The Town of Richmondville has gotten a critical shot in the arm for its proposed $11 million sewer project:
$2.7 million in state funding announced Friday.
The Water Infrastructure Improvement Grant is one of nearly $300 million in funding being awarded statewide.
The Warnerville Sewer Project has also been awarded $300,000 in Schoharie County ARPA funds.
It’s all critical, Supervisor Jeff Haslun said Saturday; the town has said it won’t move ahead on the project unless it’s successful in getting what it’s hoping could be as much as $10 million in grants.
“Every bit we can pull together, it just makes it more viable,” Mr. Haslun said.
“There’s still a long ways to go, but it’s exciting news and hopefully, it puts us in line for other grants,” including USDA funding.
The Richmondville Town Board used its own ARPA money to fund a report by Lamont Engineers that looked at ways to address longstanding problems with Warnerville septic systems.
As proposed, the Warnerville Sewer Project would run from Mineral Springs Road in Warnerville to the Village of Richmondville’s sewer plant.
It’s one of five options the town considered and financially, the one that makes the most sense, Mr. Haslun said; it would open the Route 7 corridor and I-88 Exit 21 to development—something that would broaden the tax base and the number of users paying into the system.
Some have criticized the cost to property owners in the sewer district as too high; initial estimates put it at about $78/month plus $5,000 in initial hookup costs—something Mr. Haslun said concerns the Town Board as well.
Even if all the funding comes through, construction wouldn’t likely start until 2025.
One of the reasons Richmondville began looking into the sewer project is the unprecedented availability of funding.
The other is the number of failing systems in Warnerville and E. coli detected in ditches and streams.
At an informational meeting on the proposed project this summer, Health Department reps called the problem one of the worst in the county, pointing out that not only are the failing systems keeping businesses from coming in or expanding, they’re making it hard for others to keep their doors open.