Search for residents qualified for septic improvements

The town of Newfield is still looking for local households in need of septic repair and restoration. The town has been given funds via the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), awarded by New York Office of Homes and Community Renewal, to help residents upgrade substandard septic systems for single-household, owned properties and one- to four-unit rental properties.

According to the town website, aging and failing systems are at risk for sewer pipe blockage and backup, water well contamination and untreated sewage on the ground. 

Town Supervisor Michael Allinger said that Newfield has been granted these funds for the use of its residents, but so far the response to the septic repair program has been limited.

“We have a lot of grant money for individual homeowners along the main street to take advantage of fixing their septic systems,” he said. “To date, there is one person who has signed up.”

Thoma Development Consultants, a consulting firm that is administering the grant for the town, has come in to help residents through the process. Allinger said that the consultants aim to make the process smooth and simple.

“That’s the great thing about this, is that Thoma is willing to take [on] all that, working with these individuals,” said Allinger. “These individuals simply have to fill out the paperwork, become qualified and Thoma will take it from there.”

Allinger said that so far, few residents have reached out to Thoma. The reason for the low response rate is unknown but may be due to some residents being under the impression that their households would not qualify. Allinger strongly suggested that people take advantage of these funds as early as possible.

“We’re not getting a lot of response from it, to begin with,” said Allinger. “We’re not sure if they think they’re not going to qualify. … Now is the time when the money is available.”

Displayed on the front page of the town’s website is a chart that shows which households qualify for the septic repair program, including household size and the maximum household income. 

Also listed on the website is the contact information for Thoma Development Consultants. The company is ready to put the pieces in place to begin septic repair projects. For more information and to see if they qualify, interested residents should refer to the town of Newfield’s website or contact Thoma Development Consultants at 607-753-1433.

Allinger speculated that some of the reluctance to reach out to Thoma Development Consultants may be due in part to a lack of knowledge about Thoma, but he affirmed that Thoma has been recruited to make this process as simple as possible.

“Maybe the hesitancy is because they don’t know who Thoma Development Consultants are, so maybe they’re very wary of calling this number [that] people don’t really know,” said Allinger. “We’re just trying to think about this from every angle and make this as easy for people as possible.”

Allinger encourages Newfield to reach out to see if they qualify. If they do, the town will use the grant money to cover the costs of septic repair and restoration.

“We’re planning on going to these people’s doors with some of our highway or sewer representatives to have a talk with them about a need for repairs of their own septic systems,” said Allinger, noting the need for more direct outreach.

“We’re going to show up in person and do this,” he said, “and try to help [residents] understand that this really is not only going to help the town, but it’s going to help them.”

It is important that people repair and restore their septic systems while the grant money is available, Allinger said. While it’s not known how long the grant money will be available, it is vital that residents take advantage of the funds as soon as possible, so that the financial burden of septic repair does not fall onto residents.

“We’d like people to take advantage of this now, when they have the free money available to them for these projects,” Allinger said, “rather than wait on it and not have the money available at a later date.” 

For more information, visit the town of Newfield’s website and consider signing up for town announcements.

Newfield Notes appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.

In Brief:

Mill Park music series concludes

The Mill Park music series will conclude its annual season on Wednesday, Aug. 23, with a performance by The Notorious String Busters. The event will take place from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Town Board to meet

The Newfield Town Board will have a work session at the town hall Thursday, Aug. 24, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Newfield History and Activity Center hours

The Newfield History and Activity Center will be open Saturday, Aug. 26, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Coming up at the library

Yoga For Beginners will be held at Newfield Public Library Saturday, Aug. 26, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The event will be hosted by Phyllis KuanYin Chi and is suitable for beginners and those with mobility issues.

Family Story Time will be held at Newfield Public Library Tuesday, Aug. 29, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. The event includes stories, songs and more for infants through age 5.