Seward Seeks Public Support Through Survey

By Matthew Avitabile

SEWARD — Town Supervisor Earlin Rosa said that in the past there were federal funds available for a sewer project, which the town provided the labor for, but ultimately resulted in a large bond due to a clerical error. Residents have been paying off the bond for about 20 years.

The system passed inspections in 2019 and needs an update regarding ammonia effluents to meet DEC standards. The town has worked on a number of potential solutions but eventually led to the need to update the system.

The town has been working with Lamont Engineers for the last two years, leading to two potential options. One was about $650,000 and the other was about $800,000. The first option was approved and will need support from the public to help cover the cost. Some grant options are limited due to the current income profile of the town. The town also committed its entire ARPA funding for the program.

Ultimately, the town would need more than a 90% return rate from community residents to be eligible for the money.

Overall, there will be about $450,000 for the 42 members of the sewer district, which would cost about $500 per year.

The supervisor said that he does not want to saddle residents with the cost, hoping to help those on fixed incomes.

One of the potential solutions would be to utilize the survey.

“It’s really a cry for help,” he said.

The town is hoping to gather all of the responses by mid-April.

“It’s happening very fast,” he said.

Should the town not get responses, the town government will request responses from residents door to door.

“It’s important to the sewer district under the circumstances,” Rosa said.

“It’s really important that they do the work for themselves,” he said. The result could be the savings of thousands of dollars per household over the course of the bond.

Respond at https://arcg.is/efOfy, fill out the survey sent to you, or use the QR code to put in your responses.