It’s official: the Ballston IDA will pay for the engineering costs of constructing a water pump to handle the town’s second water contract with Saratoga County Water Authority. On Tuesday, April 12, Supervisor Patti Southworth said the IDA will cover $69,000 after construction is complete. That’s slightly less than the $75,000 previously projected.
I’m happy I did encourage everyone to continue to look for funding. We have to remember this is taxpayers’ money we’re spending; we have to look for every penny we can before going to them and asking them to open their wallets for us, said Southworth, who has spoken out against the second water contract before.
Entire construction costs for the pump station are about $586,000. The pump station will be constructed at the intersection of Route 67 and Eastline Road and is supposed to be completed in time to connect to the Saratoga County Water line by July 1. Clifton Park Water Authority is in agreement to also purchase water from the county system, using the Ballston line, so it will pay for some of the pump station, said Southworth.
Southworth said she still feels it was unwise to bond a pump station when there’s no money in the bank to pay for it, but went along with a compromise to get things moving.
`It’s not the perfect answer but it is a compromise solution to the problem. I think in all situations, you have to understand there must be compromises along the way`said Southworth.
Mary Beth Hynes, a town board member who sits on the County water board, said moving forward was important because the town will have a hard time meeting the July deadline as it is.
Bid responses will be opened at the Tuesday, April 27, town board meeting, said Southworth, and hopefully by the meeting in May the town will be able to award a bid for construction.
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