Capital Region officials gathered in Stillwater today to discuss proposed water infrastructure improvement projects.
Democratic New York Congressman Paul Tonko and leaders from Stillwater, Menands, Voorheesville, and Altamont discussed the various infrastructure projects the municipalities are seeking federal support to complete.
In a roundtable discussion at the public library, officials shared their plans, successes, and challenges, giving Tonko a better grasp on four projects he’s selected as a part of the 2025 Community Project Funding, or earmark, process.
Following the discussion, the Democrat from the 20th district told WAMC funding the proposed water infrastructure projects is vital to the region’s future.
“It makes sense to do these projects when they’re identified here for the public’s awareness. We understand the ripple effect that is part of these efforts—more capacity, better service, less stress on the public safety teams that need that capacity, that pressure system in their overall operations. And the opportunity to grow in a community to have new developments, to have new homes built,” said Tonko.
Voorheesville is seeking roughly $400,000 to replace large segments of its sewage system, which dates to the 1960s. Mayor Richard Straut says it’s significant for Tonko to meet with local leaders.
“But to understand the importance to our community and to connect all those dots, to understand how fixing our sewer system relates to our ability to redevelop our downtown and to serve other needs within our village. It’s incredible how all of those things are connected and he gets it. I mean, you heard it here today, he understands. And for him to actually listen, it’s special, right? Because we put our federal elected officials up on this pedestal and they seem unreachable, he’s not,” said Straut.
Altamont Deputy Mayor Nicholas Fahrenkopf presented his village’s $1.2 million upgrade to its wastewater treatment facility. In addition to smaller yet necessary improvements, the village of around 1,600 will shift to a system that uses ultraviolet disinfectant instead of chlorination.
Fahrenkopf says the upgrade would create numerous benefits for the village and surrounding municipalities.
“We’re not putting chemicals in and taking chemicals out. There’s less risk of operator error, right? You don’t have to worry about the calculations or the equipment malfunctioning—it’s a newer system. It goes into the drinking water for Watervliet and Guilderland and lots of other neighboring communities so that helps. And again, it frees up our staff to be able to go work on other things. And its, again, a cost like the other mayor mentioned, eventually we would be able to save enough money to do this, but there’s such a long list like Richard was saying of other projects that are right behind this that we need to tackle as well,” said Fahrenkopf.
Fahrenkopf says village officials had planned to use American Rescue Plan Act funds to pay for the upgrades, but the total cost led them to spend that money elsewhere.
Stillwater Councilman Chris D’Ambro says the town would use the requested $2.2 million to complete the third phase of a water main replacement project in the works for years.
“You don’t put new tires on a truck that doesn’t run. It’s a matter of you have to have your core infrastructure before you can expand upon it. So it’ll help us with new phases of new water lines. Before we can turn up the PSI and expand the existing system the existing system has to be up and running at a level that’s sufficient to be able to handle the capacity,” said D’Ambro.
The Village of Menands is seeking $5 million to overhaul the almost century-old water and sewer systems in its South End neighborhood.
