By Jay Lawson
The Town of Webb has received an explanation from New York State as to why a funding request was rejected last month, according to Supervisor Ted Riehle.
The town had requested grant funds through a Consolidated Funding Application (CFA).
The grant was to pay for the process involved in planning upgrades to the town’s Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The amount being requested was about $30,000, according to Riehle.
“Obviously we weren’t happy that we were overlooked in the awarding of the grants,” Riehle said.
The problem was, it turns out, that Webb had already listed the upgrades on a plan that was made in 2006.
This plan was for the Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC), which oversees water and wastewater projects, according to Riehle.
The inclusion of the upgrades on the EFC caused them to be excluded from consideration for CFA grant funding.
Supervisor Riehle said he has contacted EFC staff and is working with them to update the 2006 plan. This will include a deletion of the upgrade part.
That will return the Town of Webb to eligibility and likely inclusion in the next round of funding that will be announced next summer, Riehle said.
“Our Wastewater Plant is 35 years old and due for an up-to-date comprehensive review, which is what the planning grant was intended for,” he said.
The review will be used to identify problem areas and create a plan for making needed upgrades, Riehle said.
“We don’t have any imminent problems; it’s not a critical thing. But 35 years is a typical lifespan, when you look at upgrading the facility. Our current bond for the original plant will be paid off in 2017. We wanted to start planning now,” Riehle said.