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Ravena Village sets July 15 public hearing on up-to-$2 million CDBG sewer application; attorney urges intermunicipal talks
Summary
The Ravena Village Board voted to set a public hearing for July 15 on a joint application with the Town of Coeymans for New York State CDBG funding to address sewer work in the hamlet. Village counsel said a 2016 intermunicipal cost-sharing formula must be renegotiated and asked for a meeting with town officials before work begins.
The Ravena Village Board on July 1 approved a resolution setting a public hearing for 6 p.m. July 15 at Village Hall to discuss a possible application with the Town of Coeymans for New York State Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to address sewer-system needs in the hamlet.
The hearing will allow residents to comment on local community development needs and on a potential application to the New York State Homes and Community Renewal, Office of Community Renewal. Village officials said the statewide CDBG program can fund public infrastructure projects in non-entitlement communities with awards ranging from $50,000 to co-funded projects of up to $2,000,000.
The public hearing follows a memo read into the record from Michael Biscone, the village’s water and sewer attorney, who advised that an existing intermunicipal agreement between the village and the town — dated Sept. 29, 2016 — allocates certain operation and maintenance costs between the two municipalities but that the current ratio applies only through the end of this year and therefore needs renegotiation. Biscone asked that the village mayor, the town supervisor, and counsel meet to reach an accord before significant repair work proceeds and requested contact during the week of July 7 to schedule that meeting.
Biscone’s letter, placed in the meeting record, also said lift-station and transmission-line repairs planned outside the wastewater treatment plant will be the town’s sole financial responsibility under the 2016 agreement, while the village seeks to participate in oversight and observation of transmission-line repairs to avoid accidental damage to village infrastructure during excavation. The attorney asked the town to notify the village of contractor names and dates when excavation work is scheduled so village staff can observe the work; he noted the cost of observation and inspection should be discussed between the municipalities.
At the July 1 meeting, a board member moved to adopt the resolution authorizing the clerk to publish notice of the July 15 hearing; another board member seconded the motion and the board approved it. The resolution directs the clerk to publish the hearing notice and provide citizens information about the amount of funds available, eligible activities, and program requirements under the CDBG application process.
Discussion at the meeting also noted that joint applications between municipalities often strengthen funding chances, and that the grant — if awarded — would be focused on infrastructure in the hamlet served by the shared wastewater system.
The board did not adopt any construction contracts at the July 1 meeting; the action was limited to scheduling the public hearing and putting the attorney’s comments into the record. Any subsequent approvals of contractors, bids, or change orders would be separate actions and, per the attorney’s recommendation, may require intermunicipal coordination and formal renegotiation of cost-sharing terms.
Votes at the July 1 meeting on the CDBG hearing resolution were recorded by voice; the resolution passed after a motion and second. No formal roll-call tally was recorded in the meeting transcript.
