HILLTOWNS — The idea of senior housing has been kicked up again in Berne, where plans for two senior-friendly buildings fell through about a decade ago because its developer, Jeff Thomas, says the project would require municipal water. 

Berne resident and planning board member Mike Vincent told the town board earlier this month that interest among the elderly is still as strong as ever, and pressed on the importance of developing units not just for current seniors, but those to come. 

At a recent senior meeting, he said, around 26 people expressed interest in affordable housing. 

“And, again, we know there were a lot more previously that were interested that aren’t here anymore,” Vincent said. “We’re all getting older every day … I go to change a light bulb, I fall off the ladder, now what?” 

Deputy Supervisor Anita Clayton said the town would likely have trouble securing grant money for any kind of housing project until a specific plan was in place, and said they would “contact Mr. Thomas to call me and we’ll set up a meeting” to find out where he stood on any housing plans in the area. 

Thomas told The Enterprise this week that he has no new plans, but that the old plan — two 48-unit buildings just outside the hamlet — is still feasible, if only he can find a water source.

“The municipality would have to provide us with water,” he said. “That seems to be the stumbling block right now. We have septic, we have a grinder pump hookup, thanks to one of the previous supervisors — but our stumbling block right now is water. If we can get water, we can build the project.”

He didn’t provide a specific amount of water needed for the project, but said that one of his engineers once did a calculation that showed the Berne-Knox-Westerlo School District would have enough surplus to supply it. 

“But there would have to be an arrangement worked out, so somebody would have to facilitate that within the town,” Thomas said. 

When asked whether supplying Thomas with extra water was something the district would or has already considered, BKW Superintendent Timothy Mundell told The Enterprise this week that he knew “nothing of what you are asking me” and that he did not have time to look into it at this point in the school year. 

In 2006, then-Superintendent Steven Schrade told The Enterprise that the district could theoretically provide the project with the water it needs, but noted it had never sold its water before and that there may be certain legal aspects that would need to be addressed. 

In 2020, on the day she was inaugurated for her second stint as a member of Berne’s town board, Bonnie Conklin reported that she had spoken with Mundell about projects, including shared water, that he seemed interested in exploring. 

Mundell later denied that this was the case, blaming The Enterprise for misreporting it when he was asked about it at a school board meeting that year. Conklin apologized at a town board meeting shortly thereafter for sharing the information publicly.