OXFORD – After more than a month of weighing its options, the Village of Oxford has determined a preliminary course of action regarding the municipality’s aging wastewater treatment facility.
In September, one of the plant’s two rotating biological contactors stopped working, leaving village leaders to question whether to simply replace the roughly $150,000 piece of equipment or roll the cost into a larger scale capital project which would overhaul the entire 20-year old facility.
Last Tuesday, village trustees met to review a proposal submitted by Vern Ingraham of the engineering firm Clough, Harbour & Associates to both develop specifications to replace the non-functioning RBC and conduct a preliminary engineering report to assess the facility’s long-term operation.
After a lengthy discussion, the board authorized an expenditure of up to $22,000 to cover the cost of the study which, according to Mayor Terry Stark, is necessary in order for the village to apply for grant funding or low-interest loans through the USDA’s Rural Development arm.
The initial cost estimate provided by Clough, Harbour totaled $30,000 for the engineering report, including $22,000 for the report itself and an additional $8,000 for the firm’s five-member team to visit the site.
“We should be eligible for a grant for a good portion of the engineering study fees,” Stark reported, which will keep the village’s expenditures below that which was approved by the board.
Because the timeline for applying for these incentives is very tight, the PER must be completed by mid-January, the mayor said.
“All the other issues related to obtaining an RBC will be handled separately,” said Stark, explaining that the village currently plans to take the steps necessary to replace the out-of-service equipment on their own.
The mayor has already obtained quotes from two of the three U.S. manufacturers of the equipment. The purchase will likely be financed initially with a short term, interest-bearing security known as a bond anticipation note (BAN), until the village either qualifies for the incentives offered through Rural Development or seeks to issue a long-term bond to finance the project.
The mayor said he expects an order to be placed by mid-December, although it will be three to four months before the equipment can be installed.
“The lead time on obtaining the RBC once the order is placed is 12-16 weeks,” he explained.
The village continues to keep the DEC informed of their progress in rectifying the equipment failure. While the effluent released by the plant was found to be out of compliance with their operating permit, according to Stark, the readings were not as far outside of the normal range as they had feared in the October reporting cycle.
“[W]e are awaiting November results to hopefully confirm the plant is operating close to normal requirements,” he said.
The mayor maintains that Oxford residents will not see any disruption to their water and sewer service despite the issue at the plant.
“Service to the village will continue to remain normal and no negative impact to service will occur because of the one RBC being off line,” he assured.