The Carroll Town Board passed a resolution allowing for a grant application to upgrade the 200,000 gallon water tank on Water Street. P-J photo by Jay Young

FREWSBURG — The Town of Carroll is one step closer to upgrading its public water supply system after a board resolution was passed Monday.

Town officials unanimously voted to allow Water Department Supervisor Dan Sisson to apply for a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture, which would be used to replace the 200,000-gallon tank currently located on Water Street.

The town has been cited by Chautauqua County for needing to repaint or replace both its Water Street tank and another 750,000-gallon tank located on Wigren Road.

Considering the age of the tanks and the cost of repainting them, it is more cost effective to pursue replacement, according to Sisson.

During an information session held on Jan. 22, engineer Tim Wells briefed town officials on the estimated costs of the project.

According to Wells’ estimates, the cost of replacing the Water Street tank with one of similar size would be around $1.2 million, which includes $415,000 for the tank and additional site work development and ancillary costs. If the village wished to upgrade to a 500,000-gallon tank, the cost would increase to around $1.5 million.

Sisson has outlined a plan that would replace both existing tanks with new 500,000-gallon tanks, increasing the overall water supply of the town slightly from 900,000 to approximately 1 million gallons.

“The 200,000-gallon tank, that is the oldest one that is (from) 1948,” Sisson said. “We would like to replace that with a 500,000-gallon tank and the water line going out Warren Road. Then the following year, hopefully because we won’t get construction until at least next year, and then the following year after that we will try and go for the tank on Wigren Road.”

Due to the high costs of maintaining and painting old tanks, Sisson and the village have looked at a number of other options. They have determined that the most cost effective of those options is replacing the two tanks.

Carroll has been fortunate in the past to receive grant funding for public water projects, and hopes to do so again in this case.

“We’ve been very very fortunate in this town to get a lot of grants,” said Sisson. “We’ve actually done most of the work at our pump houses the last 20-25 years, is all paid by grants that the town has applied for.”

The board also passed a resolution requesting a withdrawal from the proposed New York state budget, concerning the Energy Siting Amendment. The resolution lists a number of concerns with the Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act, and requests that it is withdrawn.

“My recommendation would be that the planning board look at these issues and that we really start looking at how we as a town stand on these alternative energy projects,” Deputy Supervisor Ken Dahlgren said.

In other business, the board allocated an additional $3,000 of funding for upgrades to the town garage/Carroll Historical Society building, bringing the total to $7,000.

Highway Superintendent Jim Mitchener raised a number of other issues, including a pair of town properties that residents expressed interest in purchasing. A land parcel on the end of Centennial Street and another located near the former Vac Air premises were the properties in question.

“I have been approached by a couple of different people wondering if they could purchase the property, (and) how they would go about it,” said Mitchener of the Centennial Street lot. “I said I would have to bring it to the town board, if they want to put it out to bid or just put it out for sale, then you can approach it.”

The board passed a resolution allowing the town to hear bids on the properties to determine if future sale would be appropriate.

Mitchener also outlined various upgrades to the Willis C. Hale Memorial Carroll Town Park, with the board approving $1,000 in funding for the addition of trees as well as a portable toilet for the facility, as it is seeing visitors earlier than expected.

The board also discussed speeding issues on Bunce Road, with Carroll Police Chief Bill Nelson stating that he will instruct deputies to patrol the area more vigilantly.

“At the Dec. 11 board meeting the town board adopted a resolution asking the state for permission to post a maximum speed of 45 mph on Bunce Road,” Dahlgren said. “That was duly signed and the copy of the of the resolution was sent in to the state Department of Transportation.”

That process is ongoing, and a traffic study will need to be conducted by the state before the town can legally lower the speed limit on Bunce Road.

Carroll will hold its town cleanup day on Saturday, May 2, and expects to hold its annual Easter egg hunt on April 11 at 11 a.m. at the Frewsburg High School, pending approval from the school.

Concerning personnel, the board accepted the resignation of Mark Nelson from the Zoning Board of Appeals, appointed Tim Eckman to a clerical position at the Highway Department, appointed Phil Roushey to the Board of Ethics, appointed Tracy Magnuson to the Zoning Board of Appeals and appointed Heather Lyn to the Planning Board.

Supervisor Russ Payne and councilman Tom Allison were absent from the meeting.