New Barre water district will be constructed over winter
Mark Chamberlain
BARRE – The Town Board has awarded the construction bid for a new water district that will include 38.5 “chargeable units” on sections of four roads.
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer announced on Friday that Barre has been approved for $1,096,000 in federal funding, including a loan of $606,000 and a grant of $490,000.
Barre officials knew the funding was in place before Friday’s announcement, Town Supervisor Mark Chamberlain said.
The Town Board on Sept. 13 accepted the low bid for the project. Randasco Pipeline of Macedon will build the project for $748,284.
The company expects to start construction in December and work through the winter, Chamberlain said. (Randasco built Water District No. 7 in Barre.)
The construction bid doesn’t include engineering, legal, bond counsel and other fees, including an audit and environmental report.
Water District No. 8 includes sections of Eagle Harbor Road just south of Route 31A to Miller Road, Miller Road to Maple Street, Maple Street from Johnny Cake Lane to the last house on the western end of Maple Street, Kams Road that will loop to Maple Street, and another section of Maple Street between Kams Road and Eagle Harbor Road.
The $748,284 construction bid is about $150,000 less than the engineer’s estimate. That may allow the town to do an extra few hundred feet to prevent a dead end in the water line on Maple Street.
The federal money announced by Schumer on Friday has to first use up the loan of $606,000 and then the grant. If the town doesn’t spend $1,096,000, a lesser amount means a smaller grant for Barre. The $490,000 grant is the maximum award for the project.
Barre has two other water districts in the works. Water District No. 9 is in the preapplication stage with the federal Department of Agriculture for a possible loan and grant package. District No. 9 includes sections of Kams Road, Maple Street, Pine Hill Road, Gray Road, Eagle Harbor Road and Hemlock Ridge Road.
Water District No. 10 is in the early stages. Residents on Transit Road, Angevine Road and McNamar Road have submitted a written request for Barre to work on a new water district on those three roads.
Barre will likely do an income survey of households in the possible district to see if the project would be eligible for federal funding, Chamberlain said.
