WESTERLO — As Westerlo’s new water system comes closer to completion, the town hopes a state grant will help cover the costs of bringing the water to low-income residents.

At a meeting Tuesday, the town board announced that it had received a $82,000 Small Cities grant through the Governor’s Office to aid poorer residents with the cost of hooking into the system.

Westerlo’s water project, in development since 2000, is under construction. It will update and connect two private systems in the hamlet of Westerlo, creating one large public system.

Water-district residents are responsible for paying the cost of hiring a contractor to connect their homes to the system. With the grant, that requirement will change for some.
"Our goal is none of the low-income families need to take any money out of pocket," said town attorney Aline Galgay, who did much of the work applying for the grant along with Councilman R. Gregory Zeh.

To prepare the grant application, Galgay said, the town sent out two anonymous surveys to determine how many water-district residents would qualify for the funding. According to the surveys, 37 households qualified, Galgay said, but only 60 percent of the water-district responded. If more than 37 apply for the funding, she said, there may not be enough money to completely cover everyone’s costs.

Two qualify for the funding, a resident needs to get bids from three contractors. However, the town has gotten permission to send out requests for proposals on behalf of its residents, saving them time and effort. There is a trade-off, though. Residents must accept the contractor to whom the town awards the bids.
"If you contract with someone else, you are no longer eligible," Galgay said.

Eligibility starts at an annual income of $35,550 for a one-person household. Applications will be mailed out to all water-district residents.

About $12,000 of the grant money is allotted for administration costs. Galgay suggested the town use some of that to hire a grant administrator.

Water-district residents will each be responsible for a $358 hook-up fee, which includes the cost of a water meter. Galgay said the town is looking into making that cost part of the request for proposals, which would mean the contractor would foot the bill for low-income households.

The town’s engineer, Keith Menia, of Vollmer Associates, suggested that, since his firm had not received as many change orders as anticipated, the hook-up fee could be lowered to $217. The town board decided against lowering it, for now, because it may still have to hire someone to operate the water system.

Supervisor Richard Rapp said he had two volunteers lined up, but they backed out just before the meeting.
"It’s a thankless job," Rapp said.
"I’d rather send a check back and say, ‘You paid enough,’" said Councilman Edward Rash, of the possibility of a refund if costs continue to stay low.

Other business

In other business at the Oct. 4 meeting, the Westerlo Town Board:

—Agreed to pay Southwood Equipment $510 to service the town’s generator; and

—Charged the town’s code enforcement officer, Edwin Lawson, with looking into possible violations at a former body shop on Route 143.

Mark Vendon, a neighbor, complained about the building, which he said was in extreme disrepair.
"It’s falling down," Vendon said.