P-J photo by Christopher Blakeslee From left, Lakewood Village Trustees John Shedd, Benjamin J. Troche, Village Mayor Randall Holcomb, Trustees Ellen Barnes, Nancy Jones, Chief of Police Christopher DePonceau, Attorney Marilyn Fiore-Lehman and Department of Public Works Supervisor Thomas Pilling, conduct village business Monday at the Village’s Town Hall, 20 W. Summit St.

LAKEWOOD – Lakewood Village Board members will talk more about the Chautauqua Mall at a later date.

On Monday, at the Lakewood Village Board of Trustees Meeting, 20 W. Summit St., Trustee Ellen Barnes said that more information was needed regarding the mall. The board had been scheduled to discuss a proposal by Imagine Solutions the village had received in December to develop an Area Plan focused around the current Chautauqua Mall property.

As previously reported in a 2024 Post-Journal story, the board of trustees have been attempting to tackle the puzzle of the Chautauqua Mall. The story said that trustees were briefed by Brian Kulpa, an architect and urban planner with Imagine Solutions of Amherst.

“Mr. Kulpa from Imagine Solutions, attended our meeting in November (2024), and he did give us a proposal in December,” Barnes said. “We don’t know all the details, but the county offices may move to the mall, and this puts a little of a wrinkle in it.”

However, Barnes said that the zoning of the mall property is crucial to allowing it to be developed into something that is advantageous for the village. She then requested that the board table discussion revolving around the mall to a future meeting date, which was unanimously approved by the board. Barnes previously stated that she wanted to see what can be done with the mall since many retailers have left the shopping center leaving it somewhat barren.

“The village has lost a lot,” she said.

Additionally, trustees, who also act as the village’s Board of Fire Commissioners, unanimously voted and approved the following members for command leadership positions for the fire department. Kurt Hallberg, chief; Steve Smouse, first assistant chief; and Alex Hallberg, second assistant chief. Hallberg said the fire department responded 1,090 calls for service the department answered in 2024, one fewer than in 2023.

In other business:

– The Lakewood/Busti Chief of Police Christopher DePonceau said that the police department responded to 10,333 calls for service in 2024, and year-to-date the department has received 204 calls for service in 2025.

– The Trustees authorized Lakewood Mayor Randall Holcomb the authorization to execute the Lakewood-Busti Police Contract Agreement between the Village of Lakewood and the town of Busti.

– A public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 27 at 6:40 p.m. at the village’s hall regarding an Alternate Veterans Exception within the Village of Lakewood.