Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance
Minutes of the Board of Directors – Work Session
Thursday, March 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, JoDee Johnson (Zoom), 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 4:32 PM. A quorum of 7 out of 9 Directors was present at the start of the meeting.
II. Approval of 2/13/2025 Board Meeting Minutes
J. Andrews made a motion to accept the minutes from the 2/13/25 Board Meeting. The motion was seconded by E. Barnes and was passed unanimously.
III. Financial Report
R. Perry indicated that the meeting packet includes an updated financial summary report for February. R. Perry indicated that the Alliance’s sweep account is now active with M&T Bank and seems to be working well. R. Perry indicated that all Alliance bank funds are now FDIC insured.
IV. Committees Updates
R. Perry indicated that a Lake Management Committee meeting is scheduled for April.
V. Chautauqua Lake Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Renewal
R. Perry indicated the meeting packet includes a copy of the 2025 Chautauqua Lake Memorandum of Understanding renewal request that has been received by the Alliance from Chautauqua County. R. Perry requested a motion authorizing him to sign the renewal.
J. Andrews made a motion authorizing R. Perry to sign the 2025 Chautauqua Lake Memorandum of Understanding renewal. The motion was seconded by M. LaTone and was passed unanimously.
VI. 2024 Alliance Consolidated Local Funding Program Update
D. Emhardt provided an update on communications with the Chautauqua Lake Association since the 2/13/25 Alliance Board meeting, regarding the CLA’s request for an additional $54,000 in funding for 2024 operations and the Alliance Board’s interest in receiving additional details before making a decision on the request.
D. Emhardt indicated that some additional financial information had been provided by CLA and shared it with the Board.
Discussion occurred regarding the responsiveness of the information provided to the request that was made, alignment of the funding request with what was reported in the financial information, suggestions for standardizing financial reporting for all member grants, and potential next steps for addressing the Board’s remaining questions.
M. LaTone indicated that in his experience expending grant funds from the local foundations, documentation like a Profit and Loss Statement would be provided to show how those funds were used. M. LaTone indicated that the Chautauqua Lake Partnership provides invoices to grantors when it expends funds. M. LaTone indicated that those types of details should be made available before expending funds from the local foundations.
J. Bowman asked if there has been any more consideration to providing a standard financial form that can be filled out with the details desired by the Board.
The Board thanked D. Emhardt for his work on the matter.
VII. 2025 Alliance Consolidated Local Funding Program
a.) Status of Consolidated Foundation Grants-Lenna, Sheldon, and CRCF
R. Perry indicated that he has received a notice of a grant award of $100,000 from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation. R. Perry indicated that the 2025 Consolidated Local Funding Program has received a total of $566,666 in funding from the CRCF, Lenna Foundation, and Sheldon Foundation.
P. Chagnon made a motion (with appreciation) to accept the CRCF grant and authorize R. Perry to execute the 2025 grant agreement. The motion was seconded (with appreciation) by J. Andrews and was passed unanimously.
b.) Status of Other Local Grants-County, Hultquist, Holmberg, and Other
R. Perry indicated that all other local grants from Chautauqua County, the Hultquist Foundation, and the Holmberg Foundation are still pending.
c.) Status of Alliance Lake Maintenance Operations and Capital Reserve
R. Perry briefed the Board on the status of the Lake Maintenance Operations and Capital Reserve. R. Perry indicated there had been no changes to it since it was established by the Board on 12/12/24.
d.) Board Discussion on 2025 Awards to Alliance Members
J. Bowman asked if additional details can be provided regarding the CLP’s request to fund a Grad Student Study.
M. LaTone and J. Johnson indicated they could get more details about the planned scope of the project.
J. Bowman indicated that the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy is considering Ashville Bay for its proposed 2025 Chautauqua Lake Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Native Plant Nursery Pilot Program.
R. Perry provided the Board with estimates of additional funding beyond the Consolidated Foundations Grant that could come from pending grant requests. R. Perry outlined a funding scenario to the Board based on consolidated grant funds secured thus far.
M. LaTone indicated that permit applications for the herbicide treatment program have been submitted to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
P. Chagnon indicated that the CWC Plant Nursery Pilot is expected to be able to move forward at smaller scale if funding is reduced.
J. Johnson asked if plant surveys performed by both SUNY Oneonta and North Carolina State University are necessary.
J. Johnson indicated that funding the Mobitrac program should be a priority.
P. Wendel indicated that Dr. Michael Hill will be leaving his position as president of Chautauqua Institution.
M. LaTone made a motion to approve the following 2025 Member grant awards from the $566,666 consolidated grants received from the CRCF, the Sheldon Foundation, and The Lenna Foundation. The motion was seconded by P. Chagnon and was approved unanimously with abstentions noted in the table below.
| Project | Award | Abstentions |
| Chautauqua Lake Partnership: 2025 Chautauqua Lake Herbicide Program – on behalf of Towns of Ellery, Ellicott, Busti, and North Harmony, and Villages of Bemus Point, Celoron, and Lakewood (Combined grant up to amount shown, contingent on 2025 NYSDEC permits) | $105,000 | M. LaTone, J. Johnson |
| Town of Chautauqua: Mobitrac (Operations) | $50,000 | D. Emhardt |
| Chautauqua Lake Association: 2025 All Inclusive Operational Support | $250,000 | D. Emhardt |
| Chautauqua Lake Partnership: Lake Surveys | $38,000 | M. LaTone, J. Johnson |
| Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy: 2025 Chautauqua Lake Aquatic Invasive Species Early Detection Volunteer Taskforce | $20,882 | J. Bowman |
| Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy: 2025 Chautauqua Lake Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Native Plant Nursery Pilot Program | $20,784 | J. Bowman |
| Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy: Watershed Technical Assistance and Stormwater Management Program | $62,000 | J. Bowman |
| Chautauqua Lake Association: Mobitrac Joint Operations Support | $20,000 | D. Emhardt |
| Total | $566,666 |
VIII. Lake Management Consultant Update
R. Perry updated the Board on the staff’s progress with the prospective lake consultant identified by the Board upon completion of candidate interviews on 3/6/25. R. Perry indicated that they are exchanging ideas with the consultant regarding scope and schedule, which would be followed by a cost proposal. R. Perry indicated they are aiming to be ready to present a proposal to the Board in about a month.
The Board thanked R. Perry for his work.
IX. Board Meeting Schedule and Format Discussion
A discussion followed of the Board’s meeting schedule and recent changes.
After discussion, it was determined that the matter would be discussed again at the 4/10/25 work session.
X. Other
D. Emhardt indicated that the next work session is scheduled for Thursday 4/10/25 at 4:30 PM in Jamestown or via Zoom.
D. Emhardt indicated that the next public meeting is the Annual Meeting scheduled for Thursday 5/8/25 at 4:30 PM at the Lawson Center in Bemus Point or via Zoom.
M. LaTone indicated that Jackie Damore, who is a member of CLP but not a board member, shared a document with him commenting on the 2024 SUNY Oneonta plant survey.
After discussion of the document, P. Wendel and P. Chagnon thanked M. LaTone for bringing the issue to the attention of the Board.
R. Perry indicated that the state sent a response to the Board’s motion on 11/14/24 that supported the Chautauqua County Legislature’s request to delay the implementation of the new wetlands regulations. R. Perry indicated that a copy of the state’s letter was in the packet.
P. Wendel indicated that the New York State Association of Counties will be drafting a letter requesting that there is a pause in the implementation of the new wetlands regulations. P. Wendel indicated that there are different concerns about the new rules for many different counties.
XI. Adjourn
J. Andrews made a motion to adjourn the March 13, 2025 meeting at 6:18 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 3/13/25 Meeting Minutes on 4/10/25.