By JIMMY LAWTON

OGDENSBURG -- Ogdensburg city councilors and employees will tour facilities in Carthage and Clayton before entering into wastewater treatment agreements with the Development Authority of the North Country.

DPW Director Scott Thornhill says the visit will take place Feb. 19, with councilors Jennifer Stevenson, David Price and Timothy Davis attending.

From the DPW will be Thornhill, Shane Brown, George Kennedy and Darren King. City Manager Sarah Purdy will also visit the facilities.

The goal is to address concerns raised by city employees and councilors regarding a proposed service agreement with DANC that would impact operations at the city’s wastewater facility.

In December DANC representative Carrie Tuttle highlighted how the city could benefit by signing a wastewater management agreement with DANC.

The plan was estimated to cost around $125,000 and could save the city as much as $85,000 in the first year, according estimates.

The plan drew initial concerns from the Civil Service Employee Association’s white- and blue-collar presidents at the wastewater facility, due to a perceived potential reduction in jobs and a change over in management.

With hopes of learning more and alleviating concerns, city councilors and union members will tour DANC run water treatment facilities in Clayton and Carthage.

Thornhill said the tour will give union employees a chance to talk with other unions who experienced a similar changeover and allow the council to learn advantages and disadvantages associated with an agreement with DANC.

Thornhill said is pleased that DPW employees and the council will have a first hand look at what a DANC agreement would look like.

He said it’s been a collaborative effort from the start and the goal is to be as transparent as possible for all parties involved.

Under the proposed plan, DANC would provide a licensed, degree-holding employee to oversee operations at the wastewater treatment facility. It would also streamline communication between the city and DANC and open up an opportunity to seek grants and plan for future expenses that could offset costs for the city down the road.

The DANC employee, at least temporarily, would fill the role of Tim Adams, the chief operator, who retired, but agreed to stay on in a part-time fashion as the city switches over. But Thornhill says Adams’ job would not be eliminated.

Thornhill said the Chief Operator Position held by Adams would eventually be filled with a new city-employed operator, who would work under the DANC employee.

The DANC employee would also provide additional services as a licensed engineer. These services could provide a potential savings for city as getting engineers to sign off on work at the plant often costs the city between $35,000 to $50,000 annually.

Thornhill estimated a rough savings of $85,000 for the city in the first year.

The wastewater facility currently has five employees. This is down from the eight employees it had approximately two years ago. However, those jobs have not been officially eliminated. Thornhill says they continue to remain in the city budget despite being vacant.

Ogdensburg’s wastewater facility has the capacity to process 6.5 million gallons of water per day and currently only processes about 3.2 million gallons. The facility saw major reductions in processing when the cheese plant closed several years back.