The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
City to extend water, sewer line
The city of Oneida is looking to expand water and sewer infrastructure along West Elm Street to around 30 people and toward Wampsville.
At Common Council on Tuesday, Jan. 15, councilors discussed the improvement project and when to hold a public hearing.
“Didn’t we have a discussion about this around a year or two ago?” Ward 3 Councilor Jim Coulthart asked his fellow councilors. “I felt the public temperature was running high with concerns of tapping into the sewer line and water line.”
The last time this project was suggested, Ward 5 Councilor Jim Chamberlain said there were talks with the planning committee of developing the Brewer-Curtain property on West Elm Street into an industrial park.
“The sewer line is going to come down the railroad,” Chamberlain said. “The water line will continue and connect four existing dead ends. And that will pick up some customers.”
Chamberlain said the dead ends on the waterlines are on Fitch street, West Elm Street, Hubbard Place and Elm Street coming from Wampsville.
Recalling the previous meeting on the proposed infrastructure project, Chamberlain said there were some residents concerned about the price while others who lived along the route for the proposed waterline wanted to stay with their well.
“But there were a lot of peoplew ho wanted it done,” Ward 4 Councilor Helen Acker said.
City Clerk Sue Pulverenti said she has prepared letters that will be sent out to everyone who lives in the affected areas and contain documents better explaining just what is going to be done.
“This way, when people come to themeeting, they’re going to have all the infor- mation they’ll need,” Pulverenti said. “There will be six people on the sewer and I believe 26 on the water.”
“I know the past year and a half, I’ve had people chomping on the bit to hook up,” Chamberlain said. “The best thing about this is it’s fixing those four dead ends. That’s going to improve fire protection, water quality and pressure. When the city flushes those dead ends in the spring, you don’t have as good quality flowing.”
The city council has a public hearing scheduled for Feb. 5 in the council chambers at 6:30 p.m. When asked if there’s a timetable the city is looking at for the project, Chamberlain said it was too early to be considering when the city will start.
“The letters have been drafted, but we need public hearings, we need to put the contract out to bid and more,” Chamberlain said.
Coulthart confirmed with this fellow councilors this project is preliminary to the construction of Green Empire Farms’s new greenhouse. The city has been awarded a $1 million grant to aid in the construction of the infrastructure project.
Green Empire Farms, a hydroponic greenhouse company, is acquiring more than 200 acres of property in the greater Oneida area to build a series of greenhouses to grow crops yearround. The project would build in four phases, with Phase 1 bringing around 200 new jobs to the community.
Oneida City Planning and Development Director Cassie Rose said while Green Empire Farms has a water hookup right now, it isn’t enough.
“The water line, the way it is right now, comes in from the west from Wampsville and ends at their property line,” Rose said. “We need to bring the existing water line from West Elm Street to where it is currently so they have enough pressure.”
For the sewer line, an issue had arisen when the planned sewer line passed right over property owned by the Oneida Indian Nation. Rose said the OIN has agreed on an easement for this project and the paperwork has been filed with the federal government to construct the sewer line.
Quick Hits
• City council tabled further discussions in regards to entering a leasing agreement with Enterprise for city vehicles. Chamberlain said the city can wait until City Engineer Eric Schuler is present for more serious discussions. Coulthart said in his opinion, the city should wait and see the success of the Enterprise rental agreement Madison County has entered into for its vehicles. “Part of me is just concerned is being in on the initial wave,” Coulthart said. “I’d like to see how things go and I have some follow-on concerns about things such as additional equipment on the cruisers and decals.”