Cassadaga Mayor Bill Dorman, pictured, vowed to speak with the Village Attorney about how to avoid costly remedies to a State requirement for an inventory of water system pipes. P-J photo by Braden Carmen

CASSADAGA — A state agency is not happy with the Village of Cassadaga after it failed to meet a deadline nearly three years in the making.

The Village of Cassadaga recently received a letter from the New York State Department of Health noting its failure to submit a required inventory of materials used in pipes throughout the Village.

Beginning in December of 2021, municipalities were required to document the materials used in each water pipe throughout its area to determine whether lead would enter the area’s drinking water. All lines with no certified documentation on record must be documented. With such a major undertaking, the State awarded nearly three years to get the inventory done, however, Cassadaga failed to do so in time.

Over the time required to submit the inventory, it was unclear what the penalty would be for failing to comply. Town of Dunkirk Supervisor Priscilla Penfold even joked that she worried she could be thrown in jail if the Town did not comply. The Town of Dunkirk, however, did meet the requirements, as did several other local municipalities. Dunkirk Town Board members even went door-to-door to help facilitate the process.

With such a major undertaking for a small Village’s Department of Public Works, with an estimated 372 water services in the Village, Superintendent Sam Alaimo reached out to S. St. George Enterprises to see what the cost would be to have a truck expose each water line to fulfill the requirements. Alaimo was given an estimate of between $57,000 to $87,000 depending on how much time is spent at each location. The quote does not include documenting each line or covering up of the exposed lines once completed.

Mayor Bill Dorman vowed to speak with Village Attorney Joe Calimeri on how to proceed to avoid such expenses. As of the most recent Village Board meeting, the Village had 21 days to comply from the date of receiving the letter from the State Department of Health, though it was still unclear what repercussions the Village could face.

In more positive water system news, the Village recently received notice that it is eligible for interest free financing of up to $1,748,007, for up to 30 years, as a supplement to the Village’s Water Infrastructure Improvement Act (WIIA) grant of up to $5 million for its upcoming water system capital project.

Matt Zarbo, Director of Engineering at E&B Squared, will attend the next meeting of the Cassadaga Village Board to discuss the next steps of the project.

Also of note, the Cassadaga Fire Department responded to 21 emergency medical services calls and four fire calls during the month of October. The Department also provided mutual aid on 15 calls, while only receiving mutual aid once.

The Bathhouse at the Beach now has power. Changing stations and hand dryers have also been installed. Peers are set for the overhang, and a heater can be installed so walls can be put up. Additional materials will be ordered soon, including doors and paint. Tile has been ordered and is expected to arrive in early December.

Additional quotes are being sought to repair the drain for the restrooms at the Community Building. The Village only received one quote as of its most recent meeting. The Village recently installed a tankless water heater after the old water heater sprung a leak, and a leak in the sink was also recently repaired.

The Village Board voted to approve insurance quotes received from Mayville Tremaine for a total annual premium of $32,696, along with a Cancer Policy for the Fire Department in the amount of $2,386.

The Village’s General Fund as of Nov. 25 maintained a balance of $356,690.70, while the Water Fund maintained a balance of $74,882.01. An additional $50,386.61 is held in a Water Repairs Reserve Fund.

The next meeting of the Cassadaga Village Board is Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Village Hall.