Sunday, December 24, 2006

Chautauqua Lake Management Commission

CLMC To Hire Lake Manager
By PATRICK L. FANELLI

12/24/2006 - After securing $567,000 in county funding for next year and an additional $200,000 in state grants, the Chautauqua Lake Management Commission is on the lookout for someone to manage it all.

By March, CLMC members are hoping to have a full-time lake manager not only to implement the organization’s 2007 Action Plan to improve Chautauqua Lake and the watershed, but also set the stage for the future.

‘‘We’re looking for somebody with an academic background in a field related to the management of a fresh water lake, and also have appropriate experience in doing this,’’ said Bill Evans, CLMC chairman. ‘‘We approved a job description and preferred qualifications, and are in the process right now of placing ads in various newspapers and different institutes of higher learning.’’

The $567,000 the CLMC requested from the county was strictly for individual projects in the lake and the watershed, such as increased weed removal operations and environmental studies. CLMC members previously indicated they knew the county would not approve a new staff position, so they left the lake manager out of the request. Instead, a $149,000 state grant enabled CLMC members to pay for the position.

‘‘We also spelled out a lot of specific goals we would like to accomplish with this person, including the implementation of the 2007 Action Plan both in the watershed and the lake, and also taking on the task of preparing us for 2008 and beyond,’’ Evans said.

That includes identifying revenue sources that would help the commission function well into the future, he added.

To develop the idea of a single person charged with managing Chautauqua Lake, as well as how the CLMC will operate after the position is filled, members have been looking at other lakes in the state, many of which have a governing entity charged with managing them.

‘‘Some do, some don’t,’’ Evans said. ‘‘It depends on the level of interest and the types of problems they’re facing. The Finger Lakes has an institute that pretty much attends to a lot of the issues, and Lake George has a rather sophisticated organization. So we’re trying to learn from them.’’

Chautauqua Lake does have its own unique challenges, he said. For instance, Chautauqua Lake is much shallower than many of the Finger Lakes — but the lake’s underlying importance to the community is the same.

Evans doesn’t expect to find a lake manager until as late as February or March. Until then, CLMC members are likely to continue debating how the organization will function in the future and how to implement the 2007 Action Plan.

‘‘We’ve got a good financial foothold for 2007,’’ Evans said. ‘‘Now, it’s up to us to get the job done.’’
For more information on Chautauqua Lake Real Estate & Living visit: www.chautauqualakehomes.com


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