Archive: News

Lansing Supervisor Scott Pinney reported that the bids to construct the Warren Road Sewer have come in, and construction on the project could begin as soon as a month to a month and a half from now.  That project promises to bring new building to Lansing, as well as retaining jobs and bringing new jobs to the Town.  Pinney said that town officials will be vetting the low bidder over the next week to make sure everything in the project is covered.

"The good news is that the low bid was much lower than we anticipated," Pinney told the Town Board Wednesday evening.  "It came in at $1.3 million even, which is really good news.  We have a meeting with him Tuesday to go over the numbers and make sure everything adds up right.  I think the low bidder is a reputable company, but we'll wait to meet with them to make sure everything is correct on the bid sheets."

The bids ranged from $1.3 million to a high of $2.57 million.  Pinney noted that the range is so steep that he wants to make absolutely sure that the project is completely covered by the bid.  Board members noted that the firm is reputable, and is currently finishing a job in Cayuga Heights.  The project will run from Springbrook Apartments, just north of the Warren Road Business Park where Transonic is located, along Warren Road where it will hook into the existing sewer in the Village of Lansing.

Town engineer Jeff Overstrom said that the normal procedure is to look at references and insurance, then hold a pre-construction meeting.  He also recommended including the Tompkins County Highway Department in that meeting.  The County has expressed concerns about the sewer project going in after they do the work on reconstructing Warren Road.  Town officials say they tried to coordinate their project with the County, but that was not possible.

"It's unfortunate that we couldn't do this project before they did that project," Pinney said.  "It didn't happen that way."

Transonics Systems, Inc. initiated the Warren Road Sewer project in 2007 when they told town officials that expanding their plant and keeping their business in Lansing would require sewer access.  The company even paid for the initial sewer study, and is now planning the plant expansion that will bring new jobs to Lansing.  Overstom says they are working out an issue with wetlands, and have asked the Town to write a letter to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) stating that the economic benefits to Lansing outweigh possible environmental issues.

New construction projects also have an eye on connecting to the sewer.  Cardamone Home Builders has applied for a Planned Development Area (PDA) to build 44 town homes and 36 single family residences.  Overstrom says the company is considering building in two phases with the town houses built first.  Village Circle Apartments also want to build a new apartment facility that would tie into the Warren Road Sewer.  Overstrom says they have enough room to build a conventional septic system if they have to, but would prefer to coordinate their construction to connect with the sewer project.

Another PDA that has been on hold because of sewer issues is the Lansing Commons project, to be built south of Woodsedge.  This project has 33 lots with plans to build stand-alone and town houses.  While the town is exploring the possibility of building a sewer system that could service that area, realization of a sewer wouldn't be soon enough, or at this point certain enough for the PDA.  The contractor recently received the DEC's comments on relocating the stand-alone waste water treatment plant they propose building.  The relocation will eliminate three or four building lots from the project, but should allow the project to go forward.

The Cayuga Farms project that proposed 138 townhouses on Triphammer Road south of Asbury Road seems to be on terminal hold.  Developers insist that the project is contingent on bringing sewer up Triphammer Road from the Village of Lansing.  Sewer would have to be required to handle the building density the developers have proposed.  Overstrom reported that the Planning Board required the developer's engineer to get a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) from both the Villages of Lansing and Cayuga Heights -- the former allowing a pipeline from the development to the Village sewer system, and the latter to use the sewage treatment plant.  Overstrom says the project is stalled because there hasn't been any positive feedback on that front.

Pinney says the Warren Road sewer will be started as soon as possible, probably some time in June or July.  He said it would most likely be completed in next year's construction season.

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