Rebecca Wurster, Planning Coordinator for the Chautauqua County Department of Planning & Economic Development, talks about the local Waterfront Revitalization Program to the members of the Ripley Town Council.

RIPLEY — Town council members received a presentation from Planning Coordinator for the Chautauqua County Department of Planning & Economic Development, Rebecca Wurster, at their regular meeting last month.

Wurster spoke to council members about the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program or LWRP, which involves several communities along Lake Erie in Chautauqua County. The program assists communities in creating a land and water plan by identifying projects, establishing local policies and implementing techniques, Wurster said.

Having a unified community vision and plan for the waterfront can help a municipality attract developers “that will respect its unique cultural and natural characteristics,” Wurster said. “It also establishes a partnership between community organizations, local government and the state, as well as increasing a community’s chances to obtain funding for its projects.”

There are seven sections to the LWRP, Wurster said. These include community boundaries, inventory and analysis, coastal policies, specific projects, techniques to implement those projects, and State and Federal regulations. “These last two are boilerplate policies,” she said. “They have to be included.”

Ripley will need to designate a planner for the LWRP, Wurster said. The process will include community engagement through public meetings and the project website, she added. More information can be found online at www.northernchqlwrp.com.

In other business, Ripley Supervisor Laura K. Pless reported that the fire department has donated an AED to the town. “I always thought an AED in this building would be appropriate,” she said. “We are grateful to the fire department. These things cost about $4,000.”

Pless added that all town employees will receive basic training in using the AED should an emergency occur.

Board members also approved a motion to appoint SynchroNet Consulting Firm to provide IT support for the town. Pless said that she, Councilman Lee Swoap and Water and Sewer Superintendent Andrew Strine had met with three different firms and chose SynchroNet. “We’ve been looking at this for some time,” Pless said.

Furthermore, council members approved the appointment of Deputy Clerk Nicole Gerhardt as Assessor Clerk. She is currently receiving training for the position, Pless said. “There are a lot of steps Nicole has to go through.”

Town Clerk Ryleigh Enterline noted in her report that 120 people have signed up for the mass texting option. “I think that’s really awesome,” she said.

During the highway report, Councilman Jeff Lyon noted residents who plow snow across a road must clean up any debris or snow that they put in the road. Otherwise, they can be fined, he said.

In another matter, council members set May 3, 10 and 17 as large trash days. Pless said the town is considering having all three days take place downtown, since only five or six people made use of the South Ripley location during the last large trash days.