- By Dan Veaner
- News
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Mayor Don Hartill, Town Supervisor Steve Farkas and engineer Jim Blum are negotiating with the State Department of Transportation (DOT) to waive construction regulations that would add about $900,000 to the cost of the project if it is constructed on Route 34, a State road. Blum worked out alternate scenarios that could lower that amount to $400,000, but Town officials said that is too much when an alternate route along Cayuga Heights Road would not engender the restrictions or the extra cost.
To make matters worse the Town Engineer David Herrick received a letter from the State Department of Environmental Conservation asking what the Town is doing with Bond Act money that was granted in 1998. Attorney Mary Chappell told the committee, "Gentlemen, you now have a time limit." She explained that if the Town doesn't move forward with the project soon the State could revoke the nearly 4.9 million dollars that were allocated for the project, saying that letters like this typically trigger State deadlines.
While it is possible the State will waive all restrictions, eliminating the entire $900,000 from the equation, the likelihood is low. If there are additional costs because of DOT regulations the Town will look to the Village to pick up those costs. Route 34 was the Town's last of three choices for the trunk line, but the Village's only choice. Town Councilman Bud Shattuck, who chairs the Sewer Committee, said that the Town is willing to work with the Village to build the sewer on its chosen route, but only if costs are the same as they would be if it were to be built on Cayuga Heights Road.
The Lansing sewer project is a part of an agreement between six municipalities including the Town and Village of Lansing, the Town and City of Ithaca, Dryden and Cayuga Heights. The State encourages consolidation in projects like this to reduce the environmental impact on natural resources like Lake Cayuga. For this reason the State nixed the idea of building a Lansing treatment plant, which necessitated the trunk line being routed through the Village.
After Bond Act money was granted construction was held up when it took the "gang of six" years to come to an agreement. Once that was done the Town of Lansing began to move the project forward, but were stymied when the Village did not make a choice between three proposed routes until the end of last year. Town officials moved their deadline twice to allow Village officials to consider the routes, and last month the Trustees announced that their choice was Route 34.
Mayor Hartill recognized that building the sewer along that route would mean convincing the DOT to allow contractors to close the road for the up to three months needed to complete construction. He enlisted Farkas to meet with the DOT to present a united front in requesting that regulations requiring truncated work days and keeping the road open during construction be waived. The Town extended their deadline again this month so that Hartill could commission a traffic study DOT officials requested, showing how a detour along Triphammer Road would relieve traffic while 34 is closed.
Shattuck has sounded out Moore at each meeting, expressing concern that in the event that DOT negotiations fail that the Town wants to work with the Village on alternatives to get the sewer built. He said that it is important to consider all alternatives to be ready for any eventuality to prevent further delays in setting the final route and determining the final scope and cost of the project. Shattuck said that if the additional cost can't be eliminated the Town will choose the Cayuga Heights Road route.
But Moore told the committee, "You can say that's what you would do, but that's all hypothetical as far as we're (the Village Trustees are) concerned. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Committee member Andy Sciarabba told Moore, "I feel like I'm talking to myself. The Village never does anything." He went on to say, "The Village hasn't considered all the people who will be inconvenienced by 34 being closed. The Town is willing to go along, but I don't see anything coming back from the Village." Moore said, "We made a choice, you have a preference. There will be consequences."
Legally the Town may have the choice and the Village a preference. Town Attorney Guy Krogh said last month that while the Village could sue to prevent the Town from building the sewer along another route, he thinks a judge would uphold the Town's need to build, especially if the alternative is more expensive. But Shattuck is concerned that litigation could hold up the project even more, and has repeatedly expressed his desire to work with the Village to achieve the best outcome for both municipalities.
The new pressure from the State will try that resolve on both sides. Moore agreed to relay the Town's concerns that the Village be prepared with alternate plans to the Village Trustees at their next meeting on February 6th. Meanwhile the State has set a deadline of February 17 for the Town to respond to their letter. The Town hopes to have a workable plan before that time.
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