OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen At a recent meeting, Councilman Ed Schintzius reiterated his desire for a hotel development in the town of Hanover.

HANOVER — If you’re wondering what ever happened to the thought of a hotel coming to Hanover, you’re not alone. The Town Board is wondering the same thing.

Councilman Ed Schintzius has been reaching out to developers that once expressed an interest in the project. Lately, he can’t even get somebody to pick up the phone.

“We had a company come in, really moving fast trying to get things done, and all of a sudden, everything stopped,” Schintzius said. “… We met with them, they had a plan, and they wanted to get a grant to do everything. Evidently, there were no grants out there for what they wanted, so they just kind of disappeared. … I don’t know why this company just disappeared and won’t answer my phone calls.”

Schintzius first called for a hotel along Routes 5 and 20 several years ago, and often reiterated his support for the idea. With Hanover being a popular destination for fishermen every year with notable fishing tournaments each summer, the need for a hotel is evident. The targeted area is along Routes 5 & 20, which is just off the thruway. Adding a hotel could bring in tourists just looking for a place to stay the night passing through, or for events in town like fishing tournaments, golf tournaments, or even school graduations.

“I’ve had fishermen from all over the country, this past spring, that come up here fishing out on Lake Erie. They say this is one of the best places … but they have no place to stay. They have to go to Hamburg or Dunkirk,” Schintzius said. “It’s very disappointing. We need a hotel up on (Routes) 5 and 20. We’ve proven why.”

Town Supervisor Lou Pelletter agreed with Schintzius’ stance. He has been pushing for a hotel in Hanover since 2017. Pelletter believes a hotel would serve as “an anchor” in the region.

Comments made by Pelletter and Schintzius previously caught the attention of a developer who reached out to the Town, which prompted the Board to hire Spurrier Consulting to conduct a feasibility study on the matter. The Town chose Spurrier due to its prior experience with hotel management.

According to a Travel Research Trend Report conducted as part of the study, excluding rental properties, the nearest lodging for guests of the town of Hanover is 12-13 miles away. Hotel rates from Dunkirk, Fredonia, Hamburg and Lackawanna were analyzed and several brand name hotels were evaluated.

As stated in the conclusion of the report, “After analyzing the area, we strongly believe that a hotel is not just a luxury, but a necessity for the community.”

Spurrier Consulting recommended an 80-room hotel for the area, with seven brands identified as potential suitors – Best Western, Comfort Inn, Country Inn, Sleep Inn, Fairfield Inn, Hampton Inn, and Holiday Inn Express. According to the report, three of the seven brands typically require more than 70 rooms, while the other four brands are typically willing to house fewer than 70 rooms.

According to the report, “Chautauqua County is a stable and secure location for the proposed hotel” due to what was defined as a good industrial base with numerous recreational venues.

Schintzius said he hopes the Town can identify other interested parties to move forward with a hotel development along Routes 5 and 20. The feasibility study was distributed to 12 hotel developers and posted on the town’s website for anyone to view. Town Clerk Elizabeth VanCheri said, “It might be time to re-send it again.”

Additionally, Town Attorney John Grennell attended a meeting regarding an assessment review of Rite Aid in the village of Silver Creek, which was closed this past year due to bankruptcy. Grennell said of the meeting, “Nothing was accomplished.”

Schintzius was temporarily named as Acting Deputy Supervisor in place of Bernie Feldmann, who is currently battling pancreatic cancer. Feldmann’s son, James, a fellow Town Councilman, passed along a message from his father at the latest meeting of the Town Board.

“He wanted me just to tell everyone thank you so much for the outpouring of support for our family during this time,” James Feldmann said. “… He’s still got the town very much on his mind.”

A GoFundMe was launched to support Bernie Feldmann in his fight with pancreatic cancer. More than $1,000 was raised within the first week. The fundraiser can be found online at www.gofundme.com/f/support-bernie-feldmanns-cancer-fight

The next meeting of the Hanover Town Board will be held at Bicentennial Park, located at 611 King Road, Forestville. The workshop will be held at 6:30 p.m., with the regular meeting beginning at 7 p.m., including a ribbon cutting celebrating the recent additions to the park.