Ellicottville Police Address Resident’s Concerns
Ellicottville Police Address Resident’s Concerns
Residents Voiced Concerns Over Speeding & Noise from Semi-Trucks; Speed Control Sign Being Considered
Photos / Amy Hayward, Village of Ellicottville
The Town Board of Ellicottville gathered on Wednesday, February 19, 2025 to discuss matters within the area. The meeting began with Supervisor Matthew McAndrew calling the evening to order, welcoming conversations surrounding the current agenda.
Without any topics to discuss from Privilege of the Floor, the Board moved on to reviewing the previous month’s meeting minutes of January 2025. The Minutes were approved without issue and have been posted on the official Town website at www.ellicottvillegov.com for public access.
Moving on, the Town Board was presented with the Supervisor’s Report. The information shared involved the financial report and the First Light Fiber Meeting. The financial report was accepted and included the standard billings and balances within the Town’s budgeting.
A meeting was held with First Light Fiber on the availability of internet services to be provided for the Town and Village of Ellicottville. While the Town Hall is already connected, it could better service the municipalities to consolidate various locations and departments, optimizing the services at hand. iCloud storage would be available for documents and record keeping, safeguarding important information on a digital scale. There would be a need to cover the upfront cost, however the long-term savings look promising.
Next up on the evening’s agenda, the Board heard from the Department Heads of the Police, Engineering, Planning, and Highway regarding their reports.
The Police Department went over the most recent activities throughout the Town and in a joint effort, each report includes Village logs as well. Officer-in-Charge Bouchard made the announcement of plans to hire Teresa Welker as a Special Police Officer and the addition would help with current staffing. The Board agreed and approved of the hire and welcomed the new officer to the force.
Continuing in the report, the Police Department shared the events of the recent community meeting. The evening went well, and concerns were heard by residents in attendance. Some of the most notable of those included speeding and noise from semi-trucks using Jake Brakes. The need for a speed control sign is being researched, with the proper channels being explored to acquire one. Residents thanked the police force for their presence and visibility throughout the area. After review by the Board, the Police Report was accepted.
The Highway Department, led by Scot Brumagin, began by notifying the Town Board that they are still in the process of filling job vacancies, as they currently conduct interviews. As a reminder to any qualified and interested individuals, the Town has posted available positions within the Announcements section on the official Ellicottville website at www.ellicottvillegov.com.
Mr. Brumagin also included in the report that he will be attending the Local Roads are Essential Highway Advocacy Day in Albany, NY, which will be held March 3-4, 2025. The day is used to host a wide range of over 700 highway officials who campaign for the essential maintenance and repair of local roads. The aim is to urge the Governor and State lawmakers to better prioritize the State Budget around funding local roads, bridges, and culverts. The Highway Department’s report was accepted along with the approval of Mr. Brumagin’s attendance to Local Roads are Essential Day.
The Planning Department was next to present. Greg Keyser, Department Head, shared the most recent developments for the month of February. Granicus has updated the Town of Ellicottville that they will have a proposal on their system to oversee short-term rentals. They aim to better connect local government and residents through various digital operations. The software company will have their submission ready for presentation at the next Town Board meeting in March. Gordian, a job order consultant, offers municipalities leading construction data and facility insights to best serve potential projects and planning. With some cases eliminating the need to put out job bids, the Town is considering the potential they could serve for standard work projects in the future. The Planning Department’s report was accepted by the Board.
Ben Gross, Head of Engineering, followed with his department’s monthly report. The Town Center Floor will be going through a resurfacing as budgeting has been made available. The project will include grinding and smoothing the auditorium floors and will potentially look into a partnership with the Rotary Club. The Town Board agreed to approve advertising bids for the project. Northwood Sash and Joinery put in a bid for the Town Hall Front Door Project. They have been highly recommended for their historic restoration projects. The Town Board agreed to accept their bid and will move on to the next stage of the project. The entirety of the Engineering Report was accepted by the Town Board.
Last to be discussed were some matters in Old Business.
Town Attorney Pullen is reviewing drafts made by the Employee Handbook Committee and will schedule a meeting to go over the proposals.
The EVGV Trail will have a public forum on February 27th at the Town Center from 6:00-8:00pm. Supervisor McAndrew reviewed the current finances of the Trail committee with the Town Board.
6515 Donlen Drive has been appointed a referee to continue foreclosure arrangements with a court date set.
The evening then came to close as the meeting was called to adjourn. The Town Board of Ellicottville will meet next month as scheduled for the third Wednesday, March 19, 2025 at 6:00pm.