BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

MASSENA -- The village of Massena is giving back a $2.4 million grant that was earmarked for a redundant water line along North Main Street, roughly nine months after Air Products canceled a $500 million green hydrogen project. 

Village officials had sought to hold onto the funds following the hydrogen firm's withdrawal from Massena in hopes of securing additional grant funding for the water line, however the support failed to materialize in a timely manner. 

Air Products had agreed to pay a large portion of the project as part of their agreements with the village and town given the redundant water line would greatly benefit the now-defunct operation on Pontoon Bridge Road. 

Mayor Greg Paquin said he recently received an email from Empire State Development to ask about the status of the grant, prompting action by the village board. 

“I got an email yesterday from Empire State Development asking about the status of that raw water line project that we were thinking of doing. The redundant water line is what I called it. You know that they gave us a year trying to come up with other funding and such, but it just doesn’t look like we’re going to be able to find it. So I would recommend that you return that grant and let them know that we’re not going to use it," Paquin said. 

Paquin had told trustees during the Oct. 21 meeting the village would have to look at the future use of those funds or even consider giving them back if additional funding could not be secured. 

Village Administrator Monique Chatland previously raised concerns with rolling over the funds multiple times, as Miller suggested, due to the scope and scale of the project. 

She told trustees that holding onto the funds could hurt the village's chances of securing additional grant funding in the future if they were not expended in a timely fashion. 

"Doing it once or twice is fine, a lot of people have to do that as they work on different grants, bonding or to secure loans. But to keep doing that, the state may look and say 'hey, they haven't used that yet, they don't really need the money.' So, my concern is the message that sends when we may have to go to them a couple years down the road and we haven't made the necessary progress to use those funds," she said. 

Department of Public Works Superintendent Marty Miller had previously suggested rolling the funding over year-to-year in hopes of securing additional funding, saying he had done so a number of times in his work in DPW over the years. 

With the funds going back, village officials will now go back to the drawing board to address the 24-inch line that was installed in the 1960's. 

Miller previously told trustees the line, which is made of concrete, would pose a major issue if a failure were to happen. 

"A redundant water line is needed, there's no way around that. It would ensure water service out there, especially with Air Products," Miller previously said. 

Despite concerns, Paquin said the existing water line is still performing well. Village officials conducted a flow test, along with the 12-inch emergency water line. 

“It performed very well. We still have the emergency 12-inch line as well. It just would have been nice for future development. But, what else will we see? I don’t think we want to hold up grant money. Other communities can use it,” Paquin said. 

Trustees say they will explore future options to fund a redundant water line as part of their ongoing plans to upgrade water service throughout the village. 

Trustees passed multiple resolutions during a special meeting on September 2, including one to authorize bonding for $11,746,000 to replace the Bowers Street tower and clear well, along with a second resolution to authorize bonding for $22,239,000 to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant. 

Mayor Greg Paquin said the village would continue to pursue grants to offset the expense, hoping to secure "at least half, if not more than half" of the amount required to complete the projects. 

In a corresponding move, trustees also authorized a submission to the New York State Water Infrastructure Improvement Application program to attempt to secure grant funding for the wastewater treatment plant project. 

"I know it's a big sticker shock, but obviously we're going to be applying for numerous grants and basically cutting in half, if anything, even more, hopefully," Paquin said during the September meeting.

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