The Stillwater Board of Trustees gave the go-ahead Tuesday to move forward on replacing the deteriorating Hillside water tank and authorized the village’s engineering firm to apply for a state grant to replace the Park Avenue culvert.

The design, engineering and paper work for both projects will be completed in the coming weeks by Adirondack Mountain Engineering (AME).

In his monthly report to the board, village engineer Ed Hernandez said New York State has announced the availability of new funding for bridge and culvert repair and replacement through the Bridge NY program. AME previously submitted an application for funding under this program for the village in 2016 but was turned down.

The Park Avenue culvert, designated a culvert by the state due to the length of its span, stretches over the Schuyler Creek. During a state inspection a few years ago it was determined that the culvert will need to be replaced in coming years.

The board approved the spending of up to $2,000 for AME to prepare and submit the lengthy grant application to the NYS Department of Transportation. Draft applications for pre-review are due to DOT by March 15, and final application including all documentation must be received by April 13.

The Village Board also authorized AME to prepare bid documents for replacing the Hillside water tank with a new glass lined tank. The village buys its water from the Saratoga County Water Authority in Moreau and stores it in this holding tank for local distribution to homes and businesses. The water tank has corroded and reached the end of its service life.

The village has been deciding for several years what to do about the tank. In 2015 and 2016 the board applied for grants under the New York State Water Infrastructure Improvement Act for partial funding to repair or replace the tank but both applications were unsuccessful.

According to engineers, replacing the tank with a new glass lined product plus site work would cost about $325,000, while repairing the tank would be in the $230,000 range based on estimates from 2012. Repairs would give the tank an additional life of 15 years. The new glass lined tank system, however, is not anticipated to ever need recoating.

“The bottom (of the tank) has at least one hole in it from our 2012 inspection that’s all the way through the bottom,” said Trustee John Basile, the board’s liaison on village water issues. “That’s a minor repair but the tank is also painted on the inside with a lot of lead paint. It would have to be repainted to repair it.”

Basile recommended replacing the tank versus making “temporary” repairs, and the board voted unanimously to proceed with the bidding process.

In other business, the board approved revised village water regulations and changes to the license and permit fee schedule both effective March 1. The changes were necessitated following the approval of a new 20-year water purchase contract with the Town of Stillwater signed by both parties last month.

Among the changes or addition to the water/fee schedule documents:

• The inside user water rate for village residents remained unchanged at $4.50 per 1,000 gallons usage but the outside water user rate per 1,000 gallons increased from $6.38 to $6.75.
• The new basic water connection fee paid to the village by the property owner increased from $1,500 to $1,850 (includes cost of meter).
• The village has issued a new $300 fee for “return on water service.” In the event the village is required to discontinue service because of an emergency that directly affects the owner’s property or the village water supply to that customer, there shall be a fee of $300 to return service and an additional amount should the water meter need replacement. This change is needed, Basile explained, because on several occasions village homeowners (“snow birds”) have left the area for a long period during the winter without shutting their water off. This has led to frozen pipes and the village DPW has been called to go to the homes and shut off the water. Prior to the change, DPW performed this service for no charge, but now it will cost the homeowner $300 to have the water turned back on.
• For outside water users the applicant shall now be responsible for obtaining the corporation curb stop box, the corporation saddle and fitting, and the line to the curb stop as required by the village specifications at their expense.
  Prior to commencing any work, the contractor performing the work shall provide the village with a Certificate of Insurance that shall name the village, on a primary and noncontributory basis, as an additional insured under its public liability policy of insurance and any umbrella or excess policy of insurance covering any construction, installation, work or operations performed pursuant to the contractors agreement with the property owner. Said additional insured coverage shall include coverage for General Liability, Automobile Liability, Property Damage Liability and Products-Completed Job Operations and contain, at minimum, a combined personal injury (or death) and property damage limit of not less than $1,000,000 for each occurrence and $2,000,000 in the aggregate. If the water service line from the curb stop to the entrance to the residence equals or exceeds 200 feet then a meter pit shall be installed as directed by the DPW.