by Dave Warner
On March 15th, John Piseck from the Herkimer County IDA went before the Village of Dolgeville Board of Trustees with concerns about the future of the proposed water tower in the Town of Manheim.
According to Piseck, the $1.8 million grant that had been secured to fund the construction would have supported the Manheim Business Park, as well as the surrounding community. The IDA had already spent $148,000 on readying the park for the tower.
He said that the IDA had done everything they could up to that point and that his office could no longer be “wasting any more time” on it.
After the presentation, the Board discussed what, if anything the Village could do to help keep the project afloat.
Trustee Amanda Jaquay then proposed a motion to enter discussions to possibly annex the Manheim Business Park and Performance Healthcare from the Town of Manheim to the Village of Dolgeville. The motion passed unanimously and was adopted by the Village Board on March 15th.
On Monday night, the governing bodies of both the Town of Manheim and the Village of Dolgeville met to discuss the possibility of annexation. Jaquay stated, “The meeting was extremely productive. Our request to annex approximately 46 acres from the Town was very well received and both Boards voted unanimously to move forward with the next steps of the annexation.”
John Maguire, who was at the meeting and is running for the County Legislature seat from that district stated, “The reason I’m running is because of the lack of economic development in Herkimer County and that business park in particular, where nothing has gone on for years.”
“This grant came along, and then things just felt like they were languishing. Thankfully, it seems like the town is going to let the Village annex the industrial park, and then they are going to move ahead with this. Hopefully, they don’t lose this grant for the water tower,” stated Maguire.
He said that there is really no downside. “Insurance rates will go down because we’ve had all kinds of problems with that end of the Village. You could be out washing your car and all of a sudden the hose will go dead. It is that bad.”
Jaquay stated, “Of course, we all know that this water tower will support the industrialization of the Business Park but its benefits reach so much further than that. The increased capacity and water pressure that the entire community will gain is absolutely imperative. At the end of the day, the goal is to partner our residents with every positive opportunity that we can. A $1.8 million water tower grant is a seriously golden key in that objective and it just could not be left on the table.”
She went on to say that if a fire were to break out in certain areas of the Village there would not be enough water pressure for the fire department to fight it. Streets would have to be closed and tankers called in. “The probability of losing a structure in that amount of time is frighteningly high.”
The next steps are for the Village Engineer (Chet Syzmanski) and the Village Attorney (Mark Rose) to put together a study to confirm that this annexation is in the best interests of the public.
“I’m anticipating we will be making a resolution at next week’s Village Board meeting that will move this whole thing to the next rung and I’m really excited about that,” said Jaquay.
Maguire stated, “I can’t imagine that anybody would be opposed to this on any level. It’s not costing anything locally to the Village or the Town and it solves a Village problem and makes the industrial park a lot more attractive so the IDA can hopefully find some businesses that want to come in.”
According to the IDA, the park is located on Barker Rd., outside of the Village of Dolgeville. The prime, HCIDA-owned, 30-acre site is a choice venue for businesses considering the eastern end of Herkimer County. Via nearby Rt. 167, the park is approximately ten minutes north of Exit 29A of the NYS Thruway (I-90).
I live in the region that officials keep saying that we have water pressure problems. No one has asked me. I have asked other people that live within the village limits on Sullivan Street and I have yet to find someone with water problems. Let me correct that, one household has installed a pressure reduction valve. The water line section that is outside the village was privately financed by the homeowners and has had maintenance issues because to leakage. If the water tower is to increase my water pressure then I need to know the address to where I should send the bill to have a pressure reduction valve installed.
It is very aggravating that officials keep making decisions without asking how the individuals affected would be impacted.
As a resident, I am concerned about the future development of the Business Park bringing industry that may be potentially detrimental to our community. The IDA has focused on a Meat Processing Plant for the Park for years. I am not opposed to the introduction of new industry there, but would hope the village officials would be mindful of working with the IDA to bring one that is compatible with neighboring residents and the image of the village.
As Supervisor for the Town of Manheim, I could not agree more that the annexation of the Manheim Business Park is a positive step forward for both the Village of Dolgeville and the Town of Manheim. The thirty acres of land located on Barker Road has been left undeveloped for over twenty-five years, contributing no tax revenue throughout that time. The annexation of the land will include not only the business park, but an additional twelve acres adjacent to the business park between the park and the Village boundary.
Upon the IDA securing funding for a water tower, the Town and Village first attempted to create a water district. This was a process fraught with legal hurdles. The second, and less expensive and more efficient option, was to have the Village annex the entire property. This allows the Village, as the sole municipal owner, to develop the property without having to create a water district.
I would like to thank Mayor Mary Puznowski and the Village trustees for their willingness to collaborate with the Town of Manheim in moving this process forward. I would also like to thank Herkimer County legislator Raymond Smith for his involvement, attending Town board meetings in support of the annexation.
The entirety of the Town board is one hundred percent behind the annexation and the future development of the business park and will assist in any way to boost the economy of our Village and Town.
Projects like this are funded but are not without costs. The funding comes from taxes we pay to various levels of government. The costs do not end with the construction. Maintenance expenses can be very high over a time. Any growth in a community has effects on various services provided to its taxpayers. Current concerns on the villages drinking water and waste water treatment should be noted. How much growth can those systems handle and will the “boost to the economy” pay for upgrades and future maintenance. It is usually a given that business enticements for relocation involve tax reduction or tax waivers for the business. It is also a fact that poorer communities are targets for all sorts of dirty industries because of a lack of power and wealth in its residents to fight their establishment. It would be terrible if misguided intensions would cost the taxpayers greater expense and ruin the fine character of the village. I doubt that anyone in the village is against growth but it needs to be looked at intelligently and openly.