PORTLAND - The Chadwick Bay Regional Development Corporation was scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. at the Brocton American Legion. At that time, both voting members and interested members of the community ordered dinner, drinks, and began to socialize.
The meeting was called to order about 10 minutes late, and Chairman Daniel Schrantz gave his report.
At 6:15 p.m., there were only five voting members present. Because the gathering lacked quorum, no business requiring a vote could be conducted.
Article Photos
OBSERVER Photo by Diane R. Chodan
Chuck Civiletto, former Pomfret councilman, attended the CBRDC meeting held on Thursday at the Brocton American Legion. In the background is Jim Oakes, retired from the Village of Pomfret. Both men attend these meetings as interested members of the public.
Luckily, Arthur Donovan, a Brocton village trustee, was having dinner with his wife and joined the meeting so the group could attain quorum. David Hazelton, the mayor of the Village of Brocton who normally attends, also serves on the Brocton Board of Education. He was absent because of Board of Education business.
The group discussed the West End Project in Dunkirk. Steve Neratko, Director of Development for the City of Dunkirk said, "The project is progressing. This project involves cleaning out the water pipe on Brigham Road to the city line. This is an 8-inch pipe but over time it has become narrower. After it is cleaned out, we will line it. That should improve the water flow."
Chuck Civiletto, a former Pomfret councilman, asked if it wouldn't be better to lay new pipe. Neratko replied that engineering studies showed this was a good and more cost effective option.
Juan Pagan, councilman from the Town of Dunkirk, questioned what good this does if the water couldn't get to where it was needed.
Patrick Brennen, consultant to the CBRDC, commented, "I commend the city. The grant for the West End Project fell through. The money they got in 2007 as a member item from (State Senator) Cathy Young was just freed up this year. The city borrowed the money to get on with the project."
Brennen also noted that the actions the city has taken are compatible with the regional approach. He counseled patience with the progress, citing a project in the Watertown area that took 10 years to complete. He reviewed the different sources of funding noting that this year under the Community Development Block Grant there is no money for planning, but there is money for implementation for which individual communities might be eligible. He also was still trying to get clarification about what type of funds can be used to match Appalachian Regional Planning monies.
Neratko noted that informational meetings about Consolidated Funding Applications were being held. He noted that even though a meeting in Chautauqua County was scheduled, he was going to a session on Tuesday in Buffalo so that he had more time to spend on preparation of the CFA. If anyone had specific questions about the process, he offered to ask the question at that session. In addition, he was willing to offer some assistance in writing grants. Brennen cautioned that the entity should make sure it meets the requirements for the grant before spending any time on a grant.
Brennen also noted that there was not enough positive information about the CBRDC, and said "Public information will go a long way to better inform our neighbors (about the importance of the water district). Tampio noted that the website has been redesigned for both public information and to comply with the need to work in a transparent manner. The website is www.chadwickbayrdc.com.
The board discussed the status of the Village of Fredonia which has eliminated the funding for the CBRDC from its budget and was not in attendance at the meeting.
Tampio said, "I have received no official correspondence on the matter. I think the door is still open to them."
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