Town council took the first step Tuesday toward funding sewer system expansion and chose a contractor to tear down the old Penguin Point building.
North Webster Town Council approved a form of agreement for the issuance of up to $3.88 million in bonds through the State Revolving Fund. The money will fund water treatment plant renovation and upgrades to town lift stations.
Town attorney Jack Birch described the agreement as preliminary authorization rather than the bond agreement itself, and the bond amount as the highest they might possibly reach with the expectation actual bids will come in lower. He said under the planned timeline, notices for pre-bidding for contractors will be published today and next week and closing on the bond is expected in mid-November. Work will be carried out through next year.
Also Tuesday, council chose Gawthrop Concrete and Excavation to demolish the former Penguin Point restaurant at 611 N. Main St. At $3,490, the Leesburg company was the lowest of three bids.
The condemned building was slated for demolition after a hearing in July, when council heard the building is unusable and is a health and fire hazard.
And council held a public hearing Tuesday for the 2016 budget, which at $3.11 million is about $20,000 cheaper than the current budget. The general fund increased from $729,000 to $785,000 compared to last year, offset by decreases in cumulative capital development from $70,000 to $48,000 and economic development income tax credit from $240,000 to $190,000.
Council heard at the end of the meeting that North Webster will be featured in the program “Our Town” on the PBS station WNIT Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. The program will feature footage from amateur videographers making a “video scrapbook of the stories that make North Webster special,” according to the station’s website.
(Story By The Times Union)
