Recently, the pond has been collecting sediment, building up enough so the pond is noticeably not in the best condition. Board members have met with the Department of Environmental Conservation to discuss options.

Two main options are mediating and dredging the pond and moving the island or taking out the dam and letting the pond go back to a natural stream.

“There’s pros and cons to both,” Board Member Levi Swanson said. “There’s a trout fishery upstream and they would come down with the stream and the temperature of the water would decrease. It would attract trout and we would have potential fishing licenses.”

Swanson said there is also bass downstream, but that the DEC thought it would not bother them. The pond could also have a potential bird sanctuary if they let the pond go back to a natural stream because of the eagle’s nest.

The Clymer Town Board discussed possible long-term solutions to fixing Clymer Pond during their latest meeting. P-J photos by Sara Holthouse

Problems include standing water and mosquitoes, along with the possible depreciation of house values around the pond. Swanson added that there was discussion about including the pond in the town’s comprehensive plan, which is not set to come to fruition until 2026.

Grant wise, there is currently no money available for the project from the state out of the Buffalo office. Town Supervisor,Brian Willink said he wondered when it was formed and by who, finding a plaque in the town park saying it was formed in 1965 and through multiple state entities.

“We’re going to continue to pursue it but we basically measured it up and there’s 150,000 cubic feet of soil that would have to be moved,” Willink said. “If you take the sludge off site it has to be tested.”

Willink added that there are a lot of hurdles but that he was afraid if they did nothing it would migrate back to a swamp.

Highway Superintendent Scott Trisket added that the DEC blamed the island in the middle of the pond for the current sediment problem.

“Basically if we could get that island out of there it would help it,” Trisket said. “But, how do you get the island out of there?”

The board discussed how years ago the island used to be twice its current size. Willink said anything done with the pond will be a long-term, expensive project involving a lot of different entities.

Other discussion for the board included:

The board has opened their bids for the sidewalk project, to be approved next meeting.

The Tulip Festival Committee has added one more movie night to the town’s plan for movie nights in the park during the summer. There will now be six movies, beginning on May 17 in conjunction with the committee.

The town clerk now has a new phone number, (716)355-5008.