The Town of Richmondville has gotten another—huge—shot in the arm for its $11.1 million sewer line expansion, funding that means construction could start as soon as 2024.
Supervisor Jeff Haslun said he learned Friday that they’ve been awarded $9.6 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grants, plus another $4 million in zero-interest loans, which they might not even need.
In November, Richmondville got $2.7 million in a state Water Infrastructure Improvement grant; what’s being called the Warnerville Sewer project was also awarded $300,000 in Schoharie County ARPA funds, largely because of what it could do to grow the I-88/Route 7 corridor.
“It’s fantastic news,” Mr. Haslun said. “We really weren’t expecting it. Maybe it’s all coming together.”
Meanwhile, non-profit RCAP Solutions continues collecting data for a CDBG application for another $1 million in grants.
If the town’s successful with that, Mr. Haslun said, they likely won’t need the zero-interest BIL loans.
With Friday’s news, Mr. Haslun said he’s asked Lamont Engineers’ Brendon Becker, who’s been working with the town on the project, to draw up bid documents with the goal of getting the work out to bid before the end of the year.
The project will extend sewer lines from Mineral Springs Road in Warnerville to the Village of Richmondville’s sewer plant and will require two or three pump stations.
It will be up to individual homeowners to hook into the lines, but based on information from the USDA, Mr. Haslun said there grants will be available for those who are income-eligible to help cover that cost.
One of the reasons the town began pursuing the project was the unprecedented availability of funding—and it’s paid off, Mr. Haslun said.
In addition to addressing longstanding concerns over failing septic systems in Warnerville, the project is also seen as a way to boost economic growth at I-88 Exit 21.