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TO: Honorable Town Board FROM: Jason Foote, Town Engineer DATE: January 26, 2026 SUBJECT: Town Engineer re Grant funding update and planned grant strategy Requested Action: I wanted to provide an update on recent grant announcements and outline the Town’s plan moving forward for future grant applications. The Town was recently denied a 2025 WIIA Water grant for the replacement of water mains along Seneca Street and within Water District No. 2. In addition, the Town was denied a 2025 WIIA Sewer grant and a 2025 WQIP grant for the proposed Phase 9 Sanitary Sewer Project. The Town is requesting a formal debrief with NYSDEC and NYSEFC to better understand the scoring and evaluation process and to strengthen future applications. While it is certainly disheartening to be denied grant funding, the Phase 9 Sanitary Sewer Project must continue to move forward in order for the Town to remain in compliance with the existing Consent Order schedule. Accordingly, I recommend that the Town utilize remaining available funds from the Phase 8 project, together with budgeted sewer funds, to advance key components of the Phase 9 project. These efforts would include construction of access roads, installation of flow meters, and procurement of a new SCADA system. For the upcoming year, I and requesting Town Board approval to proceed with submitting grant applications for the following recommended projects: • 2026 WIIA Water Grant – Consideration for replacement of the Orchard Park Road water main in advance of the NYSDOT project which is expected to be completed in 2027-2028. The water mains are listed on the ECWA recommended improvement list. Additionally, there should be consideration to upsize the sanitary sewer mains. The work could be completed as part of the DOT project as a betterment. • 2026 WQIP Sewer and 2026 WIIA Grant – Consideration for the replacement and upsize of the sanitary sewer mains along Orchard Park Road or for Phase 10 Sanitary Sewer Project which builds upon prior rehabilitation efforts and supports continued compliance with the Consent Order. Page 48 of 301