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Village officials are one step closer to determining how to pay for costly upgrades to the village’s over 30-years-old wastewater treatment plant.
The village board authorized a bond resolution at their regular board meeting last week to spend about $1.6 million on the needed upgrades and repairs at the plant. The resolution is subject to a 30-day permissive referendum, which means village residents can petition to vote on it.
Legal notices were first published on April 23, and further details on collecting signatures from voters for the petition can be obtained by calling the village offices at 866-3303.
Homeowners in the village that pay on average $300 annually for sewer service would see a $30 increase on the sewer portion of their water bill, village officials have said of the loan’s financial toll.
Tony Carlisto, vice-president of Ward Associates, said the USDA will be able to provide the low-interest loan through federal stimulus funding. Carlisto said the interest rate will be 2.5 percent under the loan. Without the USDA loan, the interest rate would have been between 4 and 5 percent. The lower interest rate will save the village an estimated $800,000 over the 38-year loan, he added.
Carlisto said the USDA loan was the best option for the village since the plant was not a high priority for grants. Priority is often not given to facilities that are kept up to code. The upgrades will include replacing pumps and motors, a new aeration system and a new clarifier tank, officials have said.
Ward Associates, who consults with the village on engineering projects, conducted studies on the plant for close to $5,000. The village has paid the firm almost $100,000 related to preliminary design and planning work for the project.
Carlisto feels the repairs need to be done. “It will be mandated if you don’t do it,” he said.
State Department of Environmental Conservation officials have also said there is no doubt the facility must be upgraded to meet increasing capacity demands and avoid breakdowns,
Steven Litwhiler, DEC spokesman, said he is aware of the plant overflowing at least once during a high-flow period, coming in March of 2009. The waste water spilled into the Mohawk River.
“We’re looking at an issue of untreated waste spilling over into the waters of New York state,” Litwhiler has said. There are human health concerns and issues for the environment, he added.
Village officials have also been involved in negotiations with county officials related to the impact on the treatment plant if a new correctional facility is built within the village.
The county Legislature has been conducting studies required to locate a new jail at the former P&C site off of State Route 28 in the village. Earlier this year, the county approved up to $31,000 to conduct a study of the village’s sewer capacity.
Village officials have said, if the jail is located at the P&C site, they want the county to pay for the project to upgrade the sewer plant. The added demand placed on the treatment plant by a new jail could be justification for the county paying for the project, according to village officials.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture loan facts and potential impact on taxpayers, according to village officials:
• A $1.6 million loan for upgrades to the treatment plant
• An estimated 2.5-percent interest loan, which is lower than estimates of 4 or 5 percent.
• The loan is expected to save the village over $800,000 over the life of the 38-year loan.
• Homeowners in the village that pay on average $300 annually for sewer service would see a $30 increase on the sewer portion of their water bill.
Village officials are one step closer to determining how to pay for costly upgrades to the village’s over 30-years-old wastewater treatment plant.
The village board authorized a bond resolution at their regular board meeting last week to spend about $1.6 million on the needed upgrades and repairs at the plant. The resolution is subject to a 30-day permissive referendum, which means village residents can petition to vote on it.
Legal notices were first published on April 23, and further details on collecting signatures from voters for the petition can be obtained by calling the village offices at 866-3303.
Homeowners in the village that pay on average $300 annually for sewer service would see a $30 increase on the sewer portion of their water bill, village officials have said of the loan’s financial toll.
Tony Carlisto, vice-president of Ward Associates, said the USDA will be able to provide the low-interest loan through federal stimulus funding. Carlisto said the interest rate will be 2.5 percent under the loan. Without the USDA loan, the interest rate would have been between 4 and 5 percent. The lower interest rate will save the village an estimated $800,000 over the 38-year loan, he added.
Carlisto said the USDA loan was the best option for the village since the plant was not a high priority for grants. Priority is often not given to facilities that are kept up to code. The upgrades will include replacing pumps and motors, a new aeration system and a new clarifier tank, officials have said.
Ward Associates, who consults with the village on engineering projects, conducted studies on the plant for close to $5,000. The village has paid the firm almost $100,000 related to preliminary design and planning work for the project.
Carlisto feels the repairs need to be done. “It will be mandated if you don’t do it,” he said.
State Department of Environmental Conservation officials have also said there is no doubt the facility must be upgraded to meet increasing capacity demands and avoid breakdowns,
Steven Litwhiler, DEC spokesman, said he is aware of the plant overflowing at least once during a high-flow period, coming in March of 2009. The waste water spilled into the Mohawk River.
“We’re looking at an issue of untreated waste spilling over into the waters of New York state,” Litwhiler has said. There are human health concerns and issues for the environment, he added.
Village officials have also been involved in negotiations with county officials related to the impact on the treatment plant if a new correctional facility is built within the village.
The county Legislature has been conducting studies required to locate a new jail at the former P&C site off of State Route 28 in the village. Earlier this year, the county approved up to $31,000 to conduct a study of the village’s sewer capacity.
Village officials have said, if the jail is located at the P&C site, they want the county to pay for the project to upgrade the sewer plant. The added demand placed on the treatment plant by a new jail could be justification for the county paying for the project, according to village officials.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture loan facts and potential impact on taxpayers, according to village officials:
• A $1.6 million loan for upgrades to the treatment plant
• An estimated 2.5-percent interest loan, which is lower than estimates of 4 or 5 percent.
• The loan is expected to save the village over $800,000 over the life of the 38-year loan.
• Homeowners in the village that pay on average $300 annually for sewer service would see a $30 increase on the sewer portion of their water bill.
