Ulysses approves state-funded Maplewood culvert project

The town of Ulysses is moving forward with the replacement of the Maplewood Road culvert.

The town approved a resolution at its May 13 meeting to fund the project and be reimbursed for up to 90% of the costs by a New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) program. The program, titled BridgeNY, is a statewide initiative that provides funding assistance to local governments for the rehabilitation and replacement of bridges and culverts. 

The program focuses on projects that address poor structural conditions, weight restrictions, detours, economic development, resilience and flood risk reduction, according to the NYSDOT website. It  also considers projects benefiting environmental justice communities.

“This is a fully reimbursable grant, provided that we do not exceed the $895,500 we’ve applied for,” said Ulysses Town Supervisor Katelin Olson. “It took several years of applying to get it. It is a reimbursement grant, so we have to pay for the work in advance.”

The town agreed in its resolution to begin construction of the project shortly after the BridgeNY funding is awarded and also to complete overhauls to the culvert within the next 30 months after receiving the grant. 

The Maplewood Road culvert project is part of a series of culvert improvements and replacements planned by the town. The town board discussed the issue at its April 22 meeting. Last year, the town completed an engineering study financed by a grant awarded by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The study helped the town identify six culverts in Ulysses that are in need of replacement. 

A culvert is a device, usually a pipe or arched tunnel, used to channel water underneath a road, railway or other type of embankment, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Planning. Culverts can be made of many different materials, including concrete, corrugated steel and plastic.

Ulysses Town Bookkeeper Blixy Taetzsch said at the May 13 meeting that the resolution approved by the board needed to be amended before passage. 

“The minor changes to the resolution, it was worded such that it implied that we would be appropriating the money up front and then getting reimbursed, and we’re not appropriating our funds because it’s 100% funded by the state,” Taetzsch said. “So, what we would do is look at short-term borrowing, which is what I spoke with you about regarding Curry Road, which got delayed.”

If the town doesn’t have enough liquidity to front the construction costs, then the board will have to look at short-term financing to pay contractors.  

“We would use an organization like Municipal Solutions to help us do that,” Taetzsch said. Municipal Solutions, based in LeRoy, is a consulting firm that helps local governments. 

Cash on hand will be key as the project moves forward, Taetzsch said. 

“So, for now with the Curry Road culvert, as an example, we haven’t started construction,” she added. “But as we pay engineering bills, then I submit it from the reimbursement. The problem is, once you get into the construction phase, you have got to advance significant amounts of cash and then wait for reimbursement.”

Taetzsch said that this is a pretty standard practice for projects that use state funds. 

“We would do short-term borrowing for the life of the grant, and then repay it as soon as we can,” she noted. “So, there’d be some interest expense that we would incur as a part of the project. But that’s pretty standard for these kinds of reimbursement projects.”

The state has in recent history reimbursed the town within a month, Taetzsch said. 

The culvert on Curry Road, for which the town has already received a grant, was used as an example by Taetzsch. She said that while the grant is secured, projections gathered from the engineering and construction crews, as well as the town’s finances, have led her to recommend that the town use short-term financing services to be able to front the funds for construction.

“Now [Maplewood Road] is actually not as expensive as the Curry Road project, but if they happen to overlap, definitely, we’ll need to make sure we have a cash flow plan,” Taetzsch said.

Ulysses Connection appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com. Contact Eddie Velazquez at edvel37@gmail.com