In a last-minute addition to the agenda of the Monday, Oct. 2, Malta town board meeting, members unanimously passed a resolution that states the town’s intention to sponsor the construction of the public roads within the Luther Forest Technology Campus.
While local sponsorship of the construction could have come from the county or the state, Supervisor Paul Sausville said the town was asked by state Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, to assume sponsorship for the 5.5 miles of roadways on the technology campus. Under the sponsorship agreement, there will be no cost to the town for the construction of the roadways, but the town will be responsible for the administrative components of building them.
`This commits us to a path forward to assume responsibility of these roads,` said Sausville. `It is the first step to taking ownership of the roads.`
Sausville’s comment is the first public statement made by Malta town officials indicating their intention to eventually take ownership of those roads. Ownership will require the town to not only provide general maintenance but resurfacing, reconstruction and improvements when necessary, as well as snow removal. These responsibilities would fall under the purview of the town’s highway department. The town currently does not have a town highway tax and Sausville said that will remain the same.
`We are working with the senator’s office to create an institution so that we can facilitate furtherance of those roads,` said Sausville.
He said that while several funding options are being reviewed by Bruno’s office as well as the town attorney, one strong possibility would be the creation of a special district `whereby users of those roads can pay for the maintenance.`
Ownership of the roadways does not have to be determined until they have been completed, and town board members said the construction of those roadways will likely not be completed for the next two to three years, at which time they expect an agreement with owners and/or tenants in the Luther Forest Technology Campus to be in place requiring them to cover the costs associated with the maintenance and upkeep of the roads.
While town officials said Monday night that the town is not obligated by this resolution of sponsorship to take ownership of the roadways, Bruno’s office said town ownership of the technology campus roadways is an integral part of the financial incentive package that is included as part of the negotiated agreement with microchip fabricator Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).
`It is very important to recognize that as part of the funding package, the town takes ownership of the roads,` said Kris Thompson, spokesman for Bruno’s office. Acknowledging that nothing has been finalized with AMD, which has yet to sign a contract, Thompson said, `This project is going to benefit not only Malta but the Capital Region and the whole state. We’re convinced this project is moving forward.`
Despite not having a contracted tenant, construction related to the campus is moving forward. The town’s planning board has approved the clearing, grubbing and grading stages of the roadway construction for most of the 5.5 miles of road. While the section of roadway that is to be the main access from Route 67 to the western connector road has not been approved, all other sections of the road were approved in August and September. Construction bids for that work are due to be opened this week by Larry Benton, administrator of the Saratoga County Industrial Development Agency.
Another related resolution passed Monday evening authorized the town supervisor to enter into a license agreement with the Luther Forest Technology Campus Economic Development Corporation (LFTCEDC) allowing them to have access and use the paths and roads on the 34 acres of property they have recently transferred to the town. The agreement allows both pedestrian and vehicle use.
The license agreement will terminate if, within one year of the date of resolution, the construction of the proposed road has not materially commenced. After three years the town may terminate the agreement after providing LFTCEDC with 90 days notice. The resolution also states that LFTCEDC is not to enlarge the roads or pathways, pave them, make any improvements to them or utilize any portion of the 34 acres as a staging area for the construction of the proposed roads. Additionally, the resolution is requiring that the roadways and paths must be in the same or superior condition when LFTCEDC is done using them.
The first stages of construction on the proposed roadways, which include clearing, grubbing and grading, are expected to begin as early as the middle of this month. “