Albion approves spending $1.5 million in first phase of water tank replacement in Gaines

Village will have to spend about $1 million more to complete project

File photo by Tom Rivers – The 1-million-gallon water tank on Route 98 is pictured through a metal fence at the site north of the village in the Town of Gaines. The village will have the tank demolished and replaced with a new one.

ALBION – The Albion Village Board approved a $1.5 million construction contract on Wednesday evening which is the first phase of replacing a 1-million gallon water tank on Route 98 in Gaines.

The village will have to spend about $1 million more in the second phase.

The first phase includes the demolition of current tank, and installation of new piping, valve and a meter pit.

The board accepted a $1,527,000 bid from STC Construction of Springville for the first phase.

A $1,250,000 grant from the state will cover most of the cost. That money is from the Community Development Block Grant program, with another grant covering 60 percent of the remaining cost. The state’s Water Infrastructure Improvement Act (WIIA) will cover $166,200 or 60 percent of the remaining $277,000.

The village expects it will pay its share through the water rates in the water fund.

The village broke the project into two phases because it needs to spent the $1.25 million state grant by April 1, said Brian Sibiga, the village’s consultant on the project from Wendel, an engineering and construction management firm.

Albion will prepare bid specifications to replace the water tank from the early 1960s. The current steel tank will be demolished with a new concrete tank or a glass-lined tank. Sibiga said that cost is expect to be about $1 million.

The village could bond the expense with the cost to paid through a long-term loan through a likely increase in the water rates.