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The Lansing Town Board approved a water district extension Wednesday that will provide a redundant loop in the Terpening Corners area (where several businesses including Crossroads Bar & Grill, Lansing Market, and Mirabito Gas are located).  The resolution passed unanimously after a public hearing at which nobody spoke.  Lansing Supervisor Ed LaVigne said that the project will provide a fail-safe in case the existing water main breaks.

"At a meeting today at the Bolton point, I asked (Southern Cayuga Lake Intermunicipal Water Commission General Manager) Steve Riddle and we're also working with Cricket (Lansing Highway Superintendent Charlie Purcell), as more and more waterlines are coming into play, how we can connect more of these spurs so that you have more benefit districts in case something breaks," LaVigne said. "We can that way we have continuity. One of our biggest concerns right now will be Milton Meadows cause they only have one source of water and that goes underneath that road."

The resolution required a public hearing because the Consolidated Water District (CWD) Extension #5 project will be paid for from funds that are paid by landowners whose properties are within district boundaries.  The $111,600 water main will be paid for with CWD capital reserves and fund balance, so additional fees from district residents will not be required.

"A single residence is presently assessed 1 Equivalent Dwelling unit (EDU) and the present charge per EDU is $155, but this project will not result in any increase in assessments or EDU tax rates or water rents (as, overall, it is a very small but important capital improvement project)," reads the town enginerr's report.

The resolution passed by the Board says the improvement is in the public interest, and directs the town engineer to prepare final plans and specifications and prepare contracts and bids.

"What's unique about this situation is that this is an improvement," LaVigne explained. "This is something that we have to ask permission and authorization from the consultative water district to take their money for this. There is no 'immediate benefit', but there also is immediate benefit because one of the highest pressure areas we have is right at Crossroads. And if that breaks there's no way for people to get water past the break. So what we do is we can reroute it by going through the Town Barn Road."

The eight inch water pipe will be installed on a portion of Town Barn Road on Highway Department land that has been closed for several years.  The Highway Department will install the new water line.  The project does not include any new service connections.

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