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Marbletown board wrestles with High Falls water-district shortfalls and plans community center renovation
Summary
Board members reviewed an audit showing municipal accounts in order, discussed a growing budget gap for the High Falls Water District driven by lower usage and rising wholesale costs, and outlined next steps for a community-center (BRICS) renovation project including a consultant study and multi-year timeline.
Town officials reported a clean audit of municipal accounts and then spent much of the meeting discussing the High Falls Water District’s fiscal strain and plans for a forthcoming community-center renovation.
The board said the town received an audit letter stating accounts were in good order. Members then turned to the High Falls Water District, where officials described fewer users and rising purchase costs from wholesale sources. Meeting discussion included a 2026 state requirement to install or replace a monitoring system — staff estimated that work could cost about $35,000 — and noted a substantial revenue shortfall because a previously large customer (the college) now uses roughly one-third of the water volume anticipated when user fees were set.
Officials described options under consideration: seek ARPA or county grant assistance, form or expand a district service area to add users, pursue targeted loans or seek other grant programs that prioritize affordable-housing projects that may increase eligibility. Board members also said New York City water–related charges (described in the meeting as rising roughly 6% per year) and strict borrowing limits for small-user districts make major capital borrowing difficult for the district.
On the community-center renovation, board members said the town has drafted an RFP for architects, obtained early quotes for interior demolition, and expects a consultant proposal (Kimley Horn) to analyze water-district alternatives and project feasibility. The BRICS grant application was described as the current funding track; members cautioned that grant timing and construction scheduling commonly take multiple years and that unknown remediation work could extend the timeline. Town materials posted online include the project budget and timeline, and the board encouraged public questions via the town projects portal.
Board members said they will continue to pursue funding options and expect a technical study to guide next steps. A board member summarized the funding challenge bluntly: "Federal and state monies are geared towards urban areas," a point raised in the meeting to explain the difficulty small rural municipalities face in securing grants.
What’s next: the town expects to receive a consultant proposal for the water-district study and will evaluate ARPA and county funding options; the community-center project will proceed with an RFP and preliminary scoping while the town refines grant and procurement plans.
