The second round of resident surveys the Town of Richmondville hopes to use to leverage for grants for its $10 million proposed sewer project is in the mail.
The project would link Warnerville to the Village of Richmondville’s sewer plant, addressing longstanding problems with septic systems in the hamlet and opening the Route 7 corridor up to development.
RCAP Solutions, a non-profit based in Worcester, Massachusetts that helps communities with housing, is overseeing the surveys, 10 questions that include estimated household income and the number of occupants.
RCAP Community Specialist Becky Sim said the first round of surveys–mailed out in April–had a 24 percent return rate.
Pretty typical, she said, but far short of the 80 percent return needed for the likeliest sources for grants–the state’s Clean Waters Revolving Fund, the USDA’s Water and Environmental Agencies, and Community Development Block Grants.
Both renters and homeowners–but not businesses–can return the survey, either in the self-stamped addressed envelope provided, or by going online to the link in the reminder letter.
No names or addresses will be shared locally; they’ll just be used to generate the data used for the grant applications, which need to show the median income level of the newly-created Warnerville Sewer District, formed last August as a necessary first-step.
Richmondville has already received some grant funding for the project, including $300,000 in ARPA funds awarded through Schoharie County for project design, another step intended to make it more competitive for grants, said Supervisor Jeff Haslun.
“These surveys are an important piece in getting this project done,” Mr. Haslun said.
“The information they provide will make us available for some critical grants.”
Lamont Engineers will soon be applying for a state Water Quality Improvement Project grant for the town for the project; last year’s application was unsuccessful, but with the work they’ve put in since, their chances are considerably better this time around, Mr. Haslun said.
“That’s the big one.”
For residents who haven’t already returned their surveys, the deadline is July 21.
After that, Mr. Haslun said he and a couple of councilmen have volunteered to go door-to-door with Ms. Sims and RCAP staff, introducing them to residents, then stepping back while they gather the information needed for the surveys.
“I can’t stress how important this is,” Mr. Haslun said. “This project is critical to the town. These surveys are just a few questions, but they’ll make all the difference in the world.”