Ellicottville Village Board Discusses Frozen Water Lines, Sewer Billing, and Comprehensive Plan Updates
Ellicottville Village Board Discusses Frozen Water Lines, Sewer Billing, and Comprehensive Plan Updates
Village tackles winter water issues, reviews utility accounts, and moves forward with long-term planning initiatives.
At the February meeting of the Ellicottville Village Board, Mayor John Burrell stated that the quarterly sales tax check closing out 2025 was $18,803.64, up 22.1% from last year, signifying that the “the county is doing well, very, very well and that is good news.” Other highlights from the meeting are as follows…
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN STATE GRANT
Greg Keyser, Village Planner, informed the Board that Ellicottville was not awarded the State Grant for Comprehensive Planning Monies, which had been applied for. In speaking with the Department of State, Keyser and Village Clerk Amy Hayward were briefed that the grant was highly competitive with 99 applications for $20 million. Of those, 12-13 were awarded for approximately $2 million each. It was recommended that the Village and Town join together for a comprehensive Planning committee to make the application “Shovel Ready” and if they are to apply again, it should be as a joint project between the Town and Village for a stronger application.
Ellicottville’s comprehensive plan is over 10 years old, and Keyser added, “We need to get going…not just an idea with discussions and meetings, but to formulate a plan and preliminary work.”
Mayor Burrell then suggested a Comprehensive Plan Update Committee to include 1-2 Planning Board/Zoning Board of Appeals, 1 Town Board member, 1 Village Board member, and 1 full-time resident. Nancy Rogan was appointed Chairperson and she will in turn appoint the remainder of the committee.
A second Department of State grant application for a feasibility study for a beneficial “shared network server systems” was mentioned.
WATER AND SEWER
The Engineering Department brought forth the water and sewer rate issues. Ben Gross, Village Engineer, was asked by a Board member to explain water and sewer billing on his report. Gross deferred to Ms. Hayward to explain what the Village Clerk’s office was looking into. Hayward explained that she and the Deputy Clerk were reviewing commercial and residential accounts to make sure that they were in the system correctly. Mayor Burrell added that the “goal is to be fair, not to get more money.”
There have been 6 reported frozen water lines due to the exceedingly cold temperatures. The Village is responsible for the curb box to the service line only. In the instance of frozen water lines, the homeowner is responsible to hire a contractor to disconnect from the curb on the homeowner side, which can run about $1,000. If the water is still running in the main, it is most likely frozen on the homeowner side exclusively. NYSEG recommends setting heat to 65-77 degrees when home and at least 58 degrees if away, which is relevant for Ellicottville’s many part-time residents who may also benefit from the recommendation to open kitchen and bathroom cabinets and interior doors to allow for warm air circulation when away. (Energy Saving Tips, NYSEG, www.nyseg.com/smartenergy, 2026). And in severe cold, experts suggest letting a faucet drip slightly.
Waste Treatment Supervisor, Job Lowry, who was not present, shared his report, discussed by the Board. The WWTP discharge was 10% over the allocation, and in January, it was 42% over the daily average. This increase in sewage pointed to an uptick in users for January.
The next meeting of the Ellicottville Village Board, which usually take place on the second Tuesday of each month, has been changed from Tuesday, March 17th to Tuesday March 24th due to St. Patrick’s Day. Meetings are held at the Ellicottville Town Hall, 1 W. Washington St. at 6:00pm. The public is encouraged to attend. Find upcoming meeting agendas and past meetings minutes at villageofellicottvilleny.gov.