Cadiz updates funding requests, water system projects

The Village of Cadiz was updated on funding projects and other items as well as Village Administrator Brandon Ludwig telling council that they have submitted a funding request through Congressman Michael Rulli’s office. He reminded council this is where they received $1.1 million for their Phase III project last year and they are attempting funding again for the expansion of the project.

“So, we’re hoping to hear some good news from that,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of success with the congressman’s office over the years.”

Ludwig said they will be submitting to the EPA for funding March 20 for the Phase III water project where “up to” 50% is possible from that grant.

“A 50% small interest loan Bob Allen talked about that last time he was here we were working on that and we’re hoping to get that submitted next week before the deadline,” Ludwig said of E.L. Robinson’s engineering representative.

The street department has installed their new garage doors and a new working lift, new lights and Ludwig said the garage is being moved into and operational.

“It’s been nice since we said in the past with…having all their equipment [covered], especially during the snowstorm,” Ludwig said.

Ludwig also wished to clear up a misunderstanding where a local news outlet was under the impression that Cadiz was going to sell water to Hopedale, which was not true. He said they were initially inquiring about a grant that Cadiz was seeking.

"Somehow when they put the news out it was the fact that we were trying to sell water to Hopedale,” Ludwig said. “I did not say that. We have never discussed that [and] I would not go on and say something that we haven’t discussed.”

He said the interview concerned the $1.1 million grant received from Rulli’s office to fix the north main line. Ludwig said that does “feed” the county, which allows them to work with Hopedale if needed.

“But, I don’t know how that interview led to that,” Ludwig said. “And by no means that is not what I said.”

Also, Councilmember Sal Deluca set in motion several ordinances and two amendments to existing ordinances with one being a backflow ordinance “to meet the EPA standard of one year inspection requirements.” Also, another amendment, which was to the employee handbook, was to include a $1 an hour raise for certified backflow inspectors.

Contractor for the village water system Jim Jenkins explained the village is required to have one backflow inspector on staff, or place one on contract. He said the backflow individual would need to make sure all things were in compliance.

Deluca said that a new pump is going in at Tappan Lake with one currently being operational, which would make two in total. He said a third pump is being looked at to become operational. Two more motions were still ahead with one dealing with the pump house.

“We’ve got the pump house right now that is part of the Phase III project but we’re losing money basically, every day on water, spillage or dishonesty,” Deluca said, “so, the motion from the water-sewer committee would be to remove that from the Phase III project and go ahead and pay for that directly.”

He said it would be placed in a pay system where they would send out bids to pay for the system with the likely cost to be over $50,000. And his motion to send out bids for the pay system was passed.

“But having that system put in ourselves at a much nearer term will likely pay for itself within the year based on the amount of usage that it gets,” Deluca said.

The final motion was for shutting down the well on College Way until the pay system is implemented, which he said was not currently being monitored for usage and payment. All motions passed unanimously.