OBSERVER Photos by Braden Carmen The Town of Portland Water District 2 project is expected to be completed by Oct. 31. The project pertains to areas of Route 5 near Van Buren Point and the Greencrest community near Patterson Lane.

PORTLAND — Although it has taken longer than expected and the cost has more than doubled from the initial figures, the Water District 2 capital project in the town continues to make progress.

An extension was granted by the Town Board to allow the project to proceed despite surpassing its initial completion date of May 31. The extension now calls for “substantial completion” by the end of August, with the entirety of the project required to be completed by Oct. 31.

“The project is moving along,” Town Supervisor Rich Lewis said. “We are looking to be complete by the dates we have set.”

The project includes the replacement of water lines that were originally installed in the 1970s, along with installing new water meters and meter pits. The area, located near the shoreline along Route 5, is one of the larger water districts in the Town of Portland.

Thanks to a mild winter allowing construction to proceed with few interruptions, the project has progressed to installation of new water mains at Van Buren Point, in the Greencrest community, and at the road crossing from the pump station at the Portland Water Tower to Parkview Lane.

Lewis mentioned “there are some hiccups” with the project resulting in temporary service issues, but the project has now progressed beyond Van Buren Point and onto Patterson Lane. The only remaining work at Van Buren Point is the restoration of roads in the area.

The project was planned prior to the pandemic shutdown, but was paused and went out for bid again just over a year ago. When the project last went out to bid, the price more than doubled from its initial $1.8 million cost to now over $3.8 million.

The Town submitted an application in hopes of receiving funding through New York State’s Water Infrastructure Improvement Act (WIIA) program. The project is overseen by CPL: Architecture-Engineering-Planning, formerly referred to as Clark-Patterson-Lee.

The Board also approved Pay Application No. 8 related to the project in the amount of $445,381.28 to S. St. George Enterprises at the recent Town Board meeting. S. St. George Enterprises handles all of the construction work related to the project.

Also of note, the Town received notice from the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance that the 2024 Town Equalization Rate was finalized at 36%. The rate is down 2% from last year’s figure.

The Board also approved the allocation of $5,144.03 for flooring replacement in the Town Hall. After contacting multiple companies over several months, the Town only received one estimate for the work, which will utilize Shaw Industries materials with a 20-year life expectancy. The Town will utilize available American Rescue Plan Act funds to cover the cost.

The Town also authorized Attorney Joel Seachrist to draft a certificate of abandonment for the portion of West Forest Avenue northwest of the railroad tracks. While the road has not been maintained by the Town Highway Department for many years and is no longer used as a public highway, an official declaration of abandonment has not been issued by the Town. The Town Board and Highway Superintendent Ken Becker will soon officially authorize the abandonment of the road.

The Board also allowed an additional public comment portion of the meeting to allow for a short presentation from Citizens Against Wind Turbines in Lake Erie (CAWTILE) President Patty Meckes. As she did two nights earlier at the regular monthly meeting of the Town of Arkwright, Meckes stressed the importance of opposing the placement of wind turbines in Lake Erie because of the risk of polluting the lake’s water. The Board took no action on the matter at the conclusion of her presentation.