A feasibility study contract with Spurrier Contracting was approved by the Town Board at a cost not to exceed $4,900. If the project is not feasible, the Town may exit the contract at a cost of $3,000. Town officials are relieved that the cost is far less significant than expected.

The feasibility study will pertain to vacant properties along the Routes 5 and 20 corridor. Supervisor Lou Pelletter stated that a developer has inquired about the region to potentially build a hotel. Pelletter and Town Councilman Ed Schintzius each stated earlier this year how vital a hotel would be to the region.

“Hopefully we can get a hotel over here,” Schintzius said at a previous meeting while noting the thriving tourism industry due to local fishing spots. “People come from all over the place and I see people ask, ‘Where can I find a place to stay overnight in this area to go fishing?’ Right now, Cattaraugus Creek is one of the best places to go, and they are going to Dunkirk. The Town of Hanover is missing out a lot.”

As he has stated since 2017, Pelletter remains hopeful for the construction of a hotel in Hanover. He believes a hotel would serve as “an anchor” in the region. Comments made by Pelletter and Schintzius caught the attention of a developer who reached out to the Town, which prompted the Board to reach an agreement with Spurrier Contracting due to its experience with hotel management. The Town is hopeful to receive the results of the study in approximately three weeks.

Town of Hanover Supervisor Lou Pelletter revealed that a developer reached out to the Town with interest in building a hotel along the Routes 5 and 20 corridor.

Pelletter stated that it is possible that a hotel by itself might not be as likely as if it were tied to other developments in the region, as well. With that in mind, the Town has emphasized development opportunities along Routes 5 and 20 in recent months.

A public hearing was recently held to amend the Town’s local zoning law to change multiple parcels along Routes 5 and 20 and on Buffalo Road in Irving from residential to commercial, extending the area’s business district. Only one of the landowners impacted by the change spoke at the public hearing, and did not object to the change. The Board later unanimously approved the change, which will likely take effect by the end of the month once filed by the Secretary of State.

The Town is also officially set to proceed with its waterline replacement capital project along Routes 5 and 20. The completion date is no later than May 26, 2025, but all parties involved expect the work to conclude far sooner than that. The Town expects the construction phase of the project to conclude in January of 2025.

The Town Board accepted a contract with Tim Nearhoof to serve as a resident representative to oversee the project – formerly referred to as clerk of the works – at a cost of $2,500 per week, not to exceed $45,000 in totality. The Town elected to hire Nearhoof, with Water and Sewer Department Supervisor Robert Weiskerger as a substitute, rather than contract with an engineer through the project’s engineering firm.

The Town is authorized to raise the necessary funds to cover the cost of the project by issuance of bonds in the amount of $393,000 in the event that no other funding is applicable to complete the project. The Town anticipates federal grant funding to cover the remaining cost of the project, but extensive delays have left the Town in a position to where a safeguard for other financing options was necessary as a contingency.

The Town of Hanover previously awarded the bid for its Routes 5 and 20 water main replacement project to DJM Contracting Inc. of Eden, at a cost of $1,162,190.

Also of note, security cameras have been installed at Bicentennial Park on King Road in Forestville. Town residents, taxpayers, and employees may rent Bicentennial Park’s facilities at a cost of $50 per day plus a $100 security deposit, which will be returned upon verification that no damage occurred and all guidelines were followed.

The Town Hall will be closed on Nov. 28 to 29 in observance of Thanksgiving. The Town Clerk’s office will close at 11:30 a.m. today for tax collection training.

The next meeting of the Hanover Town Board is Monday.