB) in November 2020, which triggered an all hands on deck approach and has slowed some of the Chautauqua Lake coordination efforts.

P. Chagnon indicated that the occurrence of a HAB on Lake George was alarming to those who have been studying the lake as it is often considered to be among the state’s cleanest and smartest. P. Chagnon indicated that they are interested in how Chautauqua Lake could help inform their efforts in Lake George.

B. Nystrom asked about how The Jefferson Project’s 2020 efforts in Chautauqua Lake were funded.

P. Chagnon indicated that the Alliance contributed some funding towards their work in 2020. P. Chagnon indicated that private donations contributed the balance. P. Chagnon indicated that The Jefferson Project contributed about $1,000,000 in in-kind services towards the 2020 program including state-of-the-art equipment deployed on the Lake. This work is not only valuable to Chautauqua Lake stakeholders, but it is also valuable regarding the future of Lake George as well as the other lakes that they work with.

R. Perry indicated that Chautauqua Institution also donated a significant amount in terms of lodging and logistical support for the 2020 Jefferson Project initiatives and thanked the Chautauqua Institution for their continued support and collaboration.

P. Chagnon indicated that the potential 2021 scope of work is still being developed.

VIII. Other

B. Erickson asked if P. Chagnon had any indication about potential 2021 funding from the County or other local governments.

P. Chagnon indicated that the County’s 2021 budget is set, and the contributions to the Alliance by the County have been set at $290,000. P. Chagnon indicated that the future occupancy tax revenues may impact the actual funding available through the County.

J. Wehrfritz asked if The Jefferson Project’s future funding would compete with the other projects that are being funded by the local Foundations.

P. Chagnon indicated that The Jefferson Project’s work plan and budget are still being finalized for 2021. P. Chagnon indicated that the availability of funds locally is very small compared to what The Jefferson Project contributed to Chautauqua Lake in 2020.

J. Wehrfritz asked if they would have to prepare applications or compete in the technical scoring process.

P. Chagnon indicated that this will be determined at a later date.

B. Erickson indicated that the Alliance has been advertising a position opening within the organization and suggested that the Alliance Board table the hiring of an additional employee until a later date citing uncertainty around the availability of State grant funding.

P. Chagnon indicated that the advertisement for the position is still open and that no decision has been made regarding the hiring of an additional staff member. P. Chagnon indicated that this decision would be discussed by the Board after the closeout of the application period.

B. Nystrom asked if the Alliance could report on their resource allocations towards in-lake, watershed, and monitoring projects since the 5-Year Strategy was published.

P. Chagnon indicated that the staff has been looking at the data and will be reporting on this in the near future. P. Chagnon thanked R. Perry for initiating the evaluation process.

IX. Open Floor: Member Representatives and Community Members in Attendance

W. Gleason indicated that the CWC completed their Alliance grant last month and indicated that they consulted with over 100 landowners through their LakeScapes program in 2020. W. Gleason indicated that the CWC had over 1,500 sign-ins at their preserves. W. Gleason indicated that they have completed a Chautauqua Lake Stormwater Toolkit, which was funded by the County and would be provided to the Towns and Villages within the Chautauqua Lake watershed as well as local Code Enforcement Officers and Clerks. W. Gleason indicated that they would be happy to distribute this toolkit to anyone who is interested in it.

P. McLaughlin expressed a concern regarding potential scoring variations by reviewers in local grant scoring process.

P. Chagnon indicated that the Alliance is thinking about ways to further improve and enhance the process going forward based on discussions that R. Perry has been having with Alliance Members.

P. McLaughlin asked if this would be done prior to the 2021 local funding allocations.

P. Chagnon indicated that the applications that were submitted this year went into the evaluation process and were part of the request for funding to the Foundations. P. Chagnon indicated that two of the Foundations have already accepted those recommendations and have provided funding towards those recommendations. P. Chagnon indicated that the funding that has been committed thus far is based on the applications that were submitted to them. P. Chagnon indicated that he does not believe that the Alliance would be in a position to revise that process this year. However, P. Chagnon indicated that the Alliance is looking into improving and enhancing the process for next year.

J. Wehrfritz indicated that he was under the impression that the Foundation funding was unrestricted and could be reallocated as the Alliance saw fit. J. Wehrfritz indicated that the Towns of Ellicott and Ellery feel that there were issues with the scoring process this year and hope that the Alliance could evaluate this year’s process and adjust the funding based on their evaluation.

P. Chagnon indicated that he does not necessarily agree that there were major problems with the scoring process and indicated that there could be opportunities for improvement in the future to enhance the process. P. Chagnon indicated that his understanding about the Foundation funding provided to the Alliance is different from J. Wehrfritz’s understanding and indicated that the Alliance would clarify this with the Foundations.

P. McLaughlin asked that the Town of Ellicott and Ellery be provided an opportunity by the Alliance Board to present their thoughts on how their projects were scored.

P. Chagnon thanked P. McLaughlin for this thoughts and indicated that the Alliance would discuss this and see if it leads to a meeting.

J. Wehrfritz indicated that he would like the Alliance DAR Committee to meet with the Towns of Ellicott and Ellery regarding how the MCA Tool is used.

M. Jabot indicated that he has talked about having the Committee look at the scoring and indicated that it is important to maintain anonymity regarding the names of the scorers and the scores that they assigned to each project.

J. Cirbus asked if a Foundation representative could clarify whether the Foundation funding is earmarked for specific projects or not.

T. Irgang indicated that the Foundations each have their own governing Boards that make their own decisions and indicated that she is only speaking on behalf of the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation (CRCF). T. Irgang indicated that grant applications have to include a project budget that describes the projects the Alliance Board has prioritized for funding through their process. T. Irgang indicated that CRCF makes a grant decision based on their understanding of the budget as proposed, which includes the projects that the Alliance Board has prioritized for funding. T. Irgang indicated that the CRCF Board needs a budget on how the grant money would be spent in order to make its funding determination.

J. Cirbus indicated that he thought that the CRCF Board could decide not to fund a particular project if they disagreed with the prioritization of particular projects.

T. Irgang indicated that she would be happy to talk with J. Cirbus in a different setting regarding his question.

J. Cirbus indicated that he feels certain issues should be further clarified for members.

J. Cirbus, in response to a comment made by B. Nystrom under agenda item VIII, indicated that he feels that the allocations are pretty close to the recommendations of the 5-Year Strategy, which would incorporate State as well as local funding and asked R. Perry if he was going to look at both local and non-local forms of funding in his analysis.

R. Perry indicated that the analysis of funding allocations does go wider than just this local grant opportunity and attempts to capture as much as possible.

J. Wehrfritz asked if the South and Center Chautauqua Lake Sewer District (SCCLSD) was approached about applying for a grant for an I&I study.

R. Perry indicated that he approached NCLSD based on prior conversations with them on the last round of CFAs. R. Perry indicated that he would be happy to reach out to SCCLSD to see if there is anything that they would want to look at. R. Perry indicated that this round of funding is specific to 2020 and indicated that EFC expects a similar funding opportunity to be available in 2021.

P. Chagnon indicated that this opportunity arose just before Christmas with a very short period of time to get resolutions pulled together for the County’s grant application. The NCLSD I&I opportunity was explored because the grant framework was already put together from a previous grant opportunity discussed with NCLSD.

D. Moore asked if the Alliance was fitting the total budgets of each organization into the criteria within 5-Year Strategy.

P. Chagnon indicated that the 5-Year Strategy has recommended funding distribution percentages by year for in-lake, watershed, and monitoring categories. P. Chagnon indicated that the Alliance is looking at how past funding was distributed since the Strategy was developed, which is being analyzed and compiled by R. Perry.

X. Adjourn

B. Erickson made a motion to adjourn the January 14, 2021 Board meeting. The motion was seconded by T. McCague and was passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 5:19 PM.