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Sewer Committee looks to county for funding help

MILLERTON — The town of North East’s Sewer Committee met last Thursday, July 30, at American Legion Post 178 to discuss the options for moving forward with grant applications on a joint sewer project, which would be shared between the village of Millerton and the town.

Both Mayor John Scutieri and town Supervisor Dave Sherman were also in attendance, as were members of both municipal boards and Jonathan Churins, the project’s facilitator from the Dutchess County Water and Wastewater Authority (DCWWA).

As Churins explained, there are two primary funding agencies for wastewater system projects. The first is the state-run Environmental Facilities Corp. The village, acting as lead agency, has already sent an application, and it is expected that the document will be deemed complete for possible funding review.

The second funding agency is the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development branch, and last Thursday’s meeting revolved around complications with the village’s application for those funding opportunities.

Churins explained that the Rural Development application was noted for having “deficiencies,â€� namely problems with the village and town sharing a sewer system. Although under the application Millerton is named as the municipality that would handle  cost issues, the USDA pointed out that the village isn’t legally set up to charge and collect taxes from properties outside the village’s boundaries in the town of North East.

After deliberation between those in attendance, the Sewer Committee voted unanimously to recommend making DCWWA (the county) lead agent for the revised application. This option was not available when the first application was sent out, as county projects could not qualify for funding from Rural Development until very recently. As several people pointed out, the change would have many benefits: the authority has more experience dealing with sewer applications, and the property of district boundaries would no longer be an issue if the project were in the county’s hands.

Committee Chairman Robert Trotta said he had looked into the particulars of what exactly having the county own the sewer system would mean.

“There’s more of an opportunity to get this done if someone more knowledgeable were at the helm,� he concluded. “This is a major undertaking, and the [village and town] boards are part-time. If you don’t have the expertise, the project might flounder or delay.�

The DCWWA currently oversees eight public water systems and three sewer systems in the county. Many other towns are looking for their assistance in applying for funding, including Amenia.

A joint sewer meeting between the village and town boards will be held in September to pass a resolution officially declaring the county as lead agency for the project. The date for that meeting has yet to be determined.

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