North East, Millerton move forward on wastewater system

MILLERTON —  In its regular meeting on July 13, the board of the Town of North East finalized the required steps to move forward on the joint wastewater district with the Village of Millerton. With all board members present, resolutions were approved which authorized the town supervisor to sign an intermunicipal agreement (IMA) with Millerton, and designated Tighe & Bond, the engineering firm that has been working on planning the system, to seek grants to cover the town’s estimated cost of $2,955,000 of the project.

Before moving on to the wastewater district, Town Supervisor Christopher Kennan provided opening comments.  He observed that the extensive wetlands along the rail trail north of the village prevented flooding along Webutuck Creek after the heavy rains on Sunday and Monday. The emergency plan is being updated with the help of the fire department and should be completed this year.

Kennan also mentioned progress with the assistance of the county on a parking lot for 10-15 cars for the rail trail off of Rudd Pond Road. Finally, he extended his congratulations to the winners of the Village of Millerton’s most recent election.

During reports from committees and departments, Councilwoman Lana Morrison, who heads the recreation committee, explained that the town/village summer camp had been cancelled due to the sudden illness of the camp director. She added that hiring a full-time head of recreation is under consideration and that there will be a public hearing to discuss the bath house and pool to be constructed at Eddie Collins Field.

Kennan reported that the structural work on the new town garage is complete and that the next steps will be insulating the building and installing the hydraulic lift for equipment. The project is on schedule for occupancy by this winter. He noted that the future of the town garage, located within the village in a 100-year flood plain, will be “an interesting project to think about next year.”

Regarding the new Town Hall on Route 22, Kennan said that the purchase will be closed on Monday, July 17, and that Jeanne Vanecko is working on plans to repurpose the space and applying for grants. When the new Town Hall is ready, the current Town Hall on North Maple Street will be sold and returned to the tax rolls. It is expected that the sale will help offset the cost of the new Town Hall.

Lastly, Councilman Ralph Fedele reported raising $6,500 so far to fund the $10,000 cost of reerecting the tall Daiken obelisk in the Merwin Road cemetery.

At the heart of the resolutions passed to move ahead with a wastewater district was the IMA with Millerton. Key to understanding the agreement is that Millerton is the responsible party, which will own and operate the wastewater district — very similar to the existing operations of the water district. Town Attorney Warren Replansky highlighted the key points of the 17-page document for the board members, which he described as the “rules of the road.”

The village has assumed responsibility as lead agency and has determined that the “project does not have the potential for significant environmental impacts.” Eighteen percent of the permitted capacity of 12,400 gallons per day will be available to the town and the remaining 82% to the village. The total cost, which Kennan described as a worst-case scenario, will be $13,830,000, with the town responsible for $2,995,000, or 21.7%.

The town and village will work together to apply for grants to defray the cost of the system. Sewer use regulations will make connection to the system mandatory for all properties within system coverage. “Benefited” properties will be required to pay user fees and hookup fees.

After viewing the IMA, the board passed a resolution unanimously authorizing the town supervisor to sign the IMA with the village. The board then passed an order establishing the Sewer District No. 1.

Next, the town supervisor was authorized to sign an agreement with Tighe & Bond Engineering, permitting the firm to file grant applications with various government funding sources. A special board meeting is planned on Monday, July 24, to pass another resolution approving the submission of the wastewater application to the New York state comptroller.

After all the wastewater resolutions and orders, there were still items to get to on the agenda. Edie Greenwood, who is vice chair of the town Zoning Board of Appeals and is leading the Zoning Review Committee, announced that the town has been awarded a grant from Dutchess County Planning and Development in the form of consulting time by the Pace University Land Use Center to conduct an analysis of the Town of North East’s land use procedures. The goal of the analysis is to develop a more streamlined and informed land use process for North East.

Kennan announced that Habitat for Humanity is ready to proceed with acquiring the town-owned property on Rudd Pond Road, and asked the board to ratify the appointment of Kathleen Weathers, a scientist at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, to the Conservation Advisory Council.

A discussion about affordable housing followed and the North East Community Center’s (NECC) proposal to involve the town. Kennan observed that the town does not have the resources to build housing but there are other ways to be proactive. He encouraged councilmembers to study the NECC-proposed collaborative approach for consideration, perhaps starting with an ad hoc committee. Board member Meg Winkler said she was excited to be involved in a partnership to address the issue. Ralph Fedele commented on the need for the Town to take action on zoning and questioned how to build affordable housing with 5-acre minimum lot size.

The meeting was adjourned after approving minutes from the board’s June meetings.