Town of Hartwick to use $52K to study alternative water, sewer options along Route 28

HARTWICK, N.Y. — The Town of Hartwick in Otsego County will use $52,000 in two grants to study alternatives for water and sewer services along the Route 28 corridor.

The Route 28 corridor functions as the “main access route” to Cooperstown, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) said in a joint news release.

The Town of Hartwick’s funding comes from two separate grants, which the town will use to conduct preliminary engineering reports, the lawmakers said.

The first grant, from USDA’s Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and Households (SEARCH) program, will provide $30,000 to study alternative options for providing drinking-water services for the properties along Route 28.

The second grant is from the USDA’s Water and Waste Disposal Predevelopment Planning Grants program. It’ll provide $22,000 to study alternative options for providing sewer services for the properties along the Route 28 corridor.

The Route 28 area has had recent development of various businesses, lodgings, and restaurants to support the demand for local baseball fields that host tournaments and training camps, the lawmakers said.

Residences and commercial properties currently rely on private wells for drinking water and on individual septic systems for sewer services. New businesses have had to resolve their own issues on the disposal of sewage. A municipal water and sewer system “would help support economic investment and protect the town’s underlying drinking-water aquifer,” per the release.

The USDA SEARCH program provides funding to small, “financially distressed” rural communities. Recipients can use the funding for feasibility studies for water or waste disposal projects; the preliminary design and engineering analysis of such projects; and technical assistance to secure the funding needed for upgrades to their water and sewer systems.

The USDA Water and Waste Disposal Predevelopment Planning Grants program assists “low-income” communities with funding to help to pay for costs associated with developing a complete application for USDA Rural Development Water & Waste Disposal direct loan/grant and loan-guarantee programs.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com