MAYVILLE – Chautauqua County officials are dedicating more funding for a south county industrial park expansion.

During the county legislature meeting, county lawmakers approved spending $499,500 for the Mason Industrial Park Infrastructure Extension. The money is coming from the legislature’s American Rescue Plan Act funds the county received from the federal government following the COVID-19 pandemic to help communities recover.

There’s about 66 acres of land that the county purchased from Bush Industries in 2016 and the county believes about half of that could be developed for a new business to relocate there.

Before the vote, Legislator Fred Larson, D-Jamestown, said this project will bring new jobs to the county. “Within a relatively few years we would anticipate something like 150 new jobs to the county,” he said.

During a committee discussion before the vote, Economic Development Coordinator Nate Aldrich, said the money will be used to extend sewer, water, do some erosion control, onsite stormwater management, extend natural gas, telecommunication infrastructure, and bring a road closer to the property.

Earlier this year the legislature and the county Industrial Development agency combined spent $180,000 to start the project.

Along with Bush, the Mason Industrial Park has other businesses there including Arthur R. Gren Bottle and Can Redemption Center, Serta Simmons Bedding, Plyler Entry Systems, Larson Metal Manufacturing, and The Stannard Group.

In other business:

— The county approved a lease of restaurant facilities at the Chautauqua County Airport – Jamestown location to Basil & Bones. The lease will run from November to the end of March for $400 a month. Basil & Bones is expected to renew the lease in April with plans to open the location as a full service restaurant. Basil & Bones has said this will be a new operation and no changes are planned for their existing location.

— The inter-municipal agreement between Portland, Brocton and the North Chautauqua County Water District was amended so that the two municipalities are no longer part of the CBI Water Works and will handle their own billing.

— An extension of the agreement between the Portland-Pomfret-Dunkirk Sewer District and the village of Fredonia has been extended through 2054. The district will pay $3.08 per thousand gallons of sewage treatment and that future costs will reflect Fredonia’s actual cost in treating the district’s sewage.

— The county agreed to spend $40,000 for repaving at the HRC building in Mayville, $50,000 to purchase an asphalt hot box trailer, $27,000 for the Training Lab Renovations Project for the county’s Informational Technology Department, $50,000 for enhanced security at the Falconer Department of Public Works building, $268,000 for the Server Replacement and Upgrades Project at the Sheriff’s Department, and $90,000 to implement the Outward Inclusion and Performance Project at the Sheriff’s Department. All money is coming from the county’s American Rescue Plan Act funding, which was provided to the county from the federal government following the COVID-19 pandemic. The county also increased its heavy equipment funding by $56,287 using ARPA money.

— Mark Zamborik of Lakewood and Andrew Caruso of Kennedy were appointed to the 3rd Battalion of the Chautauqua County Fire Advisory Board.

— The legislature set the salary of behavioral health therapist at $30.76 to $40.58 per hour, and licensed behavioral health therapist at $32.97 to $43.82 per hour. Both are new positions.