The town of Ripley will serve as the lead agency for a project that could bring a new hotel and travel plaza to Ripley.

At their regular meeting this month, Ripley Town Board members passed a motion to anticipate the designation of Ripley town as the lead agency for the Onvo Project on Shortman Road. Onvo is a network of travel plazas, convenience stores and restaurants, located throughout Pennsylvania and New York.

At the board’s July meeting, Onvo Vice President Dan Naylor presented a plan to develop a travel plaza at the spot where the Lion’s Den is currently located. Although there are no firm plans as of yet, the plaza could include a hotel and shops.

Ripley Supervisor Laura K. Pless said the project was made possible by the extension of the infrastructure to that area. During the July meeting, she said “all of the development the town has done to the sewer and water systems is a big factor in this decision.”

Over the last decade the town of Ripley has worked to improve and expand the sewer and water infrastructure. Several new sewer and water districts have been established and the sewer and water lines were extended to Shortman Road, which made it possible for the Love’s Travel Center to be constructed.

Also, as a result of the expansion of the sewer and water infrastructure, plans are underway to develop an industrial site in that same area on land purchased by the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency.

The 147-acre shovel ready site is expected to bring new jobs and businesses to Western New York. According to recent articles in the Post Journal, ” the goal of the Ripley project is to spur economic growth in Western New York.”

In a related matter, council members passed a resolution accepting the water District 4 project as complete, and authorized final payment to the contractors. In the same resolution, council members retained Andrew Strine as the appropriately licensed operator for the system.

In other business, council members approved several budget modifications to the water district 4 project to more accurately reflect actual costs.

Council members also set Trick or Treat hours for 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31.