Village Board sets Sept. 29 workshop, approves $69,000 for plant engineering

The Village of Webster Board will hold a workshop Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 6:30 p.m. The board announced the workshop at its Sept. 24 meeting. The meeting recording does not say what the workshop will cover. The board's next meeting after the workshop is Thursday, Oct. 8, also at 6:30 p.m.

At the Sept. 24 meeting, the board approved an additional $69,000 for engineering on the village's wastewater treatment plant project. The board also accepted the dedication of two streets.

$69,000 for plant engineering

The money is for additional construction-period engineering services from LaBella Associates, the engineering firm on the plant project. A LaBella project engineer said construction, expected to finish in late May, ran into summer, leading to cost overruns on the firm's end. The firm's monthly spending held at $15,000 to $20,000, roughly its rate from January through May, the engineer said.

The $69,000 was described at the meeting as a flat fee for the firm's work from the beginning of June through the end of the project. Asked at the meeting how much of it had been spent, the firm said about $61,000, with the rest to cover closeout work, mainly clean as-built drawings and final paperwork.

The engineer said the cost would come out of the village's contingency for the project, the reserve a project sets aside for unplanned costs. As of a budget review two weeks earlier, almost $500,000 was left, the engineer said, prefacing the figure with "I believe."

The firm said a ribbon cutting for the plant project is planned for Wednesday, Oct. 14.

Sampling shed

The public works report said village sampling happens at the town's plant before the two systems' flows combine, and they mix more than expected, especially at high flows. A new location appears settled for the village's sampling shed, which is to get new electric service. Then come an online chlorine analyzer's real-time readings, described as a test the village has to do.

Two streets accepted

The board accepted an offer of dedication for two streets. Accepting a dedication generally means the village takes over ownership and upkeep of streets someone else built.

Surplus list

The board also took up a list of surplus declarations. The list included three pallets of old decorative brick that used to surround planters, which staff want to offer to architectural salvage dealers rather than send to auction. Staff said the rest of the list would go to auction: an old Equinox that had been the building inspector's vehicle, an old Ferris mower used at the well field and a roller trailer.

Goats at Milton Case Park

At the Sept. 24 meeting, the goats the Ledger reported were coming to Milton Case Park were described as busy clearing the area along the park's path. A number of people came to a Sunday opening where the goats were introduced. The goats had cleared about 75% of the fenced area they were in, the public works report said.

A thank-you from the goats' farm, read at the meeting, said most of the goats are "adoptions and rescues." Residents were encouraged to walk the cleared path from the Wood Street entrance and to leave the fence alone.

Local laws

The village office said tracking showed the state received the village's local law filing five days before the meeting. The office had not yet received the state's letter.

The public works report said an annexation local law had been filed and that staff were working with the county on survey maps for filing. The recording does not say which property the annexation law covers, or whether that law is part of the annexation whose remaining steps the Ledger laid out in August.

What's next

• Tuesday, Sept. 29, 6:30 p.m.: Village Board workshop.
• Thursday, Oct. 8, 6:30 p.m.: Village Board meeting.

A recording of the Sept. 24 meeting is on YouTube.

AI tools were used in drafting and research.