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Sewer plant eligible for $1.2M in EPA grants
By Paul Crossman
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
Things are going well for the ongoing collaboration with Greenport and Stockport officials on their new sewage treatment plant, as according to Ray Jurkowski, Greenport town engineer, the new plant is eligible for up to another $1.2 million in grants.
The plant remained in the planning stages for two years until the first shovel moved dirt in April. Since then progress has been keeping a steady pace toward slated completion in March of 2010.
Though both Jurkowski and the town are very excited about being considered eligible for this project, the engineer added that there wasn’t enough money budgeted for every eligible town, so there was still a possibility they may only receive a smaller portion of the possible $1.2 million.
This new grant is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency as part of the Green Energy Initiative, and is intended to support projects with additions or changes which will make them more energy efficient, such as the high efficiency motors, new monitoring techniques, and variable speed drives which are set to be installed in the new plant.
Jurkowski and his associates found over $1.6 million in improvements on the new plant which are eligible for funding under the EPA green project, and submitted findings to the New York State Energy Research Development Authority for review. NYSERDA officials approved, Jurkowski said.
The report was sent to the EPA officials, who decided that the Greenport sewer treatment plant was eligible for the full $1.6 million, but that the maximum cap for any one recipient was $1.2 million.
Though the money would be a great help to the construction of the new sewage plant, according to the Environmental Facilities Corporation — the distributor of the grant funds — based on the amount of money allotted for the Green Energy Initiative, and the amount of applications accepted as eligible, there is not enough money to fully fund every project.
Jurkowski said that there is still no word as to how the EFC plans to distribute available funds, or whether or not they will try to send some money to as many applicants as possible, or choose the applicants most in need of the money.
Either way, the board is hopeful that the money may come through.
“It would really be a benefit to our town,” Greenport Supervisor John Rutkey told the Register-Star, “because in addition to the stimulus money we already have we could get another $1.2 million. Instead of financing $5 million, we could be financing a little over $4 million. Anything we don’t have to pay back is great.”
Jurkowski agreed, adding that the project had already qualified as eligible, and that was the hardest part.
As the project moves forward, both Greenport and Stockport plan to continue looking into other grants which might help deflect some of the cost of the new plant.
***
To reach reporter Paul Crossman call 518-828-1616, ext. 2266, or e-mail pcrossman@registerstar.com.
The plant remained in the planning stages for two years until the first shovel moved dirt in April. Since then progress has been keeping a steady pace toward slated completion in March of 2010.
Though both Jurkowski and the town are very excited about being considered eligible for this project, the engineer added that there wasn’t enough money budgeted for every eligible town, so there was still a possibility they may only receive a smaller portion of the possible $1.2 million.
This new grant is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency as part of the Green Energy Initiative, and is intended to support projects with additions or changes which will make them more energy efficient, such as the high efficiency motors, new monitoring techniques, and variable speed drives which are set to be installed in the new plant.
Jurkowski and his associates found over $1.6 million in improvements on the new plant which are eligible for funding under the EPA green project, and submitted findings to the New York State Energy Research Development Authority for review. NYSERDA officials approved, Jurkowski said.
The report was sent to the EPA officials, who decided that the Greenport sewer treatment plant was eligible for the full $1.6 million, but that the maximum cap for any one recipient was $1.2 million.
Though the money would be a great help to the construction of the new sewage plant, according to the Environmental Facilities Corporation — the distributor of the grant funds — based on the amount of money allotted for the Green Energy Initiative, and the amount of applications accepted as eligible, there is not enough money to fully fund every project.
Jurkowski said that there is still no word as to how the EFC plans to distribute available funds, or whether or not they will try to send some money to as many applicants as possible, or choose the applicants most in need of the money.
Either way, the board is hopeful that the money may come through.
“It would really be a benefit to our town,” Greenport Supervisor John Rutkey told the Register-Star, “because in addition to the stimulus money we already have we could get another $1.2 million. Instead of financing $5 million, we could be financing a little over $4 million. Anything we don’t have to pay back is great.”
Jurkowski agreed, adding that the project had already qualified as eligible, and that was the hardest part.
As the project moves forward, both Greenport and Stockport plan to continue looking into other grants which might help deflect some of the cost of the new plant.
***
To reach reporter Paul Crossman call 518-828-1616, ext. 2266, or e-mail pcrossman@registerstar.com.
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