Deferiet officials choose companies for first phase of joint water project

DEFERIET — The village Board of Trustees has voted to accept two contractors’ offers for the first phase of the Deferiet-Herrings joint water project.

The work in phase 1 will include improvements to the two well houses and electrical work. Capital Construction’s bid of $140,000 for general construction and J&R Electric’s $66,000 bid for electrical work have been approved.

The board also sent a letter to the Herrings Board of Trustees requesting a meeting to discuss some lateral pipes that run house-to-house in Herrings. The new system will have water mains that will run beside streets, but that can’t be done until the existing laterals are replaced. Historically, homeowners have been responsible for those pipes.

“We need to get this hammered out,” Deferiet Mayor Robert J. Foster said. “We just want to make sure they are aware.”

Herrings Mayor Richard A. Beirman is working with Deferiet officials to schedule a public meeting to discuss arrangements.

The joint project will provide Herrings with clean water. The current system has to filter water that was contaminated 20 years ago when chemicals were dumped into the ground at the Crown Cleaners site on Route 3.

Phase 1 work is projected to be done by June. Phase 2 plans have already been submitted to the state Department of Health.

Deferiet is responsible for 77 percent of the funding for the project and Herrings is responsible for 23 percent, according to the memorandum of understanding.

Officials from both villages are waiting to hear about a grant that will help fund the work.