Ulster board authorizes contracts and $20,000 transfer to pursue Brigham Lane sewer grant

The Town of Ulster Town Board on June 4 authorized a set of consultant agreements and approved a $20,000 transfer to prepare a Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) to extend public sewer to the low-lying Brigham Lane neighborhood.

At the workshop, the Moderator said town studies and work with Riverkeeper show “the septic systems are contributing to the contamination in the Esopus Creek,” framing the case for seeking state grant funds. The board voted to authorize the supervisor to sign an agreement with Blauer Associates to prepare and submit a CFA grant application for the Brigham Lane public sewer project for $7,000 and to authorize a contract with Bernier and Larios for plans, maps and reports not to exceed $8,500. The board also authorized an income study by RCAP Solutions, described in the meeting as provided at no cost to the town.

The board approved a resolution transferring $20,000 from the landfill closure reserve to the Brigham Lane Sewer Capital Project to fund the grant preparation work. That resolution was subject to a permissive referendum; in a roll-call recorded on the record the town recorded Supervisor Quigley — Yes; Councilman Schatzel — Yes; Councilwoman Hartman — Yes; Councilman McGirt — excused.

Board members made clear the approvals are intended to fund grant application work, not immediate construction commitments. The Moderator and staff framed the effort as a follow-up to earlier water-system grant activity and as a way to assemble the engineering, mapping and income documentation required by the CFA process administered through DHCR.

The board’s actions set the town to pursue a CFA grant application and to complete required studies; any final design or construction would depend on securing grant funds and subsequent approvals. The town expects the permissive referendum period to run according to statutory timelines before the transfer is finalized.