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MAYVILLE – County leaders are seeking ideas to improve a popular park nestled along the northwestern edge of Chautauqua Lake.
The public feedback campaign is now underway to discuss the process of improving the Village of Mayville’s Lakeside Park and how the community can get involved.
“Lakeside Park is such a wonderful local and regional asset. And it’s so beautiful already, but what can be built upon that?” asks Wurster. “How can we expand that? What type of public project, private project, does the community want to see to really bring people to our waterfront. Allow people to access the waterfront, bring in new development to Mayville. Bring people up Main Street to visit the shops and territory over in the village there.”
As Rebecca Wurster Planning Coordinator for Chautauqua County explains, a committee made up of community and business stakeholders is seeking public input.
The process to begin improving Lakeside Park was partially prompted by a new condominium development being built just north of the spot.
“The Lodge Project that is coming to the area, and how those private residents might want to interact with the park and allow for the community to interact with that development,” says Wurster.
Once input is collected, the committee will begin to form a plan, which will be discussed and reviewed at a public open house. Once a plan is finalized, they will begin to apply for grants to fund the project.
“It’s also important to think about this project not just as a summer project, but as a potential for bringing people to the area all year round,” explains Wurster. “So maybe it’s in the wintertime, the cool warming huts that snowmobilers can stop at and enjoy. The WinterFest is so huge at this park in Mayville, how do we build off of that and create something even better and more exciting that could not only be just that one weekend in winter but all year-round.”
The committee will consider numerous factors when deciding if an idea can work in the park or not, including environmental and historical.
“It kind of looks at what they currently like at the park. But then it builds on what they would like to see come to the park,” says Wurster. “Ideas for public projects and then also private projects too. Could a cool little wine bar be located nearby? Or something like that is an example of the private side of it. So the survey isn’t too long, it should take you, I’d say 5 to 8 minutes.”
Wurster and the committee hope this project will have a similar impact as Canalside did in Buffalo. An interactive map is included on the website to view the area and leave comments on parts that could be improved.
Both local residents as well as any visitor to the park is encouraged to share their opinions on the site.
The public has until February 25 to complete either an online or physical survey about the priorities that the project should focus on.
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