Though the village board is looking to take on a bond for the wastewater treatment upgrades — which are estimated to cost no more than $12.45 million — the village won’t need to take on debt for the full cost of the project, according to village Treasurer Mindy Goddeau. The village has already received a $6.4 million state Water Quality Improvement grant for the project. Putting out for a bond will allow the village to apply for even more grant funding and seek short-term financing for any costs the village ends up paying. If the village gets the grants it’s applying for, Goddeau said the village wouldn’t need to take on much debt in the end — ideally, she said the village would only have to pay around $1 million with 0% interest. With the bond, those remaining costs could be paid over the course of 35 years.

The village passed a resolution last month authorizing the village as the “lead agency” for the wastewater plant upgrade project, meaning the village could complete its own State Environmental Quality Review Act analysis — or SEQR, which looks at the environmental impacts of a project — for the wastewater plant upgrades. Village officials planned to complete and approve the SEQR analysis during the June 23 meeting. As the village applies for more funding for the project, the SEQR analysis will serve as a key component in grant applications.

The village is still paying off debt from its most recent wastewater plant upgrades that were completed in 2013. Once the new fiscal year starts on Aug. 1, Goddeau said the village will still have $225,000 left to pay for the upgrades. She expects those costs to be spread out over the course of 10 years.

The upcoming wastewater plant upgrades are largely mandated by the state and federal governments, according to Goddeau. The village’s wastewater treatment plant is currently up to code, she said, but the plant’s 10-year-old systems need further fixes to stay within the bounds of new mandates.

According to the village’s bond resolution — available at tinyurl.com/yc2wkach under the “Documents” tab — the plant needs new headworks components to better remove materials like sticks, stones and other debris from wastewater; revamped clarification units; upgrades to the biological aeration system and tanks; replacement of chemical systems, disinfection systems and the solids management system; as well as replacement or upgrades to anaerobic digester systems — which break down organic solids, like food waste, in the wastewater — and required electrical and site modifications.

The June 23 special meeting was one of the first steps in the village’s process of taking out a bond for these upgrades, according to Goddeau. The resolution being considered at the meeting will be subject to a permissive referendum — a 30-day public comment period during which people can voice their support for or opposition to the bond and, if they so choose, submit a petition to bring the bond to a public vote. If the permissive referendum period passes and a valid petition is not submitted, the board could officially move to take on the debt. One of the major wastewater upgrade grants the village is applying for — the state Water Infrastructure Improvement grant — has an application deadline of July 28, which prompted the village to schedule the special meeting and get the permissive referendum process started. That 30-day period is expected to start no later than July 3, or when a notice is published in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise.