Alexandria receives state help for Route 12 sewer extension
Apr. 13—ALEXANDRIA — The town of Alexandria has received about $668,000 in grant funding and more than $2.5 million in interest-free financing for its ongoing project to add sewer lines to a stretch of Route 12 between Alexandria and Clayton.
The awards came as part of a $48 million grant and low-cost loan award from the state Environmental Facilities Corporation announced April 8. Alexandria is one of 15 recipients of money to be used for drinking water or environmental protection facilities, like sewers, wastewater treatment plans, drinking water filtration facilities and other infrastructure.
"We had applied for that grant a while ago," said Town Supervisor Brent H. Sweet. "We were very pleasantly surprised to see the dollar amount."
In 2018, the town adopted a $6.5 million bond resolution to pay for the project to add sewer service to users along Route 12. The costs later dropped to $4.6 million when the town opted not to upgrade its sewer plant as a part of the project.
Mr. Sweet said the grant funding and access to interest-free financing for the project will certainly help speed it up. He said the town has just begun receiving the easements back from area property owners, which will allow them to build the new infrastructure where development already exists.
"We need to get all the easements back, and then we'll look at putting the project out to bid, hopefully within the next few months," he said.
The awards were all included as part of this year's state budget, which included $500 million in clean water initiatives. So far, New York state has spent $4 billion of its $5 billion pledge for clean water initiatives.
"Clean water and functioning water infrastructure are essential parts of the standard of living and quality-of-life for all New Yorkers, and towns and villages across the state have an ongoing need for wastewater treatment plants and water tanks that needs to be filled," said Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in a statement announcing the awards.
