New $27M Water Treatment Plant in Carmel on Hold
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
A Carmel councilman has temporarily pulled the plug on the construction of a new $27.4 million water treatment plant on Route 6.
The Carmel Town Board unanimously voted Oct. 9 to move forward with plans to decommission the existing 50-year-old plant and build a new one on nearby land at 1760 Route 6.
However, when another vote was taken by the four-member board to bond $24.3 million for the project, Councilman Kevin Kearns, without any explanation, voted against it. With currently only four board members, a supermajority of the five-member council (four votes) is required to approve bonding.
Kearns did not respond to an email seeking comment on why he opposed the bonding, but Supervisor Michael Cazzari said he was surprised by his colleagues’ vote.
“He has been looking for more information from (the) town engineer to help understand the project better,” Cazzari stated in a text message. “The presentation was very informative. The same people raised in opposition in 2020 before I was elected.”
The plant serves approximately 1,500 homeowners in Carmel Water District #2. No Town Board members reside in the district.
Representatives of the consulting firm Hazen and Sawyer said during a public hearing the existing plant was aging and insufficient to meet current demands. Its current capacity is one million gallons per day. The new plant would be built to handle 2.15 million gallons daily.
When the project was first studied four years ago, the price tag was estimated to be between $16 and $19 million.
At $27.4 million, the new plant would cost residents in the district about $1,000 annually over the next 30 years.
“I hope that this project is not delayed any further than necessary,” Cazzari said. “My fear is that will just cause the prices to continue to rise costing the rate payers for Carmel water district two even more money.”
Cazzari noted an optional membrane system that has been discussed has its limitations.
“Although the membrane solution is less expensive upfront, the additional cost of chemicals and water needed for operation and maintenance are much higher,” he stated. “Additionally, the sewer plant has a limited capacity so the additional wastewater created by a membrane system will be problematic for the sewer plant.”
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/