OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Dave Rowley suggested the Cassadaga Village Board halt preparation for a New York Forward grant application in 2026. A recent development proposal has given the Board more optimism on the matter.

CASSADAGA — The village might be moving forward with a major grant application later this year. It just may not be for what was initially discussed.

Following the submission of a proposal from Alec J. Witkowski, President and CEO of Witco Inc., the Village Board is not ruling out a New York Forward grant submission later this year.

Witkowski owns and operates multiple businesses in the village, including King Kone and Fermentation Station. He submitted a proposal to the Village Board for a housing development and restaurant to be located in the village. Mayor Rudy Abersold said the plans “would tie in great with our prospective of applying for the New York Forward grant.” Abersold said the Village Board was “optimistic” and pleased with the proposal.

A month ago, Village Trustee Dave Rowley suggested the Village Board postpone an application for the New York Forward grant due to differing opinions on the focus of the submission. Rowley spent more than two years on the core team of the village’s Grant Committee. During that time, the focus of some voices on the committee was directed toward senior living and early childcare facilities, while others prefer businesses targeted at economic growth in the village.

The Board decided to wait until April 1 to make a decision on whether to continue dedicating time and resources toward another application. The village was unsuccessful in securing NY Forward Grant funding in its last proposal in 2024.

In the time since the Board discussed the matter last month, Witkowski submitted a proposal for the Board geared toward general housing and commerce, rather than senior living and childcare. Abersold said the Village Board is not halting the application process in 2026, as Rowley initially suggested. He did say, however, that there are “many things that need to fall in line before the Board and I will sign off on it.”

Abersold and Rowley also recently met with Chautauqua County Sheriff Jim Quattrone to discuss speeding in the village, especially on Maple Avenue and along Route 60. Speed display signs and speed zones were discussed, along with crosswalks along Maple Avenue. Rowley also reached out to State Senator George Borrello on the matter. Rowley stated that Borrello intends to speak with Chautauqua County and the State Department of Transportation regarding speeding on Route 60 and Maple Avenue in the coming weeks.

Abersold has recently been in contact with the State Comptroller’s Office, the Gaming Commission, and several other state representatives in the past few months since taking over as Mayor of Cassadaga. So far, those conversations have been nothing but positive.

“Everybody at the state level has been extremely nice and helpful,” Abersold said. He also commended County Legislator John Penhollow for his efforts.

The Village is also pursuing additional grant funding from federal and state sources to lessen the local impact on the ongoing waterline capital project.

The Village has been working closely with neighboring municipalities to address its needs regarding the Department of Public Works. Without a department head and only one full-time employee, who recently took time off, Abersold and several volunteers collaborated with neighboring municipalities in a village cleanup of brush. More instances of shared services are anticipated in the coming weeks.

“There’s a lot of positive stuff going on in the village,” Abersold said.

The next meeting of the Cassadaga Village Board is scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m., including the annual budget hearing.