Glendale schedules public hearing after town applies for well-drilling grants

Glendale Town Corporation leaders said the town has applied for state and federal grants to drill a new well and will hold a public hearing in about two weeks to discuss the applications and any associated obligations.

Town officials told the meeting that the town applied to the Community Impact Board (CIB) for $1,200,000 to drill a new well and also sought federal support, including a $3,000,000 request submitted through congressional channels. Officials said they gathered four letters of support for the federal request, including a letter from the local water engineer, the town's state representative, the state senator and Mike Noyle of the water conservancy district.

The town representative said staff were also asked to research an alternate drilling site closer to the dump area. That site would be nearer to town but would still require transmission infrastructure to supply water uphill to Mystic River and other areas. Councilors discussed trade-offs including water quality differences and the added pipeline length and pumping needs.

Town staff announced they will schedule a public hearing about the grants within the next two weeks and said details would be circulated to the council and public. Officials said the grant hearing will be the step that allows the town to finalize applications and, if awarded, identify next steps for design, bidding and construction.

The town also noted current water-fund balances and warned the council that the water fund will be depleted once the new line work is paid. No final decisions on site selection, matching funds or construction contracts were made at the meeting.

Looking ahead, representatives asked residents to monitor notices for the hearing and said staff would bring grant documents and supporting materials to that session.