From left are Lakewood-Busti Police Chief Chris DePonceau and Lakewood Village Attorney John LaMancuso. P-J photo by Michael Zabrodsky

LAKEWOOD — The Lakewood Village Board has extended Lakewood-Busti Police Chief Christopher DePonceau’s provisonal appointment.

Trustees unanimously approved the appointment at Monday’s meeting.

“He’s doing a great job and (we are) looking forward to continue working with him,” Trustee Ben Troche said.

DePonceau said he is grateful to be reappointed. He was appointed in 2001.

“I hope I get to stay here for many years,” DePonceau said. “I like helping the community and I like serving the community.”

Trustees also approved the authorization of the Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance, Inc. to submit the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation’s Water Quality Improvement Project grant application for the village’s Fairmount Avenue Constructed Wetland Project. The project will not cost the village any money, Mayor Randy Holcomb said. The grant will be reimbursable with the village’s out-of pocket end cost projected at zero. With the WQIP application, the village’s state environmental quality review negative declaration was also OK’d. A negative declaration means there is no adverse environmental impact.

According to dec.ny.gov, WQIP program is a competitive, reimbursement grant program that funds projects that directly improve water quality or aquatic habitat, promote flood risk reduction, restoration, and enhanced flood and climate resiliency, or protect a drinking water source.

In order to further address flooding impacts within the community and reduce sediment and nutrient discharge to Chautauqua Lake, the Village of Lakewood has worked with the Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance, the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy (CWC), and EcoStrategies Engineering & Surveying to complete a NYSDEC-compliant Feasibility Study for a project along Fairmount Avenue. With a total estimated budget of $306,095, a $61,219 local match investment would leverage a NYSDEC WQIP grant of $244,87, said Randall Perry, executive director of the alliance.

“If funded, the project would transform an aged, largely non-functioning stormwater basin into a shallow wetland pond system with forebay, micropools, vegetated low flow channels, and other green infrastructure features. In addition to providing flood reduction near Gifford, Erie, and Brook streets and water quality benefits to the lake, the project will also provide the co-benefits of improved wildlife habitat and community aesthetics along a frequently traveled commercial corridor. This project highlights the collaborative work being done locally in the watershed to mitigate nutrient and sediment loads entering Chautauqua Lake, which has been designated by New York state as one of 12 priority lakes for harmful algal blooms (HABs). It also continues to build on the successes of a planning-based approach to stormwater management in the village and complements other successful stormwater projects recently implemented by the Village and its partners as a means to benefit the lake and community,” Perry said in statement.

In other business trustees approved the distribution of $5,000 of budgeted money for lake management association fees. The Chautauqua Lake Association will receive $2,000. The Chautauqua Lake Partnership will receive $2,000, and the CWC will receive $1,000.

The next meeting is scheduled for Aug. 14, at 6:30 p.m.