A state grant that was secured several years ago will soon be making its way to the Town of Bethlehem.
The Town Board on Wednesday, Sept. 14, unanimously approved accepting the $3 million Capital Assistance Program grant agreement.
The money will be spent on forcemain and interceptor sewer improvements in North Bethlehem.
“There are restrictions in the sewer system that really precludes taking on additional flow from new projects, especially the Vista project,” said Town Engineer Paul Penman.
The grant was secured in 2008 through then-Assemblyman Tim Gordon’s office. The administration process for the grant through the state Dormitory Authority was fairly extensive, said Bethlehem Supervisor Sam Messina, so it hasn’t be ready to be approved until now.
There is no requirement for the town to put up any matching funds.
In other business:
Paving contract approved
The board voted 3-0 on Thursday, Sept. 15, to contract with Pietropaoli, Inc. in the amount of $34,450 to make paving improvements at the town’s wastewater treatment plant on Dinmore Road.
Department of Public Works Deputy Commissioner Erik Deyoe called the condition of the pavement there “deplorable”and said it’s a fix that needs to be made this season, not after the winter. Since highway crews have been tied up with cleanup of Tropical Storm Irene, it’s doubtful they’d be able to make it to the project before the end of the work season.
“It’s certainly within their capabilities, it’s more of a scheduling issues,” Deyoe said.
The board considered the matter at its Wednesday meeting but decided to table the measure to the following evening’s budget workshop after a member of the public questioned why the work had to be contracted out.
The following evening, Highway Superintendent Gregg Sagendorph told the board his department has laid 5,000 tons of paving material this season, while the average seasonal total is 11,000 tons.
“I’ve been fairly behind on the paving this year,” he said. “It was a fairly hard winter… we had a fairly rainy spring.”
Councilman Mark Jordan was not at the budget meeting, and Councilman Kyle Kotary arrived shortly after the vote was taken.
Storm’s cost still uncertain
Department of Public Works Deputy Commissioner Erik Deyoe on Wednesday, Sept. 15, provided to the Bethlehem Town Board an overview of the impacts of Tropical Storm Irene and the flooding that followed. A full damage assessment still hasn’t been completed. Deyoe said the town has received an “almost innumerable” number of calls reporting erosion, slope failures and drainage issues alone.
There are miles of sewer pipe that will require inspection by closed circuit television, as some lining of the pipes were washed away by storm water. Sinkholes have been popping up in some areas, indicating damage to underground pipes.
Damage to a diversion dam in the Town of New Scotland and the pipe leading away from it means the town’s Vly Reservoir is cut off from about half of its source water. That’s not an immediate issue though, since heavy rains still have the reservoir at capacity and the town has several other sources to draw on.
The process of securing emergency assistance from FEMA is underway, though that money will mostly be in the form of reimbursements, not direct aid. The federal government is advancing with plans to support 75 percent of the storm costs, with localities picking up the rest.
Deyoe reported that the state Department of Environmental Conservation is meeting engineers in the field to issue fast-track permits for repair projects.
Meeting on superhamlet set
The Town Board settled on Wednesday, Oct. 12, as the date for public comment to be provided on the scoping document for the Wemple Corners superhamlet project in Glenmont.
The document is a precursor to the town’s decision on the developer’s request to rezone the 95-acre project site from mixed economic development to hamlet. The town is requiring a scoping document as part of the project’s environmental review, which is not a required part of the process but may prove helpful to planners.
The process for the construction of a scoping document requires the opportunity for public comment. On Wednesday, the Town Board was adamant that the noticing of this meeting should go above and beyond the legal requirements.
“It’s a huge project, it’s going to forever change a significant part of this town,” Councilwoman Joann Dawson said.
It was decided to send written notices to neighbors of the project site, which is at the intersection of Wemple Road and Route 9W. The town will also send out emails and possibly erect a sign at the project site.
Wemple Corners is proposed as a development of 470 apartments, 56 twin homes and 145,000 square feet of various commercial space. Some of the apartments would be set aside for seniors.
The public comment session will take place at the start of the Town Board meeting on Oct. 12, at 6 p.m. The window to submit written comments will stay open from that time through Oct. 17.