Contact:

Megan Kocher, NYSG Great Lakes Outreach Coordinator, E: mk2236@cornell.edu, P: (716) 645-3011

NOTE: The project below received funding via the Great Lakes Basin Small Grants program, which is supported by New York Sea Grant, in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The New York Great Lakes Basin Small Grants Program is funded through the New York State Environmental Protection Fund and Article 14 of Environmental Conservation Law.

— Filed by Times of Wayne County

Butler, NY, September 16, 2023 - Butler Supervisor Tommy Mettler announced this week that the Town is moving forward on a grant received a few months ago, which will enhance many parts of the Town for the benefit of residents.

The grant, obtained through the Atlantic States Legal Foundation (ASLF), was suggested by an acquaintance Mettler made during the sludge debate in town.

The Supervisor was told about the grant opportunity earlier this year and informed that if the Town wanted to be a part of the application, they needed to sign and get on board by the end of the week. Mettler called together his board members and got the OK to apply.

ASLF recently received a New York Sea Grant for $49,690. With this grant ASLF facilitated its project "Community Driven Restoration for Butler Mill Pond" in partnership with the Town of Butler.

This project will assist the Town of Butler to enhance the Mill Pond through a community-driven planning process, to develop needed improvements and to facilitate the initiation of a community-based effort for continued management.

ASLF worked directly with community members and leaders to reassess Butler Mill Pond and Wolcott Creek based on Ecosystem Based Management (EBM) principals, recognizing their key values for the Butler community and the watershed, identifying factors of impediment for both community uses and ecosystem health, prioritizing conservation and improvement needs, and developing a plan with both implementable project(s) and management action items to help restore and protect these natural resources.

They will now be able to maintain Butler Mill Pond as an important recreational and environmental asset, as well as a grant-funded public space improvement on Town property near the pond.

Plans are underway for some great renovations and new preservation projects,

Besides work on the Town Hall which will include renovating the bathrooms to ADA compliance, adding an office for Code Enforcement, and more storage space, a grand gazebo (20’ x 12’) will be constructed back by the pond behind the Town Hall on Butler Center Road.

A boat launch is being considered, landscape with wildlife sustainability is in the plans with a perennial garden and fruit trees, plus picnic tables and benches, down to the Mill Pond.

As part of the community input, some of the ideas for the grant money came from resident Chad Mandenhall, who presented his plans/ideas to the Town Board.

Together with COVID money and a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for $300,000 which the Town is preparing, Butler will be in line for $460,000 in renovations, updates and development of downtown.

Mettler stated that the design firm Clark Patterson-Lee is working on the plans.

Mettler also announced that Butler now has an official municipal website for information and contacts. The new site, launched this week is: www.townofbutlerny.com

Residents will find board minutes, agendas, contact information (via email),  as well as Departmental information and news/info. You will find information and forms for vital statistics, dog,   marriage and DEC licenses. You can download applications for Building permits, and land usage info.

The Supervisor and town board members hope that residents will use the site often.

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In Media: Butler Will Revamp Town Properties With Nearly $500K in Grants

— Filed by FingerLakes1.com

Butler, NY, September 19, 2023 - Officials in the town of Butler will soon begin a comprehensive enhancement of town areas, thanks to a sizable grant secured a few months prior.

The Atlantic States Legal Foundation (ASLF) facilitated the project “Community Driven Restoration for Butler Mill Pond” in partnership with the town, using a New York Sea Grant of $49,690.

This collaborative endeavor will see Butler Mill Pond undergo significant improvements aimed at recognizing and preserving its environmental and recreational values.

The grant will fund a variety of initiatives, including a grand 20’x12′ gazebo by the pond, ADA-compliant renovations at the Town Hall, a potential boat launch, and scenic landscaping with perennial gardens and fruit trees near the Mill Pond.

Additional plans include new storage areas, an office for Code Enforcement, and scenic additions like picnic tables and benches.

Supplementing these plans with a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) worth $300,000 and COVID relief funds, Butler is primed to undergo renovations and downtown developments totaling $460,000.

As the design firm Clark Patterson-Lee crafts detailed plans, the town has also launched an official website, www.townofbutlerny.com, offering residents easy access to crucial municipal information, forms, and departmental news. Supervisor Mettler and the town board are optimistic about the transformations ahead and encourage locals to utilize the new digital platform frequently.


More Info: New York Sea Grant

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York (SUNY), is one of 34 university-based programs under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program.

Since 1971, NYSG has represented a statewide network of integrated research, education and extension services promoting coastal community economic vitality, environmental sustainability and citizen awareness and understanding about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources.

Through NYSG’s efforts, the combined talents of university scientists and extension specialists help develop and transfer science-based information to many coastal user groups—businesses and industries, federal, state and local government decision-makers and agency managers, educators, the media and the interested public.

The program maintains Great Lakes offices at Cornell University, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Oswego and the Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark. In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University and with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County on Long Island, Brooklyn College and Cornell Cooperative Extension in NYC and Kingston in the Hudson Valley.

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube links. NYSG offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/nycoastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published quarterly.