Red Hook board greenlights map plan for water district tied to new sewer district, approves $40,000 ARPA appropriation

The Red Hook Town Board voted Jan. 28 to begin formal work to create a water district that mirrors the recently formed Sewer District No. 1 and to appropriate $40,000 from ARPA funds to pay for the district-formation task order.

Engineer Brandy Nelson, who prepared the town's preliminary engineering report, told the board the PER recommended a shared sewer approach with the village's treatment plant supplying capacity while the town constructs a collection system. Nelson said the next required engineering product is a "map, plan and report" that defines district boundaries, preliminary layouts, cost estimates and user-charges needed for legal formation and state review.

Nelson estimated the map/plan/report would take about six to eight weeks to compile once the board gives direction and the village provides remaining parcel and capacity data. She said some background information'including county- and private-system maps and the village's list of served parcels'would improve the report but could require coordination, FOIA requests or county GIS support.

During discussion, board members stressed the need for clarity on which parcels are already receiving village water under private agreements, the age and condition of existing mains, and whether the village can provide the volume of water projected in the sewer intermunicipal agreement. Nelson said the town already has an IMA request for 50,000 gallons vetted through the sewer process and that broader water sharing beyond that would require new negotiations with the village.

Without naming a mover, the board approved a motion to (1) direct the engineer to compile supplemental PER information, (2) begin the map/plan/report for a water district coincident with Sewer District No. 1 (51 parcels), and (3) appropriate $40,000 of ARPA funds to start the district-formation process. The motion was seconded and passed by the board.

Next steps outlined by staff include compiling county and village parcel information, completing the map/plan/report, and returning to the board with an updated schedule and cost estimate before filing any legal notices required for district formation. The board emphasized the timing: EFC financing windows and competitive grant (CFA) deadlines in May'June mean work must move quickly to preserve funding eligibility.