To the Editor,
Yes, the Stupidity Virus has caused a Pandemic amongst the Fulton Common Council.
The Stupidity Virus is a virus that causes otherwise smart people to do DUMB things. This recent outbreak was caused by an issue with the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Recently there was a public hearing about the City bonding for upgrades to the facility to the tune of up to $33 million dollars. Now the Mayor has gone on record saying she wouldn’t make the city accountable for $33 million dollars. What she didn’t say is what is the amount she will say “Enough is Enough”. As of the meeting a grant for $5 million dollars had been applied for and another one for $15(I believe) million also. If they all come in and they are for the full amount that means the city would be on the hook for $13 million dollars for upgrades. I know “Hey Frank that is pretty good” well yes, it is but it is going to cost us.
The reason the Stupidity Virus comes into the picture is in the next few paragraphs of information from news articles:
The year was 2010 and the City was issued a consent order by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). City fined $2,000, ordered to have its Digester cleaned every 5 years. It hadn’t been cleaned in 25yrs at one point in time. “The initial fine was larger but the DEC agreed to reduce the fine if the city used the portion that was waived for engineering studies on how to rnovate the sewage treatment plant”. (Mayor Woodard) “The City will spend what the Mayor says is at least “a couple million dollars” to improve it’s sewage treatment plant to satisfy a complaint from the state.” “The City must upgrade the digester system at the plant to meet current treatment standards by July 2013”
“Fulton’s $1.2 million dollar Treatment Plant Upgrade a Go” at a Feb. meeting in 2011 the CC approved C.O. Falter Construction Corp. bid for the upgrade project” “under the order of consent, the City is required to upgrade and modernize it’s grit removal and digester mixing systems” “Advice of Joseph Awald, project engineer for GHD consulting and Fulton Commissioner of Public Works Daniel O’Brien”
In a similar news article this was posted:
The date was April 16th 2016:
“City officials are mulling improvements to the city’s wastewater treatment plant that they say could save up to $12,000 a year in natural gas usage.” “We’re going to take the methane gas that we produce and we’re going to use that to basically heat the plant and heat the digester” Patrick (Don Patrick)said ”We’ve done 98 percent of the consent order work and we’re just finishing up some little tiny things that needed to be done” O’Brien said “Patrick said the inflow infiltration study will help officials see where unwanted water is penetrating the waste water treatment system.” “Woodward said the study, which will cost the city $115,600 should be completed in a few months.”:
December 2016:
Legislature OK’s landfill deal with City of Oswego
“The move cuts Fulton out of more than $200,000 in revenue”
Enter the picture the 2020 census:
Records show that the city of Fulton has less population than in 2010 census, the population is now around 10,800 down from over 11,000. Oswego counties population is down to around 117,000 down from around 120,000 in 2010. New York state population is down to 19,356,776 from 19,400,000. City of Fulton has lost major industry over the years. People are leaving New York State. People are leaving Oswego county. People are leaving the city of Fulton. Businesses are leaving the city of Fulton. None of this is the fault of the city of Fulton or its leaders or residents.
With all the above information the only way an intelligent person would vote to spend any money on upgrades is if they are under the influence of the “Stupidity Virus”
The $33 million dollars’ worth of upgrades is a “Field of Dreams” story. I have a little clue, just because you build it doesn’t mean they will come. It should be if they come we will build it.
The cost to run the Wastewater Treatment Plant remains the same with or without the number of Industry or population. The fewer people or industry the higher the cost to the people and industry we still have. Most industry we still have are under P.I.L.O.T. agreements and a discount on the water and wastewater.
Who picks up the cost, you and I do.
The mayor has gone on record at the public meeting stating, that our taxes won’t be affected by these upgrades. She has said that “our sewer rates will go up”
I don’t know about you but if the cost of having a house goes up it affects me. If my sewer rates go up the money to pay them doesn’t come from a “fee fairy” somewhere.
Now lets go back to the “Stupidity Virus”. We all have head that the Covid has lasting affects that never go away. Well guess what the “Stupidity Virus” has lasting affects also, they are called “Fees” and they never go away.
Bottom line is “Say No” to the upgrades to the Wastewater Treatment plant CC. We don’t need it. We don’t have the population we don’t have the industry.
Sell the plant and let a private sector owner do any upgrades they won’t because It’s not a good business decision.
Sorry this was so long, but I had to get my point across.
Frank Castiglia Jr.
Taxpayer city of Fulton
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Yes, it might cost tax payers but…isn’t clean water that tastes good worth a few bucks a year in taxes? Fulton water tastes like…idk, chemicals? It’s gross! Everyone has to buy bottled water, pipes get destroyed. I say clean water is a must!
Clean Water Advocate: it’s not the drinking water, it’s the water we put back into the river. Our drinking water comes from the Great Bear spring. The water going back into the river is fine but not for drinking.