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State may help with wastewater plant bills
By Jamie Larson
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
The $4 million increase in the price of Hudson’s new, soon-to-be constructed Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) has been a huge concern to city officials since it was announced last month. Those close to the project were breathing a little easier Monday, after, what was said to be, a productive meeting with the state agency overseeing the WWTP’s funding Friday.
Last month after crunching the numbers for the project submitted by the original, and no longer involved engineering firm Clough Harbour, the current engineers at Delaware Engineering discovered inconsistencies in the original reports that raised the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s mandated sewer project price tag from $9 million to $13 million.
If additional grants are not received for the build, water bills for city home owners are projected to increase 50 percent, according to Delaware, raising the annual bill amount per home to $241. Hudson Mayor Richard Scalera and Department of Public Works Superintendent Robert Perry said that after Friday’s meeting with officials from the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation, they are optimistic about the city’s potential to receive more funding and reducing the tax burden of the project.
The EFC is responsible for administering the $4.4 million in federal stimulus funding received by the WWTP project and an additional $4.4 million in the form of a zero interest loan. The loan can be extended to cover the $4 million difference, officials said.
Scalera and Perry were joined by Delaware Manager of Corporate Operations John Brust and Senior Project Manager Mary Beth Bianconi, as they met with EFC President Matthew Millea and Director of the Division of Engineering and Program Management Timothy Burns in Albany Friday.
Scalera said his desire to meet with EFC was to make sure they were aware of Hudson’s situation and see if there were any avenues to receive additional stimulus money or grants. The EFC officials said they were aware of Hudson’s predicament, and while no promises were made Friday, Scalera said the Hudson delegation left the meeting with a sense that EFC will work with city officials to see what can be done to send more funding the treatment plant’s way.
“I couldn’t walk away with a commitment,” Scalera said, “but we could walk away confident that they’re going to fight hard for us in Albany. In the end we’ll be OK.”
The EFC told the Hudson officials that they are still in the running for as much as $3 million in Green Project Reserve Funding for the incorporation of energy efficient technology at the plant. Scalera said the EFC representatives also said that there is a possibility that some of the projects that received stimulus funds will not be able to break ground by the Feb. 14 deadline. When that happens their is the possibility that those rescinded dollars could be redirected to Hudson.
Scalera said Hudson’s status as a recognized economic hardship city gives them another check mark with the state when officials are deciding where to send grants.
Officials said they will re-evaluate the situation after they get a better feel for what contractors will bid on the construction job. Given the current financial climate, Perry is cautiously optimistic that the bids will be lower then projected and give a more concrete number for the state to evaluate while considering how much more to give to the WWTP project.
***
To reach reporter Jamie Larson call 518-828-1616, ext. 2269, or e-mail jlarson@registerstar.com.
Last month after crunching the numbers for the project submitted by the original, and no longer involved engineering firm Clough Harbour, the current engineers at Delaware Engineering discovered inconsistencies in the original reports that raised the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s mandated sewer project price tag from $9 million to $13 million.
If additional grants are not received for the build, water bills for city home owners are projected to increase 50 percent, according to Delaware, raising the annual bill amount per home to $241. Hudson Mayor Richard Scalera and Department of Public Works Superintendent Robert Perry said that after Friday’s meeting with officials from the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation, they are optimistic about the city’s potential to receive more funding and reducing the tax burden of the project.
The EFC is responsible for administering the $4.4 million in federal stimulus funding received by the WWTP project and an additional $4.4 million in the form of a zero interest loan. The loan can be extended to cover the $4 million difference, officials said.
Scalera and Perry were joined by Delaware Manager of Corporate Operations John Brust and Senior Project Manager Mary Beth Bianconi, as they met with EFC President Matthew Millea and Director of the Division of Engineering and Program Management Timothy Burns in Albany Friday.
Scalera said his desire to meet with EFC was to make sure they were aware of Hudson’s situation and see if there were any avenues to receive additional stimulus money or grants. The EFC officials said they were aware of Hudson’s predicament, and while no promises were made Friday, Scalera said the Hudson delegation left the meeting with a sense that EFC will work with city officials to see what can be done to send more funding the treatment plant’s way.
“I couldn’t walk away with a commitment,” Scalera said, “but we could walk away confident that they’re going to fight hard for us in Albany. In the end we’ll be OK.”
The EFC told the Hudson officials that they are still in the running for as much as $3 million in Green Project Reserve Funding for the incorporation of energy efficient technology at the plant. Scalera said the EFC representatives also said that there is a possibility that some of the projects that received stimulus funds will not be able to break ground by the Feb. 14 deadline. When that happens their is the possibility that those rescinded dollars could be redirected to Hudson.
Scalera said Hudson’s status as a recognized economic hardship city gives them another check mark with the state when officials are deciding where to send grants.
Officials said they will re-evaluate the situation after they get a better feel for what contractors will bid on the construction job. Given the current financial climate, Perry is cautiously optimistic that the bids will be lower then projected and give a more concrete number for the state to evaluate while considering how much more to give to the WWTP project.
***
To reach reporter Jamie Larson call 518-828-1616, ext. 2269, or e-mail jlarson@registerstar.com.
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