HORTONVILLE – The Delaware Town Board is working to dig new wells for the hamlet of Callicoon’s water system and start making the necessary upgrades needed.

At its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, the board authorized a contract to hire Sterling Environmental Engineering, PC for $103,000 to coordinate well site work for the Callicoon Water District.

But before any of this work can be started, the town still needs to close on the purchase of additional property from the Delaware Community Center, located behind the ballfield, where the new wells and wellhouse will be located.

“The town already has the funding locked in to facilitate the well drilling,” Bill Brown, an engineer with Delaware Engineering, told the board.

“The new geologist, Sterling Environmental, will oversee drilling, the bid specs and the overall installation of the wells,” he said. 

Brown said the old caisson well will be filled with gravel and capped, thus taken out of use.

Brown said he expected work to start some time this spring, after bids are let and accepted.

The project will also include building a new wellhouse, which will be located at a higher elevation than the current wellhouse to help with flood mitigation.

“We are looking to attain 200 gallons per minute with the new well,” Brown said. “If we get this much water it will allow us to only run the pump for four or five hours per day to get the water necessary for the system.”

A representative of the Delaware Community Center asked the town to take in consideration the safety of its children, who will be in the summer program at the center during construction.

“We will address your safety concerns in the bid specs,” Town Attorney Ken Klein said.

Engineer Brown said all necessary precautions would also be taken to insure everyone’s safety.

After the drilling is complete, the work on the new wellhouse will commence as well as the installation of meters to all customers, replacing of identified water mains as well as replacement of the elevated storage tank in Del Vue.

Brown said that work on the mains, meters and storage tank would run into next year as the “lead time on ordering and receiving pipe is between 40 to 50 weeks.”

Other Business

The board also authorized the waiver of a 30-day notice for a Liquor License application for SML Designs, LLL.

The company, more familiarly known as the Farmhouse Project, is opening a store on Lower Main St., Callicoon in the Delaware House, according to town officials, and will be serving alcohol.