Queensbury board weighs $7.3M wastewater plant upgrades as WIIA deadline moves up

Town of Queensbury board members spent the bulk of their June 25 meeting discussing proposed Phase Two improvements at the municipal wastewater treatment plant and an urgent state grant deadline.

Supervisor Steven Donnelly told the board that LaBerge engineers advised the WIIA (Water Infrastructure Improvement Act) application deadline has moved from September to July 26, narrowing the window for grant filing. “I've been recently advised that this year the WIIA season has moved from September to now July 26th is the deadline,” Donnelly read into the record and asked the board to decide quickly whether to authorize application work.

Sewer supervisor Keith said the plant needs multiple structural and mechanical upgrades and that the town currently has a consent order from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. “We're in violation right now. We have a consent order against us,” he said, urging the board to inspect the facility before committing to any financing plan.

LaBerge’s preliminary estimate for Phase Two runs roughly $7.3–7.5 million for inside‑the‑fence upgrades, including structural repairs, new blowers and SCADA controls. Board members noted WIIA can cover up to about 25% of eligible costs and that other grant sources (CDBG, USDA and others) would likely be needed to avoid an unaffordable local share. One board member pointed out that 25% of a $7.3 million project would be on the order of $1.5 million locally.

The board also reviewed the town’s intermunicipal agreement with the Village of Ravena, which distinguishes operation-and-maintenance and capital‑improvement shares; members read that capital expenditures are generally split 65% (village) / 35% (town) in the current agreement while certain operational costs have been described at 70/30. Several members said staff should obtain a written concurrence from the village confirming the split and whether the village will share upfront engineering costs for grant applications.

Supervisor Donnelly said LaBerge had offered to submit WIIA applications for the town at no additional charge and noted a separate LaBerge addendum proposal to cover general engineering inquiries. The board approved a resolution authorizing submission of a WIIA application for sewer-collection improvements and committed municipal bonding and reserves as the local match where required; the resolution passed during the meeting.

Board members directed staff to: (1) invite LaBerge to begin grant work now or decline based on the village's input, (2) ask the village to confirm cost‑sharing and payment of any engineering fees, and (3) arrange a site walk‑through for board members who had not inspected the plant. No final bond authorization for Phase Two was adopted at the meeting; members emphasized additional grant pursuit and intermunicipal coordination before any long‑term financing steps.

The board also noted that the Phase Two scope might not include every needed item (for example, some tank recoating and equipment replacements showed additional costs in the materials) and that more accurate numbers should emerge as work is refined and the project is readied for bidding. The town will communicate promptly with LaBerge and the village to meet the WIIA timetable if the parties agree to move forward.