- By Dan Veaner
- News
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The East Shore choice would have been $900,000+ because it is subject to State Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations affecting construction on State roads. Hartill, Blum and Town Supervisor Steve Farkas petitioned the DOT a few weeks ago to relax or waive the rules in order to bring the cost difference down. While the DOT has not made an official determination yet, Blum based the $400,000 figure on concessions DOT officials indicated they might make. Half of that cost would be for acquiring land needed to construct a pumping station, with the other half going for traffic control.
Mayor Hartill told the Trustees, "The only credible part is land acquisition. The rest is in the details. Until you do a detailed engineering estimate the gap is $200,000." He said he plans to meet with Blum along with Village engineer Dave Putnam to go over the numbers in detail. Hartill and the four Trustees were distrustful of numbers coming from Blum because he is working for the Town. They spoke of getting an independent estimate from an engineer not affiliated with either municipality. But Hartill acknowledged that Blum's numbers may be accurate.
Trustee Frank Moore, the Village representative on the Town Sewer Committee, said, "I still have a queasy feeling about the basic system architecture." This led to a theoretical discussion among the Trustees about engineering techniques to do with pumping effluent, odor control and how pumps and system pressure work.
Moore also related the Town's concern about contingency plans in case the price gap can't be bridged. Hartill replied that Village usage of the new sewer would be about 10%, and that he anticipates that amount of money will be contributed by the Village. But Moore noted that the Town is already counting on that money and it is not part of what they'd be looking for to bridge the gap. Trustees seemed reluctant to discuss contingencies until they confirm to their satisfaction the price gap actually exists.
Town Councilman and Sewer Committee Chairman Bud Shattuck attended the meeting to learn how the Village's discussion was going. "We don't care which way it goes," he told the Trustees. We look at two things: time and cost. If it's just a small difference we'll choose East Shore Drive. If it is not affordable we'll go the other way." He thanked the Trustees for being involved in the process.
Shattuck is concerned about the time, because the State is holding the Town to account for how they will spend nearly $5 million in Bond act money. The State could withdraw that money if they feel the Town is not acting quickly enough to get a sewer built. Meanwhile Hartill was given authorization by the Trustees to pay for a traffic feasibility study to determine the impact a Triphammer Road detour would have if East Shore were to be closed for the construction. This study could persuade the DOT to relax their regulations further, bringing down the East Shore costs more.
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