Ellicottville Town Board Meeting Recap
Ellicottville Town Board Meeting Recap
Business Included Options to Replace Front Door of Historic Town Hall and a Newly Proposed Crosby Mart.
Photo / Jessica Schultz, ellicottvilleNOW
On Wednesday, September 20th at 6:00pm, the Ellicottville Town Board meeting was called to order by Town Supervisor Matthew McAndrew.
To start the evening, Privilege of the Floor was opened to Nancy Redeye of Flynn Battaglia Architects. She began by going into detail on the efforts to replace the front door of the Town Hall. This is a project she has been working on with the Town of Ellicottville to preserve the integrity of the building’s history and likeliness. Seeing as the building dates back to 1829, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and would need to be approved by SHPO (State Historic Preservation Office) for any changes.
Nancy Redeye presented two options to consider, both offering their own authentic characteristics and detail. Ultimately, Members of the Board were most impressed with a design choice they felt matched the look of an 1890 Town Hall picture. There was a request made to consider adding windows to the door; to make this possible, a custom-built wooden door is being suggested with the cost of $20,000. The price should be noted, and it is in consideration of the Town’s budget. With a $250,000 grant for doors and windows, $70,000 is budgeted for this year. The discussion continued and another suggestion was made to change the Town Hall signage. It was proposed to be taken down and add a standalone sign. No set decision was made.
Moving forward on Privilege of the Floor, a NY Citizens Audit was presented by Randy Barber. He provided information with the claim that there were duplicate registrations and votes that were used in the elections of 2020 and 2022. He continued to go into detail on multiple cases and then requested that the Board investigate an audit for the NYS general election, however, no set plan was immediately made to further this request.
To continue with the agenda, the Board went ahead to accept the minutes of three meetings that took place in the month of August 2023 - the standard monthly meeting and two special meetings. Taking place August 16th, 22nd and 28th. All three were motioned in with no objection. These will be made available on the Town and Village of Ellicottville, NY website at ellicottvillegov.com.
The Short Term Rental Committee is currently working on ways to find the best fit course of action to better any future regulations that may be put into effect. They have put out a survey that was passed along to municipal buildings with the hope of positive suggestions and feedback. While short term rentals are seen in both positive and negative light, welcomed tourist vs. rowdy guest, the Committee is continuously looking for ways to achieve the best possible outcome for the community. If you are looking to brush up on the Town’s current regulations or are considering applying for your own permit, you can find information at ellicottvillegov.com.
Scot Brumagin of the Highway Department had a few updates for the Board. There has been a newly delivered loader and grader; this is a welcome addition for the work that is currently going on throughout the town. Shoulder work and patching is being done, as well as skid paving on Tolan Road. With 98% of the shoulder pulled on Holiday Valley Road, they estimate that there will be two more days of blacktopping to complete. While on the topic of the Holiday Valley Road project, it was agreed that the funding should be budgeted from the water project. This request will be sent to Jeff Smith of Municipal Solutions for his approval.
Moving on to Town Planner Greg Keyser, he addressed a few current projects and proposals that are being made. First off, the Simmon Road Solar project has been approved with conditions from the Planning Board. This will mean that the Town Board will have to come together to arrange a HOST agreement.
There was also mention that the currently proposed Crosby Mart is now under Environmental review. This will take into consideration if the project meets the federal, state, and local environmental standards and impacts.
Local brewery, Steelbound, was brought to light as they move forward with an expansion that involves plans to build a hotel and conference center. This would be a big move for the brewing facility, as many look forward to seeing the progress that is to come.
The Board continued the meeting with the Engineering Department’s Ben Slotman addressing the current report. It was brought to attention that the Town’s Trailer Park well site and building are in need of improvements. He goes on to explain that the windows, stairs and roof are all in need of repair and a motion was set and accepted to resolve these needs. A committee involving Supervisor McAndrew, Engineer Slotman, and Superintendent Brumagin will select consultants from the County list of Engineering Firms for two projects: BridgeNY and CulvertNY. This ensures a hands-on approach in leading the direction for the future developments.
Looking back on some of the Old Business that the Town Board wanted to address. Congratulations is in order for Ellen Frank, who was accepted on the motion to fill the position of Town Historian. This position begins October 1, 2023.
Another positive reflection was of the EVGV Trail. They had recently held a hot dog fundraiser which allowed for some major donations and was an all-around success. The EVGV Committee is committed to building up the walking, biking and cross-country trails in the Ellicottville area. There is always the opportunity to keep up to date, learn more and donate to The EVGV Trail.
Following these high notes, Supervisor McAndrews called for the Town of Ellicottville Board Meeting to be adjourned. The Board will continue to meet each third Wednesday of the month at 6:00pm, unless otherwise noted. For the most current information available, go to ellicottvillegov.com.