Transportation Network

Roads

U.S. and Interstate

The New York State Thruway traverses the northern portion of the Town of Westfield.  Exit 60, located near North Portage Road just north of the Village limits, is the designated exit for Chautauqua Institute travellers to use. The New York State Thruway Authority has indicated that in 1994 the yearly traffic flow past the Westfield exit exceeded 6.2 million vehicles. This figure represents an increase of over 18% since 1990.

State

New York State Route 5 (Lake Road) also spans the entire Town of Westfield along the Lake Erie shore. It is part of the Seaway Trail and was designated in 1996 as one of only 20 National Byways by the Federal Highway Administration. This scenic route has less residential and commercial development than Route 20; most of this development is concentrated in the Barcelona Harbor area. Average annual daily traffic (AADT) on Route 5 from Ripley to Route 394 in Westfield increased from 2,100 to 2,900, or 38%, between 1983 and 1993. AADT counts from Route 394 to Brocton increased from 2,050 in 1988 to 2,950 in 1994, or 44%.

New York State Route 394 (North/South Portage Road) is the only State north-south road in Westfield, extending from Route 5 south through the Village to Mayville and Chautauqua.

New York State Route 20 is a major thoroughfare in the Westfield community, crossing the entire Town from east to west and passing through the center of the Village. This road is dotted with residences, commercial uses and public facilities. AADT counts on Route 20 from Ripley to Route 394 increased 62% between 1987 to 1993, from 1,950 to 3,150. AADT counts on Route 20 east of Route 394 include traffic up to the Fredonia Village line and therefore do not accurately reflect Westfield traffic. These counts have fluctuated greatly, from 4,800 in 1988 to 6,900 in 1991 and 6,150 in 1995.

County

There are four roads owned by Chautauqua County in the Westfield area. Chautauqua County Road 21 (Sherman Road) is a north-south road extending from the Village as Oak Street and through the entire length of the Town. This road becomes State Route 76 south of Nettle Hill Road near the Town of Sherman border. Nettle Hill Road is County Road 333 east of County Road 21. County Road 29 is the extension of Academy Street in the Village of Westfield and runs south east to the Town of Hartfield near Mayville. County Road 56 (Hawley Street) runs from North Portage Street in the Village to Route 5.

Local

The Village of Westfield Street Department maintains 18.75 miles of municipally-owned streets. The Street Department follows a schedule of maintenance for road work. All work is performed by Village employees.

Public Transit

The Chautauqua Area Rural Transit System (CARTS) offers bus service throughout Chautauqua County, both on a demand-response basis and with scheduled runs.

For handicapped individuals, Care-Van Transportation Services provides transportation to medical appointments. Based in Falconer, the company serves eight counties in western New York and in Pennsylvania. Both ambulatory and wheelchair patients can use this service, which accepts Medicaid or private payment.

Air

While there are no airports in Westfield, four facilities located nearby service the area:

• Chautauqua County Airport at Dunkirk - located approximately 20 miles northeast of Westfield in the Town of Sheridan. This airport is classified a "Small Aviation" airport; it does not have airline service and has a low level of aeronautical activity. The primary runway at the airport (5,000' x 100') is long enough for commuter, small passenger and small freight planes but cannot accommodate jumbo jets. The airport has roughly 23,700 annual aircraft operations and 38 based aircraft.

• Chautauqua County Airport at Jamestown - located approximately 30 miles south of Westfield near Jamestown. This airport is served by US Air Express with 70,000 commuter passengers a year. There are roughly 38,000 aircraft operations annually; 32 aircraft are based at the airport. A feasibility study is currently being completed for expanding the commuter service at the airport.

• Erie International Airport - located in Erie, Pennsylvania approximately 33 miles southwest of Westfield. The airport serves 135,000 passengers per year through US Air, Northwest and Continental Airlines.

• Greater Buffalo International Airport - located in the Town of Cheektowaga approximately 65 miles northeast of Westfield. The airport is considered a "medium hub" facility and served nearly 3 million passengers in 1995 via seven commercial airlines (American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, AirTran, United and US Air) and six regional commuter lines. A $200 million expansion project for this airport is currently underway and includes a new passenger terminal.

Rail

The Conrail and Norfolk & Southern rail lines traverse the Town and Village of Westfield and lie between the New York State Thruway and U.S. Route 20. There are no operational passenger stations in Westfield, but there are two stations being maintained as historic landmarks:
• New York Central Passenger Station on English Street - privately owned by Historic Operations, Inc.

• Lake Shore Railroad Freight Station, English Street Extension - owned by Norfolk & Southern Railroad.

The Village has three at-grade crossings at West Pearl, East Pearl and Franklin Streets, all of which have gates and lights. There are five at-grade rail crossings in the Town of Westfield: Gale Street, McKinley Road, Walker Road, Light Road and Rogerville Road.

Municipal

Municipal services include those services provided by the Town and/or Village that are available to the public at large. These services include water, sewer (sanitary sewer and storm sewer), solid waste, electric; gas and telephone services are also discussed, though privately owned.

Water and Sewers

The water supply in Westfield is obtained from the Minton Reservoir on Mt. Baldy Road and from Chautauqua Creek. The Village's water plant is located on Mt. Baldy Road. Most public water lines in Westfield are owned by the Village; water lines outside the Village are privately owned. The Barcelona Water Association obtains water through Westfield but maintains its own lines. The Village lines extend into the Town in the following locations: north, to Barcelona; west, to the Edgewater Condominiums on Route 5 near Light Road, and along Route 20 to Munson Road; east, to Prospect Road; and south, to Mt. Baldy Road. Where these lines exist in the Town, the Town contracts with the Village for water services.

Water customers in the Village of Westfield are charged according to the size of their water line (billed monthly) or their water usage if they do not have a meter (billed quarterly). Customers outside the Village limits are billed one and one-half times the Village rates.

Sanitary Sewer

All sewer lines in Westfield are owned by the Village. The lines extend north into the Town to Forest Park on Route 5. Sewer rates are calculated by number of gallons, and customers are billed bi-monthly. Residents outside the Village are charged one and one-half times the Village rates.

The Village Waste Treatment Plant is located at Hawley and North Portage Street. The plant normally runs at less than one-third of capacity. The Village will soon be replacing old effluent filters at the plant in order to maintain its efficiency.

Storm Sewer

Nearly the entire Village of Westfield is served by storm sewers. Where there are still open ditches, the Village Streets Department will install a storm sewer at the request of property owners. The Department also replaces existing storm sewers with new tiles and basins in conjunction with street work. New storm sewers will be installed by the State Department of Transportation as it reconstructs Route 20 through the Village. Other planned projects include Cass Street and Chestnut Street, where backups have necessitated replacement of tiles and basins. The Town of Westfield does not have storm sewers for collecting surfacewater drainage. This drainage is effectively handled by the system of open ditches along Town roads.

Solid Waste

There are no solid waste landfills within the Town or Village of Westfield. Refuse from Westfield is deposited in the Chautauqua County landfill outside Jamestown.

Property owners in the Town (and Village if they desire) utilize a ticket system to deposit refuse at the transfer station located on Bourne Street in the Village. A 25-punch ticket is purchased for $20 which allows the user to deposit non-recyclable and recyclable refuse. Each 33 gallons of non-recyclable refuse requires one punch of the ticket.. Each 33 gallons of non-recyclable refuse requires one punch of the ticket. All trash, refuse and garbage brought to the collection site for disposal must be separated into recyclable and non-recyclable solid waste. Recyclables are further separated according to County regulations.

Village residents have the option of municipal garbage pickup at the curb or using the transfer station. Recycling of plastic, cans, glass and papers is also done. Garbage is picked up weekly; recyclables are picked up once a month.

Electric

The Village of Westfield Board of Public Utilities Electric Department provides electric service to the Town and Village of Westfield. Currently, the system capacity is roughly 30 mgw; demand is approximately 15 mgw. There are two separate rates charged for electric service: residential and non-residential. Westfield's electric rates are among the lowest in New York State.

The Electric Department office and plant are located at 42 English Street.

Natural gas for both the Town and Village of Westfield is provided through National Fuel Gas Corporation. Service is offered in three classifications: residential, commercial and industrial.

Telephone

Telephone service for the Town and Village of Westfield is provided by the Chautauqua & Erie Telephone Corporation and its subsidiary: Chautauqua & Erie Communications, Inc. The company serves approximately 10,700 customers in Westfield, Mayville, Brocton, Ripley, Sherman and Findley Lake. Total lines in service number nearly 10,400.

The company offers both residential and business rates, as well as a variety of new technological information services including: Centrex Service, voice mail, video-conferencing and fiber optics. There are nearly 2,000 miles of fiber optic cable in the company's system, with all the communities served by Chautauqua & Erie Telephone to be connected by fiber optics by the end of 1996. Future goals include incorporating the area's business, medical, educational and government sectors into the fiber optic system.

Cellular phone service is available in Westfield through Cellular One-DiComm and Frontier Cellular. Cellular One serves the Town and Village governments; there are separate rates for individuals wishing this service.

Public Safety

The level of public safety affects the overall sense of security that residents feel about the community in which they live. This section inventories the various aspects of public safety (police protection, fire protection and emergency services) available to Westfield residents.

Law Enforcement

Police protection in the Town of Westfield is provided by either the Village Police Department or the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Department. The Village Police also service the lake front in the Barcelona area of the Town by informal agreement.

The Village of Westfield Police Department is staffed by a chief, four full-time officers and 10 part-time officers and is located in Eason Hall on Elm Street. Their service is supplemented by the volunteer Auxiliary Police who provide assistance with traffic and patrol duties as needed.

The Police Department conducts the D.A.R.E. anti-drug program in the local school system. Other programs include a bike safety rodeo to teach bicycle rules to children.

The Town and Village of Westfield are serviced by an enhanced 911 system which provides information on the location of the caller. This system is available throughout Chautauqua County and is coordinated by the County Sheriff's Department.

Fire Protection

Fire protection in the Village and Town of Westfield is provided by an all-volunteer department with 60 members. The fire station is located at 22 Clinton Street in the Village, where 13 vehicles are housed: 3 cars, 3 engines, 1 ladder truck, 1 tanker, 3 rescue vehicles and 2 miscellaneous vehicles. The department handles roughly 35 calls per month (fire and rescue). In addition to fire fighting duties, the department conducts educational sessions in the Westfield Schools during Fire Prevention Week.

The Town of Westfield maintains yearly contracts with the Village of Westfield and with the Town of Sherman for fire protection. The Westfield Fire District covers the Village and extends to Coon Road in the Town; the Sherman Fire District serves the area south of Coon Road. The Town of Westfield has two appointed Fire Wardens.

Emergency Services

As with fire protection, emergency ambulance services in the Town and Village of Westfield are provided by the Village of Westfield Fire Department (north of Coon Road) or the Town of Sherman Fire Department (south of Coon Road). Within the Village of Westfield Fire Department are approximately 20 active volunteers trained in Red Cross advanced first aid. Fourteen of these are certified by New York State as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). The Fire Department does not use an outside ambulance service; all rescue activities and transportation to a hospital facility are handled by the Department.

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