Penn Yan, Jerusalem wastewater talks continue

YATES COUNTY--In the face of pending legal action against the village of Penn Yan by the town of Jerusalem, negotiations are currently still taking place regarding the wastewater situation. Finger Lakes Economic Development Council CEO Steve Griffin said the two sides met in August for their first face-to-face discussion since the lawsuit was first filed. Griffin said "legal action has been put aside while they are talking."
"It lasted two hours and went as well as could be expected to start," Griffin said. "Everyone was cordial to each other. Both sides had takeaways. The most important aspect was Jerusalem was satisfied with the way meeting went and the timeframes."
Griffin said the two sides will get back together in another month to continue the negotiations. He said a lot of the issue has been with communication between the two sides. He added Jerusalem has already previously dropped the lawsuit against the village's hotel developers and is not pursuing a lawsuit against the village during the talks.
"We have brokered a ceasefire in Jerusalem," Griffin said.
Griffin said the financial advisors for each side -- Gary Meeks for Penn Yan and Carrie Wheeler for Jerusalem -- have been big factors so far in the talk.
He added both Penn Yan Mayor Leigh MacKerchar and Jerusalem Supervisor Pat Killen were present at the talks as well along with a select few other officials from each municipality.