LIBERTY – An offer from the owner of Swan Lake to donate the body of water to the town was announced by Town Supervisor Frank DeMayo Monday night. The Town Board noted their interest and ideas on how revenue could possibly be generated for the town.

The lake is owned by Swan Lake Commons, LLC, of 48 East Old Country Road, Suite 203, Mineola. The LLC was organized on January 9, 2012.

Although the possibility of acquiring the 353.92-acre lake sparked ideas of benefits for town residents, the ownership of the lake would come with “some positives and negatives,” according to DeMayo. The Supervisor suggested researching hydroelectric power generation using the dam that sits on the lake as an idea to bring in revenue. 

Along with other town officials however, DeMayo noted concerns with the maintenance of the dam.

“There were some issues brought up a long, long time ago about the dam. I haven’t heard anything about the dam, it seems to be in good shape,” DeMayo said. Other issues, in addition to maintenance, would be the newfound liability and lack of current public accessibility to the lake. 

According to the Supervisor, the taxes on the lake sit at about $350 per year, with insurance being $1,800 per year with an additional $150 per boat. DeMayo said that “It’s really not a tax issue for the board because water bodies are not assessed that much.”

Following correspondence with County Legislator and Chair of the Planning and Community Resources Committee Matt McPhillips, Town Board Member Vincent McPhillips extended the offer to organize a town-wide meeting which would invite residents, board members and the general public to participate in discussion on the future of the lake’s ownership.

Town Board members John Lennon, Dean Farrand and Sherri Kavleski expressed their agreement with McPhillips and DeMayo, with Lennon noting that the deal “deserves a lot of looking at.”

“A lot of residents in Swan Lake are interested in participating and should be brought in [to the discussion],” Vincent McPhillips said. 

A date for that meeting was not set by the Town Board as Legislator Matt McPhillips is expected to spearhead the organization thereof.