Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance

Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting

Thursday, November 8, 2018

4:30 p.m. at Stow Senior Center

Directors Present: Jim Andrews, Jay Bailey, Linda Barber, Pierre Chagnon, Bruce Erickson, Ted McCague, and Dave Shepherd.

Absent: George Borrello & Dave Wesp.

Others in Attendance: Erin Brickley – Alliance Executive Director, Randall Perry – Alliance Project Manager.  June Diethrick – Chautauqua Region Community Foundation.  Linda Swanson – Sheldon Foundation.  Becky Nystrom – Jamestown Community College.  Interested citizens: Doug Champ, Michael & Peggy Newell, Sam Hazen, Bob Moon Sr, and Vince Horrigan.

Member Representatives in Attendance: John Jablonski, Claire Quadri, Jeanne Wiebenga, Craig Seger & Mary Laumer– Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy (CWC), John Shedd – Chautauqua Institution, Marla Connelly – NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation – Allegany Region, Karen Rine – South & Center Chautauqua Lake Sewer District, Doug Conroe, Chris Flanders & Debbie Moore – Chautauqua Lake Association (CLA), Cassie Brower – Chautauqua County Soil & Water Conservation District, Dave McCoy –Chautauqua County, and Jim Cirbus, Jim Wehrfritz, Craig Butler & Mike LaTone – Chautauqua Lake Partnership (CLP).

Scientific Review & Advisory Committee Members in Attendance: Jane Conroe & Tom Erlandson

____________________________________________________________________________________

I. Call to Order:

Mr. Chagnon called the meeting of the Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance (Alliance) to order at 4:30 pm.  It was noted for the record that there was a quorum (7 of 9) present.

II. Approval of Minutes:

Mr. McCague made a motion to accept the minutes of the 10/11/18 Board work session, seconded by Mr. Erickson.  Mr. Wehrfritz had questions about the work session minutes, specifically he noted the discussion of the Alliance’s mission statement and stated he felt it was clear and wanted to know if we were changing it.  Mr. Chagnon advised we are not considering changing it, rather making sure our members understand what the purview of the current mission statement encompasses. He also asked why it might be a detriment to add additional at-large board positions as noted in the minutes.  Mr. Bailey commented that it had to with being a detriment in relation to determining member funding as directors from at-large groups would have to recuse themselves from board discussions and motions having to do with funding considerations connected to their associated member organization. The motion to approve the October work session minutes was approved unanimously.

III. Update on Current Alliance/Member Projects:

Mr. Perry gave an update on the status of the eleven state funded Alliance/Member projects in process:

Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) grants (six in total):

• Quarterly progress reports and MWBE reports submitted to NYSDEC in October 2018; NYS reimbursement reports under review by NYSDEC
• Dutch Hollow Creek & West Dutch Hollow Creek:
  • Construction complete at Dutch Hollow Creek Main Stem – now tracking vegetative establishment.
  • Construction substantially complete at West Dutch Hollow Creek – working with property owner to retire final punch-list items.
• Ball Creek: Site preparation for additional riparian native plant establishment in progress; Site preparation and planting-related work to continue in 2019.
• Goose Creek: No significant change; construction phase complete (2018) by outside contractor.
• Bemus Creek: No significant change; construction phase complete (2016-2017) by Soil & Water.
• Prendergast Creek: No significant change; construction phase complete (2016) by Soil & Water.

Invasive Species Management Grant (Senator Young $50K local assistance grant via County pass-through):

• Audubon & Evergreen Outfitters work complete; RTPI/Alliance work nearing completion (end-2018)
• Additional education/outreach materials in progress by RTPI & Alliance
• Standard Operating Procedure for Early Detection Framework in preparation by RTPI & Alliance
• GIS-related tasks in progress by RTPI
• Primary Objective: Establish framework for Volunteer enhanced Early Detection program on/around Chautauqua Lake for priority invasive species, as a complement to existing prevention-focused efforts (e.g., CLA Watercraft Steward Program) and monitoring

Lakewood/Busti Stormwater Management Engineering Study (DEC/EFC Engineering Planning Grant):

• Final Engineering Report accepted by EFC on 8/1/18
• Grant closeout in progress

Celoron Breakwall and Boardwalk LWRP grants (2013/2016):

• Phase II Construction complete (see photos below); Post-construction phase in progress (e.g., as-builts, final reporting)
• Final billing, reporting, and reimbursements in progress.

Celoron Park Improvement (Amenities Building) LWRP grant (2017):

• LaBella selected by Village as Engineer/Architect
• Project kick-off meeting 11/9/18
• Target construction ca. 2019

Mayville / Chautauqua Stormwater Mgmt. Engineering Study (NYS DEC/EFC Engineering Planning Grant) (2017):

• Initial Grant Disbursement received by Village September 2018
• Project meeting for project prioritization and selection 11/19/18 at 4 PM (Mayville Village Hall) – Open to the Public.
• Initial field assessment complete by Barton & Loguidice Team; Hydrology/hydraulics/loading modeling complete; Listing and prioritization of potential projects underway

Projects Discussion:

Mr. Perry gave some context around the two large streambank stabilization projects on the Dutch Hollow tributary system as these projects take shape over a number of years, as do most study/grant related projects.  These two streambank projects originated from an Erosion Mitigation Study done in 2014 whereby we focused on the identified priority mitigation areas which required involving private land owners, the grants were written in 2015, awarded in 2016 and have been forwarded through engineering firm procurement, final design, construction firm procurement, permitting etc. in 2017 and construction in 2018.  Mr. Perry advised that CWC recently did an expanded write up on the WQIP streambank projects which was excellent and thanked them for their continued good work for their contracted partnership role for education and outreach on these six WQIP projects.

Mr. Perry noted that an important public meeting was coming up 11/19/18 related to the Mayville – Chautauqua Stormwater Engineering Study where the team, with public input, would be narrowing down a long list of potential projects to the top 6 which will be advanced to 20% pre-design, visualizations and informed budgets in the final engineering report due to be completed May 2019 (in time to advance some of the six projects to grant application to secure funding to implement in 2020).  He encouraged all interested to attend.

IV. Approval of Alliance Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy:

Mr. Chagnon gave the following information to the board:

New York State is a national leader in the fight against sexual harassment in the workplace and the 2019 Budget includes legislation to further combat it.  Under the new law, every employer in New York State is now required to establish a sexual harassment prevention policy pursuant to Section 201-g of the Labor Law. The Department of Labor in consultation with the Division of Human Rights has established a model sexual harassment prevention policy for employers to adopt. All employers must adopt and provide a sexual harassment prevention policy to all employees by October 9, 2018. Mr. Chagnon circulated a draft Alliance sexual harassment prevention policy to all directors and employees via email 11/1/18, which required only minor customization of the model policy. Once the policy is finalized and adopted, Mr. Chagnon will distribute it electronically to all employees.

In addition, every employer in New York State is now required to provide employees with sexual harassment prevention training pursuant to Section 201-g of the Labor Law. The Department of Labor in consultation with the Division of Human Rights has established this model training for employers to use. All employers are required to train current employees by October 9, 2019. New employees should be trained as quickly as possible. In addition, all employees must complete sexual harassment prevention training at least once per year. An employer’s sexual harassment prevention training must be interactive, meaning it requires some level of feedback by those being trained.  New York State has provided training videos that Mr. Chagnon will download and forward to all employees once the policy is finalized and adopted. These videos meet all state minimum training requirements except one: the videos alone are not considered interactive. Therefore Mr. Chagnon will also accommodate questions asked by employees, with answers provided in a timely manner, and require feedback from employees about the training and the materials presented.

Ms. Barber motioned to accept the proposed Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy, seconded by Mr. Andrews.   The motion was approved unanimously.

V.  Report from Science Committee: No Report.

VI. Status of Report from Ad-Hoc Committee on Governance Capacity:

Overview: Several local funders were interested in seeing increased governance capacity at the Alliance as we are experiencing an evolving role in the community.  In order to ensure full understanding of their expectations, Mr. Chagnon formed an ad-hoc governance capacity committee comprised of Mr. Shepherd, Ms. Barber and Mr. Horrigan at the 6/14/18 board meeting.  Mr. Horrigan reported to the board the following month that their committee had met with funders and key lake and watershed members and in general terms they would like to see more stakeholder input.  Then at the 8/9/18 board meeting, the ad-hoc committee draft recommendations were reviewed, entitled “A draft framework for strengthening stakeholder input and governance for the CLWMA (as of August 9, 2018)”.  Mr. Horrigan requested feedback on the draft from members by the end of August and received some from five organizations that were considered prior to finalizing their recommendations.  Final recommendations were presented at the 9/13/18 Alliance meeting where he noted that it is his understanding that the intention of the board is to receive this report but that no action will be taken at this time.  The two primary recommendations are 1) to add two additional at-large director positions (from 9 to 11 directors) and 2) to form several working group committees: Watershed Management Committee, Data Analysis Committee and Lake Management Committee

Update:  Mr. Chagnon gave a status report on the two ad-hoc committee recommendations.  There was initial discussion on the addition of two more at-large director positions at October work session and it was decided that directors will go outbound for in-person meetings with members before any changes to the board composition, as this requires change to the by-laws.  This will be further discussed at the December work session.  As far as the three new proposed committees, interest was expressed at the October work session but we need to further consider defining theses new committee structures and scope of work.  Mr. Chagnon commented that to be clear, there will be no changes to the current Science Committee at this time.

VII. Approval of Alliance Comprehensive Grant Request to Sheldon Foundation & Chautauqua Region Community Foundation:

Ms. Brickley gave a brief overview for those in attendance (plus expanded description below for documentation in minutes) of the Request for Application (RFA) process which in part came from a primary recommendation in the Alliance 5 Year Implementation Strategy for the Management of Chautauqua Lake and Its Watershed (May 2018) and utilizes the evaluation criteria and multi-criteria analysis (MCA) project prioritization tool from the Strategy as its basis.  The Executive Director sent a summary of the new Alliance RFA opportunity and the 2019 Comprehensive Chautauqua Lake & Watershed Grant Application form to the full Alliance list serve and all members on 9/25/18 asking members to consider applying for project and/or operational support for 2019 by the deadline of 10/25/18.  Below is the RFA communication:

Grant Description:

The Chautauqua Lake & Watershed Management Alliance (Alliance) is partnering with the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation and the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation for a new local grant application and process for watershed and in-lake projects/programs pertaining to Chautauqua Lake and its watershed for 2019 funding opportunities.

 

These grant submissions, once completed by an Alliance member organization and submitted to the Alliance by the deadline of 10/25/18, will be assessed and scored using the evaluation criteria described in the 2019 Comprehensive Chautauqua Lake & Watershed Grant Application for Local Funding Consideration document attached. Only information documented in your final grant submission will be used for scoring.  This new process and grant application template are based on the recommendations and considerations documented in the Alliance May 2018 5-Year Implementation Strategy for the Management of Chautauqua Lake and Its Watershed (Strategy).  The full Strategy can be accessed on the Alliance website at http://www.chautauquaalliance.org under “Alliance Goals”.  Once assessed, all project/program funding recommendations made by the Alliance board of directors will be summarized and submitted to the local partnering foundations for consideration, with anticipated funding determinations in early 2019. 

 

The attached 2019 comprehensive grant application template represents the breadth and depth of the information needed to score your project/program most appropriately. If less information is provided, the project will be scored, but it is possible scoring may not be maximized.

 

If you have questions regarding any aspect of this grant opportunity, please contact Erin Brickley (ebrickley@chautauquaalliance.org).  Alliance staff will make themselves available if you would like assistance on how to best structure your project/program and corresponding application answers to maximize all scoring, up until 3 business days before the application deadline.

 

Application Deadline: 10/25/2018 by 4p.m.

Application Process: Submit completed application and required supporting documentation to the Alliance Executive Director electronically via email (ebrickley@chautauquaalliance.org) or physically at the Alliance offices (BWB Building, 201 West 3rd St, Suite #115, Jamestown, NY 14701). 

Primary Funding Focus:  Environment/Watershed Management/Water Quality/In-Lake Management

Fiscal Year: 2019

Geographic Area: Chautauqua Lake Watershed; Chautauqua Lake

Eligibility: Alliance Member Organizations (non-profit 501 (c)(3) status, municipalities, etc.)

In addition to creating the comprehensive grant application template based on the evaluation criteria in the 5 Year Strategy, the Alliance also created an internal Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for 2018-2019 Alliance Project Prioritization & Local Foundation Funding Partnership which defined the timeline, general steps, administrative actions, and key scoring considerations for this RFA. These project/program funding submissions, completed by Alliance member organizations and submitted to the Alliance by the deadline of 10/25/18, were assessed and scored using the evaluation criteria described in the 2019 Comprehensive Chautauqua Lake & Watershed Grant Application for Local Funding Consideration document and following the internal SOP.

The Alliance received 12 completed applications from seven different member organizations plus two direct submissions by the Alliance itself by the 10/25/18 deadline. The Alliance followed its internal SOP which included defining key scoring considerations. Three “groups” participated in scoring individually and independently and provided one final score per group per project. The three groups were: Alliance staff (Note: For Alliance-led projects, this staff group did not participate in scoring); EcoLogic LLC (independent qualified consultants); & Alliance Scientific Review & Advisory Committee. For all 12 projects, individuals in the three identified groups utilized the provided Worksheet for In-Lake Project Scoring or Worksheet for Watershed Project Scoring, noting any assumptions made during scoring. At the end of the scoring process, there were three final composite scores, equally weighted, from each scoring group for each project funding submission received, which were averaged for a final project score. The percentage of points achieved versus the maximum possible points was used for final rankings. A summary database, provided to directors (along with all 12 individual application submissions), encompassed project ranking, applicant, project title and scope of work, funding request and total budget, and all pertinent reviewer comments. The final scoring and summary database was shared with Alliance directors who reviewed this information independently as well as participating in two discussion work sessions. Given the total requests for all 12 projects was over $1.1 million, Alliance directors took the rankings and pertinent reviewer comments into consideration and provided their recommendation to fund 8 of the 12 (in part or in full).

Mr. Chagnon commented that he was delighted with the number of applications as it exceeded our expectations.  However, it also presented a challenge as the total funding requested was $1,102,579 which far exceeds local foundation funding capacity and so the prioritization / ranking process was important. The projects are ranked along with the funding recommendations by the Alliance board of directors which will be submitted to the foundations for final consideration below:

Project Applicant	Project Title	Total Funding Requested	Total Project Budget	Work-sheet Type	Alliance Board Recommendations	Key Alliance Board Considerations
Alliance	Chautauqua Lake Aquatic Invasive Species Early Detection Volunteer Taskforce	$7,550	$7,550	In-Lake	$7,550	Tied for #1 ranking.  Great return on previous state grant investment for low cost, three collaborating organizations, and builds on existing program and already expended $50k state funding.
CLA	2019 Chautauqua Lake Association Operational Support	$220,000	$1,073,160	In-Lake	$162,050	Tied for #1 ranking.  CLA services considered critical based on ranking and would like to see longer service season as proposed in the increased 2019 Tentative Budget.  Would also like to see initial testing costs (mussel survey & sediment sample) for proposed dredge to Dewittville Creek covered here.
CLA	Floating Vegetation & HAB Scum Skimmer Procurement	$187,000	$187,000	In-Lake	$0	None allocated because of pending Alliance/County State grant CFA for purchase of two of these requested manufacturer skimmers, CFA scored high regionally, so very good chance that County will receive this funding on behalf of CLA (TBD 12/2018). Plus CLA stated their priority sequence for funding priority on their 3 asks is Operation, Dredging, then Skimmer.
Town of Chautauqua	Mobitrac Shoreline Clean Up	$90,000	$120,000	In-Lake	$0	None allocated because project not considered ripe, even though well ranked.  Would like to see receipt of first Mobitrac (funding by state SAM grant) and successful initiation of new program at Town level prior to funding second Mobitrac.  Partial award not helpful.
CWC	Chautauqua Lake Tributary Conservation and Enhancement Program	$26,401	$38,401	Water-shed	$26,400	Full funding based on strength of partnership for farmer outreach between CWC and Soil & Water.  Also, only two watershed projects being recommended for funding and based on 5 Year Implementation Strategy, there should be 40% proportional allocation to watershed projects.
CWC	Starve the Algae! Save the Lake!	$64,000	$75,300	Water-shed	$64,000	Full funding as additional services offered show added value from past years programming.  Also, only two watershed projects being recommended for funding and based on 5 Year Implementation Strategy, there should be 40% proportional allocation to watershed projects.
CLA	Channel Dredging of Dewittville Creek’s Chautauqua Lake Delta	$150,000	$150,000	In-Lake	$0	None allocated as stated by CLA their preference was for Operational ask full funding to be the top priority and partial funding would result in no project.  Board thinks is worthy project but would like to see preliminary steps (mussel survey & sediment sampling) done so this can be considered again in future.
Alliance	Alliance Community Development Platform	$8,628	$8,628	Water-shed	$0	None allocated because project not considered ripe.  Would prefer not to be part of beta test.
Town of Busti	Herbicide Application 2019	$70,000	$70,000 (Willing to put in $20k)	In-Lake	$10,000	*All 4 Town’s received the same recommendation as small portion of estimated herbicide costs given all three scoring groups ranked these at the bottom of the prioritization; also based on most likely permittable total acres (200 or less) and associated cost per acre, based on last year’s precedent.   $0 would be inappropriate given the position the Towns are in and the efforts they are making to be responsive to homeowners.  It also speaks to support of the MMS and herbicides as one tool in toolbox.  These awards contingent on permits in hand by June 1, 2019.
Town of Ellery	Herbicide Application 2019	$135,000	$135,000 (Willing to put in $50k)	In-Lake	$10,000	*Same as above.
Town of North Harmony	Herbicide Application 2019	$90,000	$90,000 (Willing to put in $15k)	In-Lake	$10,000	*Same as above.
Town of Ellicott	Herbicide Application 2019	$54,000	$54, 000 (States some Town appropriation as part of budget but no $ amount specified)	In-Lake	$10,000	*Same as above.
Total Requested:		$1,102,579
				Total Ask to Sheldon & CRCF	$300,000

Mr. Chagnon reviewed the four that are not being recommended for funding and the key considerations as to why and then reviewed the projects and recommendations for funding and why starting with the top ranked projects and moving down the list.  He noted that for the four towns, if no herbicide permits are obtained by June 1, 2019, any secured foundation funding would be reallocated.

Ms. Barber made a motion to approve a recommendation for the $7,550 for Chautauqua Lake Aquatic Invasive Species Early Detection Volunteer Taskforce, seconded by Mr. McCague.  The motion passed unanimously.

Ms. Barber made a motion to approve recommendation for $162,050 for 2019 Chautauqua Lake Association Operational Support, seconded by Mr. McCague.  Mr. Erickson abstained due his position on the CLA board.  The motion passed unanimously.

Mr. Erickson made a motion to approve recommendation for the $26,400 and $64,000 for Chautauqua Lake Tributary Conservation and Enhancement Program and Starve the Algae! Save the Lake! respectively, seconded by Mr. Bailey.  Ms. Barber abstained due her position on the CWC board.  The motion passed unanimously.

Mr. Shepherd made a motion to approve recommendation for $10,000 for Town of Busti Herbicide Application 2019, seconded by Mr. McCague.  Mr. Andrews abstained due his position on the Town of Busti board.  The motion passed unanimously.

Mr. Erickson made a motion to approve recommendation for $10,000 for Town of Ellery Herbicide Application 2019, seconded by Mr. Shepherd.  The motion passed unanimously.

Mr. McCague made a motion to approve recommendation for $10,000 for Town of North Harmony Herbicide Application 2019, seconded by Mr. Shepherd.  The motion passed unanimously.

Mr. Shepherd made a motion to approve recommendation for $10,000 for Town of Ellicott Herbicide Application 2019, seconded by Mr. Bailey.  The motion passed unanimously.

 

VIII. Open Floor / Member Updates:

Mr. Chagnon opened the floor to any Member updates or upcoming events and/or comments from the general public in attendance:

• Mr. Wehrfritz asked if members could see all twelve applications and all scoring regarding the process described in section VII.  Mr. Chagnon advised that members may request a meeting for access to their own project scores and reviewer comments (which will not indicate which reviewer made which score or comment) as feedback and advice for better scoring for future submissions.  Mr. Wehrfritz stated he doesn’t see why evaluations should be secret and would like to see all applications and all scores by reviewer groups.  Ms. Brickley advised that this is how most grant programs work in relation to application submission feedback, including the state grant CFA process.  Mrs. Brower commented that feedback specific to your project applications and ways to strengthen that project scope of work and scoring opportunities is how applicants can improve over time.  Mr. Chagnon advised that the board would discuss and consider Mr. Wehrfritz’s request.
• Mr. Champ commented that funded projects should be evaluated over time to inform future funding and if money was well spent.  Mrs. Swanson commented that the foundations ask applicants to explain how they plan to measure success and require final reports be submitted on all funded projects and Mr. Chagnon & Ms. Brickley advised that the Alliance also did this on the grant application questions and will do the same as far as final reporting requirements which will be part of the contracting process.
• Mr. Horrigan commented that the annual Alliance Member Meeting is in May every year and asked if the ad-hoc committee recommendations would be decisioned before then.  Mr. Chagnon advised that action would be taken by then or before.
• Mrs. Rine handed out color PowerPoints to the Alliance board regarding concerning conditions in Burtis Bay and advised that key homeowners were in attendance.  Burtis Bay shoreline homeowners, the Newell’s, shared pictures of dense plant build up in near shore area in front of their home and dying fish who had been trapped in the build-up and commented that they also had video they could share after the meeting.  Ms. Barber asked why they thought this had happened and Mr. Newell said build up is normal this time of year in this area but that it is much worse this year due to heavy west wind storms and a lot of rain causing high water levels. He was very upset about the dead and dying fish as he stated he is a fisherman.  Mr. Wehrfritz stated that south basin weeds are an issue and that we are not supposed to have any invasive plants and now these excess plants this season are killing thousands of fish.  He stated that CLA was down in South basin a lot and didn’t make enough of an impact and need a combined weed harvesting and herbicide program.  Mr. Chagnon asked the collective group what we thought could be done right now?  Mr. Wehrfritz advised late season removal of accumulation waterside so fish don’t rot and smell.  Mr. Conroe commented that he had spent time in this area earlier in the week taking a look at the situation and this is not a normal event and indeed seemed to occur due to the specific combination of floating rooted plants occurring this year, high west winds and high water levels.  He said the key issue in addressing the unanticipated conditions now is the time of year and weather impacts and that CLA doesn’t have funding to redeploy equipment.  He commented that the request just put in and reviewed by the Alliance board for $220k in 2019 operational funding included extended season work through September but can tell right now that that won’t be possible since only $162k was being recommended.  He said he feels the County needs to step up in his opinion.  To finish up, Mr. Conroe advised that he feels in water work is really not likely feasible this time of year and recommends early and extra spring clean-up in this area in 2019.  Mr. Chagnon inquired about the still pending $20k challenge grant the Alliance offered in June to CLA & CLP for any in-lake project that they developed and implemented together and wondered if this was an appropriate opportunity to utilize this offer since no combined project had been submitted yet. Mr. Wehrfritz commented that he would rather use that award on efforts to create a combined weed harvesting and herbicide program for 2019. Mr. Newell commented that he and Mr. Conroe agree on the cause of unusual and concerning conditions in Burtis Bay but doesn’t believe manual clean-up would be effective in the spring.  He asked why CLA doesn’t operate longer days and on weekends or perhaps call for volunteers that could be trained to be operators to offset paid summer workforce. Mr. Conroe said they had done a small pilot project on volunteers and want to develop that further in future years.

IX. Adjourn:

Mr. Erickson motioned to adjourn at 6:28 p.m., seconded by Ms. Barber.  The motion was approved unanimously.

X. Approval of Burtis Bay Emergent Conditions Grant to CLA:

Summary of events on and after 11/9/18 Alliance board meeting follows:

A Chautauqua Lake shoreline homeowner in Burtis Bay attended the public Alliance board meeting on 11/8/2018 advising those in attendance of an extreme emergent conditions event in front of his home. Late season build-up of floating aquatic vegetation, high water levels, and extremely high wind conditions have resulted in a large concentrated deposit of aquatic vegetation and a fish kill in Burtis Bay. Via their connection to the Alliance, county officials called a meeting with parties involved and NYS DEC on 11/13/18 and determined action yet this fall may be possible via special out of season emergency response services from the Chautauqua Lake Association (CLA). The County requested a service proposal and cost estimate from CLA which was received 11/16/18 with estimated costs anticipated to be $73,870.  The County then referred the situation to the Alliance as far as an effort to gather the needed local funding since Chautauqua County recommended a remedy whereby the aquatic vegetation and dead fish are removed from the waterside and disposed in the Chautauqua County’s Ellery Landfill, thereby mitigating potential environmental degradation and human health concerns. Since the Chautauqua Lake Association provided a service proposal to remobilize its fleet of specialized lake maintenance equipment and the manpower to implement the County’s recommended remedy, the Alliance then identified several local funding partners that could work together to cover the costs including the Alliance, the County (via emergency legislative resolution to access the 2% reserve fund) and CRCF (via emergency funding request submitted by Alliance).

Based on identified and anticipated funding sources including the Alliance, the County and CRCF, the Alliance directors voted via email to approve a grant for  $73,000 to the CLA on 11/19/18. Directors Andrews, Bailey, Barber, Borrello, Chagnon, McCague, and Shepherd approved the grant to CLA for $73k via electronic communication.

On 11/21/18, CLA advised that after much discussion and consideration, redeploying equipment this time of year and with the current ten day forecast calling for a large snowstorm would not allow for the proposed in-lake action to proceed.  They noted they looked forward to working with the Alliance on this in the spring.  The pending funding sources will consider their commitments and how to proceed now that the work will have to wait until spring.