Grants to pay for North Creek sewer service lines

NORTH CREEK | Residents of the North Creek Sewer District, many of whom have been concerned about the costs associated with the sewer system now under construction, now have some favorable news. Some of the money given to the town for the construction of the North Creek sewer system will go toward paying for installation of homeowners' service lines, Johnsburg Town Board member Jim Williams announced in the Aug. 5 town meeting. "The grant we got from the Warren County Occupancy Tax, offset by the latest (state) grant for $975,000, is dedicated to hookups from the street lateral (sewer main) to the private residences," he said. Williams said that to receive this benefit, sewer district residents must sign user agreements soon. Those property owners in the district who don't sign the user agreements in the coming weeks will be shouldering the cost of installing service lines to their homes, he said. "Subsequent hookups after the initial construction will be at the homeowners' expense," Williams said. He said that the sewer district's operating budget, the annual charges to each property owner in the district, and the district's regulations, are all yet to be established. Williams said the construction was moving forward, and the first sewer district entity to have sewer service, likely in January, will be Gore Mountain's facilities, including the new Ski Bowl Lodge, with the rest of the district residences and businesses obtaining sewer service in subsequent months. With Gore's Mountain's opening in November, they will be holding their septic discharges and having them hauled away until the sewer system is operational, Williams said. "There's a lot going on in the sewer," he said. "The construction end of things seems to be going pretty smooth." Williams also said that the sewer district's regulations would likely be established soon. MTN. BIKE RACE SET In other business conducted at the meeting, the Johnsburg Town Board discussed aspects of the "North Creek 4-6er Marathon Mountain Bike Race" set for Aug. 15 and Aug. 16 on the North Creek Ski Bowl trails. Sponsored by Unify Cycling and the Upper Hudson Trails Alliance, this bicycling endurance event features four- and six-hour marathon races on Saturday, with preliminary competition on Friday. The bicycle racers will be camping out in the Ski Bowl and by the town pond, as well as staying in area motels and inns. Bob Pollaro of Unify Cycling said in a letter to the board that the riders and support staff will be traveling from a "significant distance" to attend. Town resident Chris Heidrich thanked the board for bringing the rally to town, saying that hosting the rally will help promote the town's amenities. Hearing that the town wasn't charging the race organizers for the use of the Ski Bowl, Johnsburg resident Bob Nessle objected. "If you guys are turning this thing (Ski Bowl Park) over to this organization and you're not getting at least a thousand bucks…then none of you deserve to be elected again in November," he said. Williams responded that the Trails Alliance members maintained the Ski Bowl trails for the town at no charge, and they also developed the course. He also said that the Unify group would be turning over proceeds from the event to the Alliance work on the trails. Board member Anna Bowers said the two-day rally would likely be expanded next year, potentially featuring more activities and involving more people. A member of the audience responded that the rally would have a positive impact on the area's economy. "I think it would help businesses in town prosper," he said. North River resident Amy Sabattis said the bicycle racers would be patronizing local businesses. "Thank you for bringing them to town," she said to the board. PAVING JOBS PLANNED Additionally, Williams announced tentative plans to pave the following roads: Dump Road from state Route 28N to the town landfill; both ends of Ski Bowl Road, including to the new lodge now under construction; and the section leading to the town highway garage. Local resident Kelly Nessle said she opposed paving the road behind the town tennis courts. "I strenuously object to this," she said, "It's an illegal road because it crosses park property." Williams said he would discuss this issue with the town Highway Committee. He also said that the town's highway budget would need to be increased this next year due to pending 4 percent raises for highway department employees as well as the additional paving projects. Williams also said that the town's solid waste and recycling operations were progressing, including the practice of weighing refuse on scales, the new arrangement of Warren County hauling trash for disposal, and how the town's reuse shed is now accepting furniture. "Everything is working the way we hoped it would," he said. In other business, the Johnsburg town board: • scheduled budget workshops for Sept. 2 and Sept. 16, both at 6 p.m., in the Tannery Pond Community Center; • named a private road serving Derek Uluski's property at 1955 state Route 8 'Hawks Perch Road'; • approved two special event permits for the Tannery Pond Community Center: Community Day & Outdoor Show on Sept. 20, and their annual juried Art & Craft Fair on Nov. 21 and Nov. 22; and • approved a grant application for an engineering study of the North Creek Water District, which serves about 308 households or businesses. The study is to assess the water system's capacity and condition, as well as develop strategies to address water quality, pressure, storage capacity, and meet long-term demand.

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Grants to pay for North Creek sewer service lines

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