The Village of Saugerties has hit a possible snag in its development of a new source of water at the former Winston Farm. New York State has not granted an extension on storm-damage money that would be needed to complete the work of locating and drilling a well. Part of the reason for the late completion of the job is the recent sale of the property to a group of local contractors.
The water department is working with the current owners of Saugerties Farm, the former Winston Farm, to find a location for a village well on the property, water superintendent Mike Hopf said. The owners — John Mullen, Anthony Montano and Randy Richers — have agreed to allow the village to site a well on the property and are still working out the best spot for it. “We’re looking at a new location for the well that will have less of an impact on the owners’ plans for the property,” he said.
Trustee Terry Parisian asked whether the grant that had been used for the earlier test drilling for the well would cover the completion of the new well. Mayor Bill Murphy pointed out that the money for the wells was not a grant; it was the money to recover from a storm. In any case, “the project continues forward; we just changed direction, but that funding is still available and useful no matter which way we go,” Hopf said. “If it requires drilling another well or two wells before we get the production well, that is all covered under that cost.”
Murphy said the village will be meeting with the property owners to discuss their plans for the property and where it can drill for water sources. “We’re making progress with them.”
Murphy said that the state had given the town until February 22 to have the property shovel ready or the grant would not be forthcoming. However, after being told the property had changed hands, “so far the state has given us an extension for one year,” Murphy said. The extension has not been confirmed by the state, “but it wasn’t denied.”
Hopf agreed that the request for an extension has not been denied and the village should “keep moving forward with the project as quickly as you can and that money will be there until they say it’s not.”
“They want to take it from us and give it to Long Island,” Murphy said.
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