Ti Portage project gets underway

TICONDEROGA — Work is expected to begin on a $20 million sewer and water project Monday after the Town Board gave final approval to the funding mechanism, half of which is "free money" in the form of state grants. "The shovels are parked on the side of the road and winter's coming," said Board Member Mark Russell. "It's unfair to the people to delay this any further; we need to move the project forward and get to work." The work is about three months late getting started because COVID-19 has caused a holdup in the appropriation of grants, even ones that have been approved. Supervisor Joe Giordano said he's confident the final piece of the puzzle, a $5 million DEC grant, will be forthcoming, particularly because from an environmental standpoint it's a project in which the state has a keen interest. During heavy rains untreated sewage is running into the La Chute River and Lake Champlain because the current treatment system can't handle the flow. The Portage project will separate and reroute clean rainwater from sewage, so it does not overwhelm the plant. The project also calls for new sewer and water lines on the Portage from Cannonball Path to Alexandria Street and will rehabilitate the road and sidewalks, giving the community a better look. As part of the vote Thursday, the board held a public hearing on project financing, which will include a sewer increase of $10 a quarter. Three people spoke by remote link, two of whom questioned whether the hearing had been adequately advertised, and asking that a final vote be tabled until such a time as the coronavirus allows for in-person meetings. But board member Tom Cunningham said the public has been given ample time to comment. "This project has been discussed a lot over the last 18 months," he said. Utility projects have been a touchy subject in Ticonderoga, which is attempting to modernize a sewer and water network that is suffering from decades of neglect. That's led to state and federal intervention, and orders to comply with modern regulations for drinking-water cleanliness and waste discharge. Because improvements were not done incrementally, a lot of costs are coming due all at once. Sewer bills that were $118 a quarter two years ago will be around $150 by the time the Portage project is complete. Water costs are up too after the federal government basically ordered the town to stop getting its drinking water out of a pond. To add insult, residents say water from a newly dug municipal well is excessively hard. Still, Giardano said it is "imperative" for the town to upgrade its utilities and that "the key here is that this is free money or money that comes from grants," not directly from ratepayers. In other matters before the town last week: — The board got an update on the cleaning and maintenance of town monuments, which are scheduled to happen in August. While the town does have one Union soldier depicted, most of its history is of French and Indian War vintage, which for now at least, has escaped the monument-related kerfuffle of other eras. Still, said Board Member Joyce Cooper, when she and a representative from the rehabilitation team were inspecting the Liberty Monument, a passerby called out a threat from a passing car — unaware that the goal was to beautify the monument, not tear it down. — The board agreed to work with the Heritage Museum to reopen restrooms to the public at the Ticonderoga Heritage Museum and Visitor Center. The restrooms had been closed under state guidance for maintaining public facilities under the coronavirus pandemic. Primarily, the bathrooms will need more frequent cleanings, and the town agreed to help. — The board passed a resolution to advertise for the position of Recreation Supervisor to manage programs such as after-school activities and supervision of the town beach. It's anticipated the position could be full time, which board members said would make it more likely to attract applicants. — The board appointed Erik Leerkes chairman of the Board of Zoning Appeals and moved to advertise for more board members.

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Ti Portage project gets underway

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