Archive: News

04/03/2006 -- The controversial Lansing water district debate came to an end Monday night when the polls closed on the Algerine and Lansing Station Roads Water District Extension referendum.  Residents in the proposed district voted 60-20 to bring water from Route 34B down Algerine Road to Lansing Station Road.

The vote ended months of impassioned public debate with Algerine Road residents largely against the water project because their wells are good and they are less able to afford the $592 annual cost.  Lansing Station Road residents were as passionate because the quality of wells on the lakeshore road is uneven, with at least one well testing positive for crypto sporidia.

About mid-day on Monday Town Clerk Bonnie Boles said, "I think it's going to be a good turnout, but I'm not sure how it's going to go."  Her prediction as to turnout was right on the money.  81 out of 96 eligible voters showed up, making it an 84.38% voter turnout.  "I would love to see every election we ever had have that percentage of the eligible voters come and vote," observed Town Supervisor Steve Farkas.

The referendum passed by a three to one margin, with one contested vote.  Election inspectors and boles arrived at 5:30am to open the polls by 6am.  They remained there until the polls closed at 9:00pm, then stayed to count the ballots.  Because a referendum is not an election (where people are elected) the governing rules are different, and less well defined.  Town attorney Guy Krogh spent over a month trying to make sense of State regulations, to get a legally acceptable ballot produced, and to make sure the Town followed all regulations that would make the referendum legitimate.

A few days before the vote Farkas got good news from the Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC), the State agency that grants loans for municipal projects.  Town Engineer David Herrick had submitted a hardship application with the hope that the EFC would grant a reduced or zero-interest loan.  Such a loan would considerably reduce the cost of the project for district residents.  By law the full amount had to be on the ballot, which would amount to $592 over a 30 year period just for being in the district and exclusive of water usage and maintenance fees which would be a minimum of $580 on top of the loan payment fee.  All residents in the districts pay this fee whether they hook up to the system or not.  Only those who hook up to the system will pay the usage fee.

"We got a notice from the Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) that we are under consideration for a no interest load for the $772,000," Farkas says.  "We have hoops that we've got to jump through for that to become a reality.  We've got a two year window.  I think that Dave Herrick and Guy Krogh will pull that all together."  This would reduce the cost to residents to $417 over a 20 year period, reducing both the annual cost and the time it will take to pay off the loan.

Farkas kept mum about the news to avoid influencing the vote.  "I didn't want it to be said that Steve Farkas tried to skew the numbers by putting out a piece of candy," he says.  "Right now it's a consideration, it's not cut in stone."  But Farkas is confident that the Town will be able to meet the conditions to get the loan.  "Between Guy and Dave we have a really great twosome to get the job done," he says.  Those conditions include getting the final engineering and costs completed, as well as some legal work.

Now that the project has been approved by the voters Farkas says construction could begin this year.  "I would like to see it start as soon as possible," he says.  But he noted that will depend on what Herrick can arrange as he works on the final engineering and scheduling.  As voters came to the polls Monday Boles noted, "It's just up to the people now."  They have made their voices heard.

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