By JIMMY LAWTON

OGDENSBURG -- Ogdensburg will pay the Development Authority of the North Country more than $40,000 each year for four years to provide additional assistance at the wastewater treatment plant.

This spending is on top $80,000 the council agreed to pay for oversight of the capital improvement project and the $100,000 the city will pay to DANC for providing the purchase and implementation of Supervisory Control and Data Analysis system and five year contract with DANC that will cost the city about $125,000 in 2017 and scale up to $140,000 in 2020.

On Monday the council agreed to pay the $40,000 for 2017, $41,000 for 2018, $42,000 for 2019 and $43,000 for 2020.

“The scope of services to be provided for the City's Water Treatment Facilities will be provided with a full-time Authority Water/Wastewater Administrator dedicated to support the City's water/wastewater facilities and additional staff time of the Authority's Engineering Division including the Director of Engineering, Water Quality Supervisors/Trainees, Engineers, GIS staff, and administrative support staff,” the resolution says.

According to the resolution the city requested the DANC to expand the scope of services to include Water Quality Management Services for the City's Water Treatment Facilities.

All of this comes as the city is working on a $35 million project to improve the city’s failing wastewater treatment facility

The city hopes to offset $10 million of the project cost through state and federal grants. If that happens the local share would be reduced to about $25 million.

The city is also eyeing a zero interest 30-year loan.

Equipment in the facility is 40 to 50 years old and is becoming costly to maintain and dangerous for staff and the city in general, according to consultants. Although the city has since taken action to address some issues.

The city has also had nearly 20 violations of non-compliance with its State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, which consultants say is likely lead to legal action from the state.

The improvements to the plant are expected to have a 30-year life span.