BY ADAM ATKINSON
North Country This Week

POTSDAM — Voters living within the town’s new water and sewer districts along Route 56 approved referendums establishing the zones at a special election Jan. 18.

The election was the last step in making the districts official to allow the town to route municipal water and sewer to residences, businesses and potential development sites there.

Twenty-six ballots were submitted on the vote by residents from the areas in question. Eighteen voted in favor and 8 against. Three affidavit ballots were to be processed Wednesday, Jan. 20, however both referendums still will pass.

The town has been trying to set up the districts to supply town and water and sewer services to a corridor along Route 56 in an effort to facilitate economic development.

Now that the districts have been approved by voters living there, construction of the water and sewer lines to supply and service the districts is expected to take a couple years.

The districts will provide those town services to a number of households, a planned factory to be constructed by the LC Drives company, an electric motor developer and manufacturing firm, that would employ up to 200 people, and future economic development.

Construction of the LC Drives factory is expected to be complete by 2023. The town hopes the newly formed districts supplying municipal water and sewer services could attract more business development to that section of town.

The cost for construction of the two districts is estimated around $10 million, with about $4.78 million in USDA Rural Development grants and loans helping to cover the cost.

The remaining price tag will be paid by other grant money the town receives for the work and the issuance of serial and/or statutory installment bonds and bond anticipation notes and bond anticipation renewal notes, said the town resolution setting up the district which was approved in October 2020.

Costs to individual residents living within the districts could be around $605 per year for sewer and $462 for the water district, estimated the town previously.