OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Rebecca Wurster, Special Projects Coordinator with the Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Development, spoke about the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) and its benefits to the town of Hanover.

HANOVER — A hot-button issue in the Town of Hanover is still at the forefront for at least two weeks longer than anticipated.

Town of Hanover Supervisor Lou Pelletter wanted to make a decision on a proposed battery energy storage system in the town sooner rather than later. Then, a second public hearing was scheduled. After that, Pelletter was out of town.

And now, at the meeting he had hoped to make a decision, two of the five members of the Town Board — James Feldmann and Bernie Feldmann, the Deputy Supervisor — were absent due to illness.

After all that, the Town Board has its sights set on its next regular meeting, Monday, May 12 at 7 p.m., for a potential decision.

Pelletter’s reasoning to delay the vote again was to alleviate any potential headaches down the road once a decision is made. He wants the decision to be clear-cut, one way or another on how every member of the Town Board feels about the project.

“I don’t know where the vote is going to land, but I think we should have everybody here,” Pelletter said.

Coincidentally, the Feldmanns were not the only interested parties missing from the meeting. There was also no representation from Northland Power at the meeting, which caught the three members of the Board in attendance off guard. Pelletter said that night that he believes the Canadian-based company must have gotten the dates wrong, because up until that day, the Board intended to make a decision at that meeting.

“I doubt very much that the battery storage people had any idea what was going on, because I didn’t know until I was eating dinner,” Town Councilman Ed Schintzius said. “… They did not know these people were not going to be here. I can be sure of that.”

While the battery storage representatives and two Board members were absent at the recent meeting, one of the few guests making a special appearance was Rebecca Wurster, Special Projects Coordinator with the Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Development. Wurster discussed the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) with the Town Board during a presentation, similar to the one she gave two weeks earlier in the town of Dunkirk.

Wurster discussed the benefits of an approved LWRP, including focused collaboration between multiple levels of government and a defined vision for the community with input from stakeholders. Wurster stated that an approved LWRP increases a community’s chances to obtain grant funding for projects pertaining to the development and installation of waterfront projects.

Some of the most pertinent areas of focus for the town to consider are flood mitigation, development along Routes 5 and 20, and stabilization of the Lake Erie shoreline. Among the other projects targeted in the town of Hanover are improved safety and access to the pier; improved signage and way-finding along Route 5 for fishing access; enhancing Sunset Bay Beach; a dredging and maintenance schedule for Cattaraugus Harbor; and beach and boat launch parking improvements.

The LWRP will assess potential land use changes in its plan, which will be discussed in a public meeting later this summer for public input, before its submission to the Board this coming fall.

Also of note, the Town Board passed a resolution to authorize the USDA to address the Town of Hanover Island and Boat Launch this summer for a “goose roundup” program in response to the spread of bird flu. Schintzius urged the Board to pass the resolution – which passed 3-0 – not only because of the risk of bird flu, but also due to the aggressive nature of geese in the area toward residents.

Hanover Town Beach hours will be 11 a.m. until 7 p.m., open on weekends beginning May 24, and open seven days a week beginning on June 19.

While the battery storage system decision will surely garner attention at the next Town Board meeting, set for May 12, a public hearing will first be held at 7:05 p.m. that night regarding the town’s pursuit of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to support the rehabilitation of homes in the area.