Cobleskill Approves Water Improvements

By Joshua Walther

COBLESKILL - On Monday afternoon, the Cobleskill Village Board held a short special meeting to discuss the next phase in their water improvement project.

The members heard the proposed scope from Brendon Becker of Lamont Engineers, who has been working closely with the Village on the matter. He said that the project mainly revolves around renovations for the water plant and the replacement of the original transmission main.

While the mentioned renovations were costly in their own right, such as maintenance work in the chlorine storage room and adding emergency power to the plant, eyes were drawn to the discussion of the transmission main, which has been plaguing the Village for as long as they could remember.

The ten-inch wooden pipe, which now rests underneath the golf course by Walmart, is wrapped in uncertainty. No one knows exactly when it was built, and as such, it proves to be a major health concern.

However, the solutions to the problem are not without their cost. Mr. Becker suggested that the Village could abandon the main and a new line could be run down Mineral Springs Road instead, but the cost would come in at $300 per foot.

Mr. Becker also showed concern for key properties that were serviced by the old main, as abandoning the pipeline would likely mean feeding their properties by new dead-end lines for a further cost projection.

He concluded by stating that the project would cost around five million dollars in construction alone, but with the necessary contingency of 30% and other fees to consider, the true total hovers at approximately eight million.

However, Cobleskill would not have to foot that bill alone. The Board is able to apply for a grant that would offset 70% of the cost, leaving them with just an annual loan payment of eighty thousand dollars, something that Mayor Rebecca Stanton-Terk describes as “totally doable.”

“A five million dollar water project will be hard on our own,” Mayor Stanton-Terk continued as she contemplated what might happen if the grant isn’t obtained, “but we won’t just ignore it. We can’t keep kicking the can down the road.”

With all members in agreement that they should try for the grant, the Board passed a motion to adopt the bond resolution and adjourned with no further business.