RIPLEY — At their regular meeting Feb. 10, Ripley Town Board members approved three resolutions pertaining to an engineering planning grant the town received for its wastewater collection system study.

Council members passed resolutions to approve the Environmental Assessment Form and to initiate a State Environmental Quality Review for the project.

Town Supervisor Doug Bowen told council members that Ripley has been selected to receive up to $30,000 for the study project. A resolution was passed authorizing Bowen to enter into a grant agreement.

A local match, not to exceed $6,000 is required for the grant, Bowen said. The town match will come from American Rescue Plan Act funds and/or in-kind services. The board approved a resolution for the town match, and, if necessary, for Bowen to increase the local match with in kind services, following approval by the board.

In other business, council members approved a request from Highway Superintendent Jim Spacht to move Elijah Eddy, who has completed his first 90 days as a highway worker, to full pay, effective Feb. 8.

In another matter, board members passed Local Law 1-2022 that establishes a partial town tax exemption for people with disabilities and limited income. Bowen noted that a resolution for the law was proposed at an earlier meeting, and a public hearing on the law was held Feb. 10.

Local Law 1-2022 “provides such a Real Property Tax Exemption with annual income limits for said Real Property Tax Exemption to be $25,760.00 to persons qualified pursuant to the provisions of Section 459 of the NYS Real Property Tax Law.”

Council members also approved a resolution to accept the proposal from Dahlkemper Landscape Architects and Contractors to develop bid specifications for the construction installation of the Ripley Beach Town Park. The proposal letter states that Dahlkemper Landscape Architects will provide a “professional services proposal to prepare a modified scope of work, solicit pricing, and provide construction oversight for the construction installation of the Ripley Beach Town Park.”

In other business, attorney Ben Wisniewski updated council members on the Clean Choice Energy application, the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Law, and the South Ripley Solar Project.

The town received the county referral response concerning the Clean Choice energy solar project on Jan. 20 and several informal comments were made, Wisniewski said.

The town’s environmental consultants, LaBella Associates, had reviewed the project application and addressed the following areas of concern: the town needs to be aware of the impact of the potential loss of 25 acres of prime farmland; rewording of the decommissioning process is needed; clarification of the frequency of vegetation removal and snowplowing is needed; clarification of how lost vegetation will be replaced: and clarification of how run-off will be handled is needed. Wisniewski said Clean Choice intends to respond to all comments.

The proposed BESS Law is still being reviewed by board member Julie Rice, Wisniewski said, so no resolution to introduce the law will be presented to the board at the February meeting.

Regarding the South Ripley Solar Project, Wisniewski said a supplemental application was filed on January 25. Once the draft permit is received, he said, he will review the application with LaBella Associates.

“Other than that, we are still mostly waiting on the South Ripley Solar Project,” he said.