Wastewater Committee discusses Lake Amenia Road property purchase

AMENIA — Continuing discussion on the possible purchase of the existing home and acreage at 74 Lake Amenia Road, the Amenia Wastewater Committee considered its next steps at its regular meeting on Thursday, Nov. 2.

Committee Chairman Charlie Miller reported that the Housing Board is obtaining cost quotations to meet the requirements of a town application to the Dutchess County Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The CDBG program is intended to help communities to fund infrastructure improvements.

Quotes are being gathered for corrective repairs to the home. When repairs are completed, the town could offer its first unit of single-home affordable housing.

Miller reported that the Housing Board has received two quotes for asbestos abatement and will soon have quotes for septic upgrades and general smaller repairs, including window replacement and kitchen updates. The house is presently served by a cesspool, commonly found in homes of its age.

The Wastewater Committee’s 2024 budget request for $85,000 to fund engineering services to create a Map, Plan and Report for the proposed wastewater district is included in the 2024 town budget proposal, Miller noted. The acreage at the Amenia Road property is well positioned to serve as location for a modern wastewater treatment facility that could drain treated clean water into Amenia Brook.

Members of the Wastewater Committee are responding to requests from residents along Railroad Avenue and Lake Amenia Road to extend the wastewater district to include their homes. The members have been visiting with those residents to measure interest.

Responsive to a suggestion from Lake Amenia Road residents, the committee is planning to study the performance of systems in area towns where those systems are of similar design to what is being considered for Amenia. Once comparable towns have been identified, the committee will arrange a field visit for residents to see for themselves how they operate.

Committee members also agreed to conduct another survey, perhaps in January, to measure residents’ interest, opinions and concerns.