The Westchester County Board of Legislators (BOL) advanced two major investments in sewage infrastructure repairs this week to help protect the environment and better serve communities where the sewage facilities and lines are located.
The Tarrytown Forcemain project will replace 2.75 miles of thirty-inch diameter pipeline conveying raw sewage from the Villages of Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow to a gravity sewer that leads to the Yonkers Joint Treatment Plant in the City of Yonkers. The existing forcemain, constructed in 1978, has ruptured several times over the years, resulting in the release of partially treated sewage and a number of claims against New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) that are being settled pursuant to an Order of Consent.
The $14.8 million project received necessary bond approval by the BOL Infrastructure Committee, chaired by Legislator MaryJane Shimsky (D-Hastings-on Hudson). The total amount to be bonded will be $12.6 million, with $2 million for design and construction management already appropriated. To reach the total cost of the project, the BOL added $5,250,000 to the County’s 2014 Capital Budget, as $9,550,000 had been approved and appropriated previously.
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“The only way to protect the County’s aging infrastructure is to make timely investments for repairs before situations advance to crisis proportions,” said Shimsky. “The County needs to move forward quickly with this work, both to protect the community and to comply with the consent order, and I’m grateful that my Board colleagues on the Infrastructure Committee understand this and have given these investments their full support.”
Additionally, the BOL Infrastructure Committee approved $625,000 of funding to help relocate a portion of the County’s sewage trunk line running through property adjacent to Warburton Avenue in the City of Yonkers and currently owned by River Club, LLC. In 2007, the County’s sewage line on the property broke, and the relocation of 545 feet of pipe was determined to be beneficial to the property owner and County, which has an easement on the property. The total repair project will be $1 million, with the property owner picking up $375,000 of the projected cost.
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“Westchester County residents expect that vital infrastructure projects be undertaken to ensure public safety and support for municipal services,” said BOL Majority Leader Catherine Borgia (D-Ossining). “These investments end up saving money on more costly repair projects down the road. The economic growth and future prosperity of our communities depend on our diligence in this regard.”
The bonding legislation for the projects still needs full BOL approval, which is expected soon.
