Water District 2 – Red, Water District 3 – Green, Water District 4 – Red on the map above – Lower Left – portion of Creek Road and Putnam Road, Water District 5 – Blue (Town of Bethany map and information)
By Mike Pettinella
For Video News Service
And then there were eight.
Reportedly, that’s how many Town of Bethany property owners have not signed easement agreements related to the municipality’s Water District No. 5 project – a development that could delay the process of getting bids for construction.
Town officials on Wednesday night updated about 100 residents about the $21.68 million initiative at a meeting at the Bethany Community Center. Water District No. 5 has been designed to provide municipal water to 474 parcels along portions of the following roads:
— Ellicott Street Road.
— Bethany Center Road.
— Brown Road.
— Cackner Road.
— Clapsaddle Road.
— East Road.
— East Bethany-Le Roy Road.
— Francis Road.
— Fargo Road.
— Jerico Road.
— Little Canada Road.
— Marsh Road.
— Mayne Road.
— McLernon Road.
— Silver Road.
— Paradise Road.
— Paul Road.
Town Supervisor Carl Hyde Jr., speaking by telephone on Thursday morning, said he and other town officials, along with Town Attorney David M. DiMatteo, are frustrated over the fact that not all residents previously contacted about the need for property easements have yet to respond to repeated requests.
Hyde said that the town has to get easements from 94 property owners for the project to proceed but, as of Wednesday night, eight people have not signed off.
“Dave DiMatteo has sent numerous letters, I’ve sent numerous letters and I’ve gone to people’s houses and left my business card in the door with a nice, little message on it that says, ‘Please call me,’” Hyde said. “And what Dave said last night was that until we get all the easements, he can’t certify that the district is ready to go out to bid yet.
“The longer it takes for these residents to make a decision to sign the easement or not, it postpones or prolongs the time that we can go out to bid. It’s on the residents to make a decision.”
Hyde said if all residents don’t sign the easement, then the town “has to go back to the drawing board, redesign the water district – not change anything but just show where the lines are going to go in the ground and cross roads – and might have to send out new easements to different landowners.”
All that would take time and additional money, Hyde said.
The supervisor said that Paul Barrett, Town of Batavia senior water operator, talked about what is needed to hook up to the water lines – displaying examples of what the meter pits and hookups will look like at their homes – and Zachary Anderson, civil engineer with CPL, provided additional details about the project.
Previously: