From left Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel; Lakewood Village Mayor Randall Holcomb; Executive Director of the Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance Randall Perry; Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy Special Projects Coordinator John Jablonski III; Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance Project Manager Taylor West, and EcoStrategies Engineering and Surveying Environmental Engineer Andy Johnson. Behind the officials is where the project will be constructed. P-J photo by Michael Zabrodsky

LAKEWOOD — Although construction is not slated to begin until later in the summer, the Grandview Stormwater Management Project will help improve Chautauqua Lake.

Andy Johnson, project engineer, outlined four main goals of the project:

¯ To improve water quality to Chautauqua Lake

¯ To reduce downstream flooding problems

¯ To create new wetlands and wildlife habitat

¯ To create a nature park for Lakewood residents to enjoy

Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance Project Engineer Taylor West echoed Johnson’s comments.

“The project will transform a vacant parcel of Village-owned land into a series of engineered wetland complexes and a surface nature park. Once completed, the project will reduce sediment and nutrient loading to Chautauqua Lake and help address flooding along Fairmount Ave near the Save-A-Lot Plaza. The project design calls for the creation of approximately 100,000 cubic feet of stormwater detention through the creation of vernal pools, wetland complexes, and swales. Vegetation ranging from steep slope grass seed mixes to tree and shrub plantings are also anticipated to be installed to help improve water quality and site stability and provide wildlife habitat,” West said.

West added that Aphosphorus binding media will also be incorporated into rock structures at the site to help remove dissolved phosphorus and other constituents. Atrail around the facility and educational signage will be installed so that the public can utilize this site for active and passive recreation and learn about the project’s impacts on the lake. Construction is scheduled for completion during the winter and spring 2024.

“We are grateful for this project because it has been an issue for years and years,” Mayor Randy Holcomb said.

“It will be an added bonus to protect the environment downstream,” Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel added. “These large projects are really making huge impacts on the lake.”

West added that the Project was initially envisioned by the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy (CWC), EcoStrategies Engineering & Surveying PLLC, and the Village of Lakewood in 2019. In early 2020 the Village of Lakewood secured a Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance (CLWMA) Consolidated Local Funding Grant to complete property acquisition (via Town of Busti &R. Davidson), site assessments, and a feasibility study for the project (prepared by EcoStrategies). Shortly thereafter, the CLWMA helped the Village secure a Chautauqua County Occupancy Tax 2% Lakes and Waterways Grant to help support a share of the final design and construction. The Village and CLWMA then secured the final piece of project funding needed to construct the project with a 2021 Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). The series of local grants dating back to 2020 was used as local match to leverage approximately $250,000 in additional state funding.

Recently the village awarded a construction bid for the project to Rock of Western New, Inc. of Mayville, for $248,000.

West said The majority of the project cost is funded by the Environmental Protection Fund administered by the NYSDEC through the Water Quality Improvement Project program. The local match is expected to come from the Alliance/Foundation Match Fund supported by the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation (CRCF), The Lenna Foundation, and the Holmberg Foundation, a County Occupancy Tax 2 percent Lakes and Waterways Grant to the Village of Lakewood, and a portion of a 2020 CLWMA Consolidated Foundation Grant with funding provided by The Lenna Foundation, the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation, and the CRCF.