Archive: News

Each route has benefits and drawbacks, and it was apparent that residents were not pleased to have the trunk line go through their village. Some seemed outraged that the sewer would only be serving a few hundred Town residents, and others opposed it on environmental grounds, claiming that a new treatment plant in the North of town would be downstream of the area's drinking water source, because the water flows counter-clockwise in Cayuga Lake.

Engineers listened, but were powerless to address policy. They noted that the sewer would not only serve residents, but also larger facilities such as the Lansing Schools campus and the Gossett Center. In 1996 the Town did investigate the possibility of building a stand-alone treatment plant near Portland Point. But the idea was shot down by the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) when the Environmental Bond Act was passed. They said they would not approve stand-alone treatment plants if a regional solution was possible. A six municipality Sewer District was formed, and money was granted for the work to be done.

Village Trustees

Some of that money has been spent, and Lansing risks losing the remainder if the sewer project is not realized. Additionally the six-municipality district has already spent a portion of the money, which they would be liable for the money spent if the State withdraws the grant. The Town had hoped to move forward at the end of October, but granted the Village an extension until the end of this year to recommend a route.

The public meeting was part of the process the Village Trustees had determined to follow before deciding. While some residents advocated more studies and deliberation, Mayor Hartill was anxious to keep good relations with the Town by providing a timely response. "I am a person of my word," he said, "so I will present to Steve (Farkas, the Town Supervisor) a preferred route by January 1." He urged residents to e-mail him their feelings about what they heard at the meeting, once they had a few days to digest it.

Village Trustee Frank Moore sits on the Town Sewer Committee to represent the Village and report on its progress. In addition mayor Hartill met with Mr. Farkas and the Town's engineers to work out some of the issues that have put the Town and Village at odds. The Town's position is that the sewer must be built, and the only thing that could stop it is if reasonable financing could not be found. To that end the Sewer Committee has been seeking additional public and private funding to make the sewer a reality.

Because this has been drawn out over many years the Town is under some pressure to move the project forward to the construction stage. They are hoping to be in some kind of agreement with the Village by the next Sewer Committee meeting on November 30, but certainly by the end of the year.

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