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Town of Wheatfield: Board votes to borrow funds for 2 sewer projects

Fri, Jul 29th 2016 10:15 am

By Lauren Zaepfel

Tribune Editor

The Wheatfield Town Board approved the issuance of up to $600,000 in serial bonds Monday night for two sewer projects in the town, including a new pump station at Jagow Road and Rebecca Drive, and a replacement generator at the Clescent Road lift station.

The board will seek to borrow $375,000 for the pump station and $225,000 for the generator.

Richard A. Donner, the town's water and sewer superintendent, said both the pump station and generator were installed in the late '70s. 

"The pump station at Jagow and Rebecca is in dire need of replacement," Donner said.

"The supports are rotted out for the pumps. ... The pumps themselves, I can't get parts for anymore."

The project would encompass the rehabilitation of the sanitary sewer pump, installation of a replacement duplex, a recessed wet well-mounted pump station, electrical controls, and several other required components.

"That pump station encompasses that whole mall subdivision area, basically from Pleasant Drive back over to the railroad tracks, so there's quite a few homes that are taken into that," Donner said. He added, "Just because of the age and the issues involved with it, the best way to go about it is replace it with a new system."

As for the new generator for the Clescent Road lift station, Donner said, "Once again, we're talking 1976-77 when it was put in. We feel it (has lived) up to its usefulness of its life."

In addition to the deterioration from old age, the station's building is currently a semi-subsurface structure, meaning portions of it are both underground and above ground.

"Being in that type of a structure, it has a lot of corrosion issues," Donner said. "So, we're looking to eliminate that building, put an above-ground concrete building up like we have at some of the other stations, put a new generator in it and, hopefully, it will be good for another 30, 40 years."

After the board voted to borrow the money for the projects and scheduled dates to go out to bid, Town Supervisor Robert B. Cliffe said, "Yes, it's a lot of money, but if it's your sewers that are going down because they can't be repaired, you'll appreciate that this money was spent." 

In other news

The board approved the rezoning of three parcels located on Cayuga Drive Extension from residential to commercial, as requested by property owner J. Ronald Cicero.

Currently, two of Cicero's parcels are vacant and his former Cicero's Restaurant building sits on the other. In the past, the business was able to operate as a permitted use. However, it has ceased operations and is no longer under the grandfathered law allowing it to remain a restaurant. 

"Right now, it can't be resold as a restaurant," Cliffe said. "It's off of the grandfather clause. So in order for him to sell that as a restaurant, it needs to be commercial zoning."

Cicero said the site's commercial zoning would "open it up to something besides a restaurant," as well. "It could be a day care (or) whatever. Whatever would be available to commercial use."

Cicero said he currently does not have a buyer lined up, but he believes he would have a better chance of selling the properties as commercial than residential in an area, that is home to several businesses.

Cliffe said, "It's really part of a commercial corridor; it's just zoned residential. So it makes sense to me and to us (the board) to allow this to happen."

Resident Jim DeVantier requested his property, which abuts the vacant lot adjacent to Cicero's building, be commercially zoned as well.

"I would hope that I could make that commercial, too," DeVantier said. "It's all commercial across the road. It's only a little spot of mine which is R-3 right now."

Due to the town's rezoning process, DeVantier would have to apply for his request through the town Building Department. Planning Board approval would also be needed.

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