Eldred faces financial snag with septic renovations

By LISA CUTRONI

ELDRED, NY — The septic system at MacKenzie Elementary School in Glen Spey continues to clog the way of progress.

Estimated septic-renovation costs have jumped from $225,000 to $400,000, school board members learned at their meeting on October 6. The additional funding will be factored into the 2006-2007 school budget.

The increase is due to renovation plan additions required by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), according to Craig Lamoreaux, project manager, and engineer Jason Bellis, of the Thomas Group, the construction group employed by the district to act as liaison between the DEC and the district.

Despite the lack of a contract from the DEC, Superintendent Dr. Ivan Katz wants to move on with the project. “I want to fix the problem, not just for now, but for years to come. Since our meeting in April 2005, we have followed their established time lines and regulations. Hopefully we will get the contract soon.” Katz said.

The DEC is calling for two additional septic beds, from six to eight, and for the drainage pipe to be moved up the bank to allow treated discharge water more time to evaporate before entering the stream. The DEC is also requiring a flow-measuring device for school officials to monitor water processed through the septic system.

Even without a contract, the district is continuing with the plans.

“Yesterday, we had a pre-bid conference for any companies interested in doing the work. We are anticipating to award a bid within the next 30 days,” Katz said. To date, three prospective bids have been offered: two from companies in the Binghamton area and a third from Liberty.

School officials became aware of the severity of the sewage problem on February 10, when results provided by GEO Technical showed that four septic beds had failed.

The problem was first discovered when ground water was seen atop the septic beds. Simple alterations were unsuccessfully employed to rectify the problem.

The elementary school septic, installed in 1995, was supposed to last 40 to 50 years. Thomas’ engineers believe that the thick clay soil in which septic pipes were laid limited drainage and subsequently led to the bursting of the pipes.

Board members get more bad news

The jaws of the board members no sooner lifted when Business Manager Daniel Grecco revealed that due to rising fuel costs, the board had under-budgeted for the 2005-2006 academic year by between $145,000 and $180,000. While a variety of accommodations are under consideration, the board discussed having sports teams use the same bus to get to their events.

“When we get to the point where we have to interrupt what we offer children, that will be done. Right now, we are just watching what is going on. We want to protect the integrity of academic and sports [experiences] offered to students,” Katz said.