VOORHEESVILLE —  It’s going to be a busy start to May in Voorheesville as the village has three public hearings planned during the first eight days of the month.

On May 7, a joint public hearing of the planning commission and zoning board is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Voorheesville firehouse on Atlas Copco’s proposed expansion plans. 

On the following evening, starting at 6 p.m., at village hall, the board of trustees will hold two hearings: on proposed increases to replacement water-meter fees and sewer rates and on the village’s proposed cable agreement with Spectrum. 

During the May 7 hearing, attendees will be able to sound off on Atlas Copco’s proposed $30- to $40-million expansion of its compressor operations. 

Due to space space constraints in Voorheesville, the company has had to import the large speciality equipment, which is used in major industrial plants to capture greenhouse gas emissions and permanently place it underground.

To overcome these logistical challenges, Atlas Copco is seeking permission to build a six-story, 63,000-square-f00t addition to its current 101,000-square-foot facility. The project would need multiple variances from the village, for height and area. 

Water and sewer rates

On May 8, at 6:15 p.m., a hearing will be held on a proposed sewer-rate increase of 10 percent and an increase in the annual meter-replacement fee from $20 to $25.

The Voorheesville water system has approximately 1,375 residential and business service connections serving about 3,250 people, according to the latest information, from 2022. 

The total amount of water produced in 2022 was 124,710,000 million gallons.

The amount of water metered at customer locations was approximately 67.5 million gallons. This leaves an unaccounted total of 57.2 million gallons. Most of the unaccounted water can be attributed to leakage.

Water customers in the village are charged $210.00 for the first 20,000 gallons; $3.25 for gallons 20,001 to 70,000 gallons; $3.50 for gallons 70,001 to 145,000; $3.75 for gallons 145,001 to 220,000; $4 for gallons 220,001 to 295,000; $4.50 for gallons 295,001 to 370,000; $5 for gallons 370,001 to 445,000; and $5.50 for gallons 445,001-520,000.

Non-village customers are charged double the rate.

Voorheesville is also looking to increase its sewer rate by 10 percent. 

The village serves approximately 500 sewer customers, most of whom pay a fee of $600 per year.

But as part of the village’s recent sewer-installation project on Main Street and Voorheesville Avenue, some residents now receive the benefit of tying into the system but have yet to do so. The village charges those properties $200 per year for an unconnected property and $160 per unconnected unit in a multi-family residence. 

The residents of Pleasant Street, who have to maintain septic systems, pay a $450-per-year fee. 

Cable agreement

Also on May 8, at 6 p.m., the village will be taking comments on its proposed re-up with Spectrum.

The 15-year nonexclusive agreement, meaning the contract does not prevent the village from entering into franchise agreements with other cable service providers, is worth 5 percent of Spectrum’s annual gross revenue from village customers, according to the agreement, which in recent years has been $64,000 per annum.