At May 13’s Bloomingburg Village Board meeting, Mayor Russell Wood Jr. told the small crowd that the latest work at the treatment plant, the complete cleaning of one of three sewage batch reactors — where sewage is aerated –is finished. He said the state Department of Environmental Protection representatives visited the plant last week and “were verbally very happy.” Formal written reports that come later sometimes aren’t as chipper, Wood said. But he added that the plant, which had in the past been cited for non-compliance issues, met every requirement for the months of March and April.

That was immediately challenged by Frank Coviello, a Bashakill Area Association board member. He said he personally tested effluent where it empties into a short channel before dumping into the Shawangunk Kill and found elevated levels of E. coli and coliform bacteria.

Wood didn’t dispute Coviello’s assertion but said the plant operators take their samples at the plant under controlled situations. He said he couldn’t address what might cause such a discrepancy hundreds of feet after the effluent leaves the treatment plant. Wood thanked Coviello for the attention he’s given to the environment and welcomed his involvement.

Wood said the village has yet to hear from U.S. Representative Marc Molinaro’s office on its request for a $5 million grant to help cover the cost of sewer system upgrades. The village forwarded preliminary engineering plans for the work, projected to cost $6.5 million, to the congressman’s office. The work includes advance screening equipment at the head of the sewage treatment plant, the elimination of costly pump stations and the installation of a gravity feed system throughout the service area. Wood said the work does not include an expansion of plant capacity, which will remain at 325,000 gallons a day.

Along with the grant application, the village sent letters of support for the work from the Town of Mamakating, Sullivan County Legislator Nicholas Salomone, State Assemblymember Aileen Gunther and state Sen. Peter Oberacker. The mayor said the congressman’s office said such demonstrations of support can help when selecting the final list of grant recipients.

Winterton deal signed; hearing scheduled

The trustees gave the mayor the authority to sign a stormwater control facility maintenance agreement with Winterton Condominium that obligates the facility owner to the long-term construction, maintenance and continuation of stormwater control measures. Should the owner fail to abide by the agreement, the village can do the work and attach the cost to the owner’s property tax bill, Wood said.

The board also scheduled a public hearing for June 10 on a request to change the Planned Unit Development/Residential floating zone that covers the already constructed townhouses at Chestnut Ridge to a more appropriate designation to cover the condominiums that are being built next to Chestnut Ridge at Emerald Living Estates.