OBSERVER Photos by Braden Carmen The Village of Brocton is seeking a new sewer service contract with the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision pertaining to the Lakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility. The old contract expired April 30.

The sewer service contract between the Village of Brocton and the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) pertaining to the Lakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility has run out. The clock is ticking for a new agreement to be finalized.

“We’re going to work on, obviously, getting a new contract,” Village Attorney Peter Clark said. Clark expects minor tweaks to the agreement this time around. The original agreement dates back more than a decade.

The contract expired on April 30. The Village reserves the right to shut off service to the facility now that the contract has expired. The end of June would mark 60 days since the contract expired, which in the contract states that the Village has the right to bill DOCCS for the service.

The site supervisor is aware of the matter, and Rich Lewis, Waste Water Treatment Supervisor, stated that something should be moving forward in the coming days.

“Let’s hope DOCCS completes their end of the agreement,” Mayor Craig Miller said.

Clark also said that he hopes that litigation between the Village of Brocton and other property owners in the village, who are in violation of village codes, will be resolved by the next monthly meeting. Regarding the property on 98 Old Mill Road, a home that was destroyed in a fatal fire on Christmas morning of 2024, Clark is pursuing legal action through abandoned property laws, as the landowner who inherited the property has been unresponsive in recent months.

In the month of May, the Village of Brocton issued seven building permits and 20 violations.

The Village Board introduced a local law that would allow for past due electric bills to become a lien on the property. A public hearing will be scheduled by the next regular meeting of the Village Board before the law can be enacted.

Mayor Craig Miller celebrated the presence of a FeedMore WNY truck in the village earlier this month as “a huge success.” The Ahira Hall Memorial Library formed a partnership with FeedMore WNY for a food truck carrying affordable, local produce for purchase, with SNAP benefits accepted. Miller said that people were lined up waiting for the truck when it arrived. Bi-monthly visits from the FeedMore food truck are planned throughout the summer.

The Village Board also heard comments from two residents. One resident urged the Board to research the potential risks of data centers, as the Town of Portland issued a resolution in general support of the concept several months ago. Another resident, Ed Bellando, raised concerns with mowing of properties and residents owning chickens in the village, which is against the village code. Bellando said that while he is comfortable addressing the Board on matters of concern, that is not the case with some residents in the village. The Village Board urges residents to bring their concerns forward.

The next Village Board meeting will be on Wednesday, July 15 at 6 p.m.