The Seneca County Water and Sewer Committee voted against a resolution that had language authorizing decommissioning of the Hillside Tower and instead directed the director of water and sewer to investigate repair and alternative options and report back to committee.

Committee members said the proposed resolution mischaracterized prior discussion and narrowed staff authority to explore options. A memo from engineering consultants (shared with the committee) outlined site observations and short-term fixes, but members said the committee wanted a broader, lower-cost fact-finding step rather than immediate decommissioning.

Wendell, an engineer who prepared the memo, and the director (Dan) discussed site accessibility and the technical difficulty of repairs. Committee members emphasized keeping initial costs down and involving other local engineers; Supervisor comments urged including MRB engineer Pat Nicoletta and contractor contacts such as Jim Brampco in a joint meeting to collect data.

The committee’s practical outcome: members declined the formal resolution and instead agreed to an informal directive that the director and county engineers convene stakeholders (including Wendell, Pat Nicoletta of MRB and local contractors), collect data, pursue low-cost options to stop the leak, and report results back to the committee. The chair asked staff to minimize consultant costs during the investigative phase.

Why it matters: the Hillside Tank is a roughly 70-year-old structure that serves county and neighbouring municipal water needs. Committee members noted the frequency of leaks and access challenges; the direction seeks to determine whether repairs, upgrades or eventual replacement will best serve water quality, service reliability and intermunicipal needs.

Next steps: staff will convene a joint meeting involving the director, the engineers named in committee discussion, and relevant municipal partners. The county will gather air balancing, fire alarm and mechanical punch-list information as part of the technical assessment. The committee did not specify funding sources at this stage; decisions about repair, decommissioning, or replacement will return to the committee after the fact-finding meeting.