From left, Trustees Ted Farnham (deputy mayor) and David Chertoff, Mayor Jeff Molnar, Trustees David Lipsey, Maureen Stahley, and Village Clerk Brittany Mulkins conduct village business at a Board of Trustees meeting held Tuesday at 13 Alburtus Ave. P-J photo by Christopher Blakeslee

BEMUS POINT – The Bemus Point Board of Trustees is unanimously supporting a Chautauqua Lake Management Plan drafted by North Carolina State University.

Mayor Jeff Molnar suggested that the trustees support the NCSU lake plan, but not to formally adopt it, and to participate in the Lake Management Plan as a stakeholder. A resolution to support the NCSU lake plan was then passed unanimously by the board.

Seeking the village’s support of the NCSU’s recommendations entitled Long Term Management Plan for Submersed Aquatic Vegetation in Chautauqua Lake, Dan Smith of the Chautauqua Lake Property Owners Association said requested village board members familiarize themselves with the plan and follow Ellery’s lead and adopt it.

The plan was funded by the Chautauqua Lake Watershed and Management Alliance after the Chautauqua Lake Partnership asked for funding. CLP officials said the state DEC requested the creation of such a plan.

Adoption of the plan has been slow despite the Chautauqua Lake Property Owners’ Association’s presence at Chautauqua County Legislature meetings and town and village board meetings around the lake in recent months.

Smith was critical of organizations that he said have slowed the plan’s adoption.

“The Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, the Chautauqua Conewango Consortium and the Chautauqua Lake Association, the same three organizations which supported the wetlands regulations have worked to convince municipalities (countywide) not to act.,” he said.

While support for the lake management plan is slow coming, the opposite is true of the state’s Freshwater Wetlands Act. Ellicott, Ellery, Busti, and North Harmony, as well as the villages of Bemus Point, Celoron, Lakewood and Mayville are among the local governments that have passed resolutions opposing the new freshwater wetlands regulations.

During the discussion about the lake, Trustee David Chertoff, reported that he attended the Jan. 15, webinar hosted by the DEC to help answer questions pertaining to the implementations of the new wetlands regulations which went into effect Jan. 1. However, Chertoff said he left the meeting with more questions than answers.

“Confusing,” said Chertoff regarding the DEC’s webinar entitled Navigating Change: Insights into the Finalized NYS Freshwater Wetlands Regulations. “It’s all very confusing.”

The state wetlands regulations implement new statutory requirements under the State’s Freshwater Wetlands Act that will safeguard an estimated one million additional acres of wetland habitat, according to Sean Mahar, interim state DEC commissioner.

In other business:

-Molnar reported that the DEC would begin to repair and convert the boat launch ramp, located in the village, to become NYS Freshwater Wetlands Regulations compliant, which includes replacing the concrete launch walls with natural stone, possible dredging the area, and other (natural) area beautifications.

-The trustees unanimously voted to approve the digitization of all governmental records and directed Village Clerk Brittany Mulkins to start the conversion.

-Village Street Superintendent Joel Dahlberg reported that while he has been trying to fill in the potholes that are on village roads, the snow and snow removal, has taken up most of his time.