News

Ailing utilities beleaguer Cairo town board

By Dollie Gull

CAIRO — The town’s ailing water and sewer systems are weighing heavily on the minds of the Cairo Town Board and a packed house of Cairo residents at town hall.

Present were Charles Maggio, developer of the planned $50 million mixed use complex, Alden Terrace, and Ellsworth (Unk) Slater, owner of the largest existing commercial development in the town, a shopping center located near the designated site of Maggio’s development.

With Slater was his attorney, Andrew W. Gilcrest of Albany. Maggio, however, left the meeting before the water and sewer discussion began with an update presented by Alan Tavenner of Delaware Engineering.

Tavenner discussed improvements planned for the town’s sewer system, now operating under a consent order by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The order demands sewer plant upgrades due to overflow and other environmental problems. A moratorium exists on sewer connections to the plant in its present condition.

Tavenner requested that the board adopt two resolutions: one to become lead SEQR agency for the wastewater project, and the second, for the board, serving as the lead agency, to declare a “SEQR Negative (wastewater project) Declaration.”

This declaration “notice of determination of non-significance SEQR,” notes that changes to the sewer system will result in negative major impact on the environment, endangered species, and other environmental factors.

The town board had, in a resolution dated June 5, 2008, sought lead agency status for a project to improve its wastewater treatment plant which has been deemed in need of, not only improvements, but expansion.

Tavenner listed, one-by-one, the negative declaration’s lengthy questionnaire to determine long-term, short-term, direct, indirect and cumulative environmental impacts.

Arguing at some length over the various impacts and, in effect, insisting that the majority will have major impact with regard to future plant expansion, was Councilwoman Janet Schwarzenegger whose status with regard to “impartiality” to the Alden Terrace project is being questioned by Maggio’s attorney, Donald Zee of Albany.

Approval of Maggio’s project will necessitate expansion of both the town’s water and sewer services to which end, Maggio has offered the town monies to defray costs involved of expanding both to his project’s site, located near the end of South Main Street, not far from Slater’s commercial area.

Councilwoman Alice Tunison was the sole dissenting vote on the lead agency resolution. Voting for the SEQR resolution for “negative declaration” with Town Supervisor John Coyne were Councilmen Richard Lorenz and Raymond Suttmeier, while both Tunison and Schwarzenegger voted against the SEQR Negative Declaration resolution.

Reader Comments

Submit a Comment