Ellicott Town Board members have taken the first step toward a prohibition of all Battery Energy Storage Systems in the town.

During the board’s meeting in May, Marilyn Fiore-Lehman, town attorney, presented the board with two options: prohibiting all Battery Energy Storage Systems or regulating systems by size. Fiore-Lehman recommended prohibiting all of the systems now since the town can change its regulations later. She said the state has yet to set any guidelines for BESS systems.

The local law prohibits the construction, maintenance and placement of Battery Storage Systems and Equipment in the town of Ellicott. A public hearing on the local law will be held on Tuesday, June 2, in the Town Council Chambers at 5:30 p.m.

During the March Chautauqua County Board of Health meeting, more than 30 residents were in attendance with a number of them speaking during the Privilege of the Floor at the beginning of the meeting asking the Health Department issue new and stronger guidance regarding wind turbines and battery energy storage systems.

There are no Battery Energy Storage Systems in existence in the county right now.

Two developers have come before the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency regarding tax assistance for Battery Energy Storage Systems.

In August, 2024 the county IDA sold about 12 acres of vacant land in the town of Ellicott to Granite Source Power. The property is on Dow Street, south of Allen Street.

Granite Source Power officials said they’re looking to install a 100-megawatt battery storage project there.

They described their project as a shipping container that one would see on a freightliner. Inside the containers would be racks of modules made up of batteries.

Granite Source Power officials said the state takes two years to evaluate the grid. If the state gives its approval, the next step is procuring the equipment, which can take another two years.

If approved by the state, Granite Source Power officials said it may cost up to $100 million to construct and requested consideration for some sort of financial assistance.

IDA officials gave them until early 2027 to return to them with a plan.

In other business:

– Robert Pickett, town highway superintendent, said the department had cleaned a half-mile of ditches, repaired four deteriorated catch basins, fixed a sinkhole on Bentley, repaired 12 washout areas, had patched blacktop and begun preparing for 7.5 miles of road for chip seal. The Highway Department also worked with the county Public Facilities Department and the county Soil and Water Conservation District and Soil and Water to do an emergency rebuild of the creekbank on Wilson Hollow Road. The department will also help with installation of a historical dedication marker on Fairmount Avenue for Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson.

– Councilman Ken Swan said he looked at the deteriorating roof at the Ellicott Highway Garage. Swan said the roof is in rough shape and needs to be replaced.