BY ADAM ATKINSON
North County This Week

POTSDAM — The town highway department is slated to receive a state grant for $285,205 to help pay for the construction of a new salt storage shed.

Town Highway Superintendent John Keleher announced the news to the town board at their meeting Tuesday, Jan. 11.

Keleher said he and Town Clerk Cindy Goliber had applied for the grant last September. The superintendent said the application took about 17 hours to complete.

“The good news is we were awarded the money at $285,205,” Keleher told the board.

“By the way, a lot of work went into that,” added Town Supervisor Ann Carvill.

During discussion of the grant Goliber said she and Keleher conferred with Potsdam Village Planner Fred Hanss, County Grants Manager Heidi J. Ames, and Town Councilman Marty Miller on the grant application. “We were a team,” said Goliber.

“At this point I have received the only general notification. At some point I will get an email and a letter from the state. Once that letter reaches the town of Potsdam we have 120 days to accept the money,” Keleher said.

Keleher said the town still has to follow state rules for the grant and issue a request for bids from private companies for the new building.

The superintendent said the company he spoke with initially regarding specs for a new salt storage shed estimates about 15 or 20 weeks to have a new building delivered to the town for construction at the town highway facility at 19 Madrid Ave.

“The highway department is responsible for $70,000 worth of the work,” Keleher said. He said that local contribution will include the cost of the highway department installing the base and footers for the new shed and digging the trenches for the electrical system. The superintendent said some of the work done by the town to cover their share of the project expense will involve improving drainage at the site.

Keleher said the building would be assembled in about 30 to 45 days after the town has finished the site work.

“I’m hoping that if we can get everything completed by July, it could be up and running by September,” Keleher said.

Keleher said the grant funds will be used to reimburse the town for upfront expenses on the construction of the shed.

“There is a possibility we may have to short-term bond for this,” Goliber told the board.

Keleher said the biggest expense on the project will come when the building itself is actually purchased.