Adam S. Walters Comments on Proposed Water and Sewer Agreements for STAMP

GCEDC lining up water, sewer pacts for STAMP

A committee of the Genesee County Economic Development Center agreed Thursday to forward to GCEDC’s board of directors the outline of proposed water and sewer agreements for a high-technology business park in the town of Alabama.

The committee for Western New Science Technology and Advanced Manufacturing Project acted on memoranda of understanding with the villages of Oakfield and Alabama. The MOUs are the initial step for Oakfield to provide municipal water and Medina to provide sewer service to STAMP.

Both matters still need approval of the full GCEDC board. Its next meeting is May 7.

WNY STAMP is a planned high-technology and clean-technology manufacturing park on 1,243 acres at Judge Road and Route 77. Tenants the GCEDC hopes to attract to the site include makers of computer chips, flatscreen monitors and solar energy panels

Attorney Adam S. Walters said Thursday the purpose of the pair of memoranda is to generate further discussion on provision of municipal water and sewer to STAMP and to conduct feasibility studies on the tentative projects. Part of the research will identify the best routes for installation of pipes and pumps.

The MOUs also include proposed rates for water and sewer usage.

“It’s really time to set some basic parameters,” Walters said.

The attorney, from the Buffalo law firm Phillips Lytle, is GCEDC’s legal counsel on land use matters.

GCEDC’s MOU with Oakfield states the village will provide STAMP with a maximum of 200,000 gallons of potable water each day. Oakfield will have to increase the capacity of its water storage in order to serve STAMP.

WNY STAMP is initially asking Medina to accept about 1.5 million gallons per day of waste water. The projection is the technology park will eventually discharge an estimated 3 million gallons a day.

Medina’s wastewater treatment facility processes about 2 million gallons per day and has the capacity to handle 4.5 million gallons. The village also wants to keep in reserve another 2 million gallons of capacity.

That means the plant will need to handle 7 million gallons per day to meet the village’s needs and those of STAMP.

The GCEDC awarded a $200,000 contract in the fall to have engineering company Clark Patterson Lee conduct a study on provision of municipal sewer service to STAMP. About 12 miles of pipeline will be needed between the STAMP site and the village of Medina, he said.

Clark Patterson Lee engineer Tom Carpenter said last year the goal is to have sewer service available in about 18 months.

Discussions continue between the GCEDC and the two villages.

Additional agreements on the provision of utilities to STAMP will also be needed with the town of Alabama.