From left Busti Town Board Member Jim Andrews and Supervisor Jesse Robbins conduct business Monday. P-J photo by Michael Zabrodsky

LAKEWOOD – Although she does not have a title yet, Heather Nolan-Caskey will step into a new leadership role at the Chautauqua Lake Association.

CLA President John Ford told the Busti Town Board on Monday that Nolan-Caskey will be taking over for Douglas Conroe. Nolan-Caskey had been the CLA administrative and community services manager.

She did speak briefly about harvesting weeds on Chautauqua Lake.

“It’s just like the balance between a lake user and fishermen. The fishermen want the weeds, but if you’re water skiing or boating, you don’t. So it’s a tough balance. We know that,” Nolan-Caskey said. “I’m driving these shores every day.”

Board member Todd Hanson noted that different people have different uses for the weeds harvested on the lake.

And board member Jim Andrews said the wind has a lot to do with how CLA crews harvest weeds.

“Another part of it is the wind. They (CLA crews) can come in and cut, and (the lake) it will be absolutely beautiful, and the wind changes, and it doesn’t look like they have been there in months,” Andrews said.

In a related matter, Nolan-Caskey said in an Aug. 2 Post-Journal article that CLA crews have been actively working in the southern basin, which includes Burtis Bay, to harvest weeds.

She said in the article that some homeowners said not enough work is being done to harvest weeds, and Nolan-Caskey said the CLA has increased the amount of harvesters in the area from two to five.

“The community is coming together to help and we are finally seeing a dent,” Nolan-Caskey previously said. “People have suggested using herbicides, but the bulk of the weeds are a native species and there is currently no approved herbicide in New York State for a native species.”

A weekly work plan can be seen on the CLA’s website chautauqualakeassociation.org. Part of the mission of the CLA is to provide effective and efficient lake maintenance services for the benefit of all those who enjoy the lake.

In other business:

– The board approved an addition to the employee handbook where an employee now can start donating sick time to any other town employee. There is no minimum or maximum amount.

“So anyone can donate, with whatever the sick time that they got saved up to help someone out, and it’s at the person donating discretion, what they want to donate,” Supervisor Jesse Robbins said.

– The board also accepted the 90-day notice of discontinuance of the 2025 town of Carroll/town of Busti assessor agreement.

– The board also approved a Busti Volunteer Fire Department fund raiser dice run on town roads on Aug. 30.