Searching For A Water Tower Alternative
By Doug La Rocque
Toward the end of a brief workshop meeting on Thursday, September 27, Town Board member Dean Maxon expressed his deep concern that the residents of Berlin Water District # 2 simply cannot bear the weight of a 2.25 million dollar water tower project, even if they are successful in obtaining a 60 percent grant from New York State. That would mean the District would still have to borrow approximately $900,000, payable over a 30 year period. The District failed to qualify for a zero percent interest loan, because a requirement that 84 percent of the District’s households and businesses return an anonymous income survey was not met. Mr. Maxon also had reservations that the District’s infrastructure could handle the water pressure that would be created by a tower, even with the planned pressure relief equipment installed.
The “catch-22” the District finds itself in, is that the NYS Department of Health (DOH) is just as concerned about a decades-old check valve, that keeps water from the reservoir from flowing back into the distribution system. DOH has determined the reservoir water to be unsafe to drink. DOH is threatening to institute a boil water order if the District (through the Town Board) does nothing for fear of leakage or outright failure of the valve.
Board member John Winn suggested the District begin to seek alternatives to a water tower, while they await word from DOH if the grant has been approved. Town Supervisor Rob Jaeger said he has done some very preliminary research into a bypass system, but does not know if it is feasible, or would even gain DOH approval. Board members suggested contacting Cedarwood Engineering, the firm that handled the grant application and would subsequently construct the water tower, to see if they could look into some possible alternatives. All members of the Board agreed it would be money well spent, and Supervisor Jaeger said he would contact them immediately.
Again, it must be noted that the valve has not failed, and that regularly scheduled testing of the District’s water shows no sign of any return flow from the reservoir, and the water quality remains very good.
Going Solar
The Board also approved a contract with Monolith Solar to construct a solar energy collection facility on town-owned land off Airport Road, with some of the energy collected being returned to the Town for use at its municipal buildings. It is estimated this would save $15,000 annually in energy costs. The only portion of the Town’s electrical use not covered would be the bill for street lighting. Currently the Town’s supplier, New York State Electric and Gas, will not accept solar energy contributions for such a use.
The contract has a couple of minor stipulations, one being that access to the solar facility would only be allowed from Airport Road.
Before adjourning, the Board members approved a resolution setting a standard workday for 2018, a New York State requirement. They also paid the recurring bills, as is standard practice at the workshop meetings.