Ted McCague, village historic preservation committee chairman, talks to Lakewood Village Trustees about revitalizing the village’s waterfront at Richard O. Hartley Park. Looking on are Lakewood Volunteer Fire Department Chief Kurt Hallberg and Village Code Enforcement Officer Jeff Swanson. P-J photo by Michael Zabrodsky

LAKEWOOD — Village trustees want to look into revitalizing the waterfront.

Trustees approved a request for proposals for a consultant for the Richard O. Hartley Park Waterfront Revitalization and Improvement Project on Monday.

Ted McCague, village historic preservation committee chairman who is assisting the village, said the work entails a consultant to look at the shoreline and revitalization of the area near the beach.

Trustee Nancy Jones aired some concerns, and wanted to know how the revitalization would affect the beach and swimming area.

McCague said that the purpose of the RFP is to get a consultant to explore those kinds of concerns. “This (project) is being funded by a grant that the village earned,” he said.

The grant, McCague added, is $30,000 of which the village received on Dec. 18, 2023 from Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth.

Because it’s a public beach, Trustee Ellen Barnes questioned whether the hired consultant would work with the board to maintain residents’ access to the beach.

“The answer is — absolutely,” McCague said. “This is not a private process. It’s a public process.

McCague said as part of the RFP, public hearings will be held to gather comments from residents.

Jay Young, Chautauqua Lake Watershed Management Alliance communications coordinator said The RFP was written in a way where the consultant would be asked to do a lot of fact finding from both the board and from the public in taking in recommendations for what the board would like to consider and see.

In other business:

— Trustees tabled a motion to allow Robert DiMaio to purchase a portion of the village-owned paper street, Sheldon Place. DiMaio has proposed $2,500 for the parcel which would include the survey cost and all legal fees associated with the proposed purchase.

— Trustees approved the appointment of Peter Ochocki as the village historian for the remainder of the 2024 calendar year. Ochocki will receive a $500 per-year stipend.

— Trustees accepted the resignation of part-time police officer Douglas Goodwin.

— Trustees approved the hiring of part-time police officer James Curtis. His pay rate is $27 per hour.

— Trustees heard concerns from Lynn Kinnear regarding a variance near her property. No action was taken, and the matter has been referred back to the Lakewood Zoning and Planning Board.