From left, Lakewood Village Trustee Ellen Barnes, Mayor Randy Holcomb, Trustee Ben Troche, and Trustee Scott Cooper conduct business Monday. P-J photo by Michael Zabrodsky

LAKEWOOD – Lakewood Village Board members are looking for New York State grant funding to offset costs to help restore the beach shoreline at Richard O. Hartley Park.

EcoStrategies Engineer Andrew Johnson updated trustees Monday that the grant application is due by July 31, and the village is making progress on the application.

Johnson said the shoreline is about 440 feet long. One-third is trees, one-third is beach, and one-third is a concrete retaining wall, Johnson said. He added that as part of the process, the village will responsible for at least 20-25 percent in match funds.

Johnson noted that a rough estimate for the project is $500,000, so the village would be responsible for about $100,000 which could include in-kind services.

Johnson had met with representatives from Lakewood Department of Public Works and discussed in-kind work including moving some sand and possibly relocating the flagpole.

“We want to make sure they (DPW workers) are comfortable and that we’re not stretching the resources you (the village) have,” Johnson said. “None of this (work) would happen for at least a year.”

The funds the village is seeking will come from either the state Water Quality Improvement Project Program or the Lakefront Water Revitalization Program.

Johnson said he will probably seek funding from the LWRP.

According to the department of state website dos.ny.gov, the LWRP serves as the Office of Planning and Development’s primary program for working in partnership with waterfront communities across the State to address local and regional (coastal or inland) waterway issues, improve water quality and natural areas, guide development to areas with adequate infrastructure and services away from sensitive resources, promote public waterfront access, and provide for redevelopment of underutilized waterfronts.

In other business:

Trustees heard from four village residents regarding proposed alternative improvements to the proposed Fairmount Avenue sidewalk extension project.

In a May 27 letter to both Village Mayor Randy Holcomb and Busti Town Supervisor Jesse Robbins, Cameron Schulz, DOT regional design engineer, said the project is a safety and paving project that is also intended to provide active transportation improvements to pedestrian connectivity.

At its June 8 meeting Holcomb read the letter to the board and anyone else in attendance, so it could be entered into the official meeting minutes.

“I’m really disappointed because we weren’t notified of the possible change that could happen in the sidewalk system,” resident Ellen Coffaro said.

Former Village Trustee Nancy Jones said the project invades on people’s property.

“You know how I feel about sidewalks. I don’t think they’re necessary. … there are other people here that it’s going to infringe on their closeness, their peace of mind,” Jones said.

In the letter, Schulz said NYSDOT has reviewed and considered all the public input and the pedestrian count results, which demonstrate pedestrian use of NY Route 394. As such, NYSDOT plans to progress the project with an adjusted preferred alternative.

The following improvements are listed with the proposed preferred alternative:

– Resurfacing Route 394 between Winch Road and Elmcrest Avenue.

– Widening for a center two-way left turn lane along Route 394 between Shadyside and Elmcrest avenues.

– Replacement of signage throughout the corridor.

– New sidewalk installation along the north side of Route 394 between Shadyside and Chautauqua avenues. Schulz said this action will close a critical gap in sidewalk between the village and the urban center.

– New sidewalk along the south side of Route 394 between Route 474, and Green Street. Schulz said there are a significant number of destinations (ice cream shop, mini golf, cinema, a plaza, etc.) throughout the segment.

Schulz said installing sidewalks segments between Chautauqua Avenue and Green Street are not currently included in the preferred alternative.

Trustee Ellen Barnes noted that she has written to Schulz concerning the proposed alternative project.

She stated that she is not anti-sidewalk. She said the village needs more sidewalks in many areas.

“I am concerned about the impact sidewalks will bring to the above-mentioned area (Green Street area) when it appears that there is little property available for expansion. I also have the above stated safety concerns,” Barnes wrote.

Barnes also wrote another letter to Schulz to look at the 150-foot median on Fairmount Avenue near Mall Boulevard. She asked Schulz to consider removing the median as it creates safety and traffic issues. She noted that the DOT should add the median removal to the proposed project.
Barnes and Holcomb told residents to reach out to the DOT as the project is not Lakewood’s but the state’s.

Residents can contact Schulz at (716) 847-3214.