Following a rejection in this past year’s round of funding, the village’s New York Forward Grant Committee sought input from its residents at a meeting on June 23 to determine what its next steps would be. Only a handful of residents attended the meeting aside from the committee itself, but Nancy Wickmark, a driving force of the committee, said the discussion helped the group settle on a decision to skip this coming year’s round of submissions. Instead, the committee will continue working to improve its application for the following year.

While Cassadaga was not selected to receive grant funding this year, two other municipalities in the area — Angola and Westfield — did receive funds from the state. Wickmark said Cassadaga’s submission was very similar to Westfield’s winning proposal in terms of character, enthusiasm and involvement, but the missing link for Cassadaga was connecting that community pride to specific projects.

The committee plans to prioritize more business projects in its next proposal. Initially, Cassadaga proposed senior living and early childhood centers, but the plans were more of a concept, rather than a definitive plan. “They are looking for more than a concept, they are looking for commitment,” Wickmark said.

The village was also urged to partner with the neighboring Lily Dale community. Including some of Lily Dale’s needs in the submission would not only address the collaboration the state was looking for, but it could also increase the number of projects included in the submission. Cassadaga generalized many of its potential projects and included them in groups, which Wickmark believes gave the wrong impression of not having many projects in mind.

Deputy Clerk Roxanne Astry is a member of the New York Forward Grant Committee.

Wickmark stressed aesthetic improvements along the village’s main roads to attract more businesses to the village. “We felt like if we’re going to go out there and try to convince new businesses to come to Cassadaga, one of the biggest things that we have to improve is our streetscape on North and South Main,” Wickmark said.

The committee suggested pursuing smaller grants in the coming months to make improvements to the village in preparation for the next New York Forward Grant submission. The committee is also seeking more data to strengthen its position on proposing a senior living facility and early childhood center.

“We need to focus on building those areas so that when we do another application in 2026, we are much stronger – that we already have commitment where we need to; we have the numbers that we need to justify things; and we directly address their feedback,” Wickmark said.

The committee will meet on the first and third Mondays of each month, at 7 p.m. at the Cassadaga Library, through the fall to discuss future steps. Public input is encouraged.

Also related to projects in the village, Deputy Mayor Bill Astry also reported that at long last, the Bathhouse at the Beach is open and functional. Finishing touches on the structure are ongoing.

The Cassadaga Fire Department responded to two fires, three motor vehicle accidents, and 14 emergency medical service (EMS) calls in the month of May. The village is also seeking clarification on how to spend funds accumulated from EMS billing through its contract with Chautauqua County.

In other news, the Village Board will hold a workshop on Thursday at 7 p.m. to discuss the zoning law updates proposed by the zoning rewrite committee. The meeting is open to the public, but will not entertain public discussion.