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Sewer project completed under budget

MAYVILLE — The Chautauqua Town Board was informed Monday that the Chautauqua Heights Pump Station and Force Main Project is on track to be completed well under budget.

Mike Manning of Ramboll engineering updated the board on the status of the years-long project, which dates all the way back to a 2012 report on reducing the Total Maximum Daily Load for Phosphorus in Chautauqua County (TMDL).

The town’s engineering plan included the closure of an existing Chautauqua Heights Sewer District facility and the installation of an extension to convey wastewater to the upgraded North Chautauqua Lake Sewer District wastewater treatment plant.

“The budget was about $4 million for engineering, soft costs and construction. As I reported (Monday) it came in about $333,000 under that,” Manning said. “The project actually finished up about a year ago but we had some cleanup work to do this summer. There used to a be a wastewater plant at Chautauqua Lake Estates, it was owned by the estates. As part of the TMDL done for the lake in 2012 there was a list that came up of plants that needed major modifications. The town decided, rather than modify the plant, they would take it out of service.”

In 2004, the state Department of Environmental Conservation designated Chautauqua Lake an impaired waterway because of excessive phosphorus.

Since then, a variety of projects have been undertaken by municipalities, government agencies and not-for-profit organizations to improve the health and usability of the lake.

In other business, the town board held a public hearing for and subsequently approved its franchise agreement with Charter Communications Inc. which allows for the use of utility poles for telecommunications wiring.

The board also appointed Felix DeJesus as a part-time town constable. DeJesus is a Chautauqua County sheriff’s deputy who will be working in Chautauqua Institution.

The board scheduled its organizational meeting for the new year for 9 a.m. on Saturday Jan. 2, and is in the process of creating a pandemic planning committee as required by a new state mandate.

When COVID-19 restrictions permit, the board is looking at the possibility of using its municipal building gymnasium for recreational basketball instruction.

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