"The reason why we're here today is because the Kerhonkson sewer system is outdated, and desperately in need of rehabilitation," said Supervisor Jennings at Thursday's presentation. "I am extremely gratified that the town's efforts to make this necessary improvement a reality are finally paying off."

The funding came in the form of $500,000 from the Rural Economic Area Partnership, or REAP, which is a federal program which helps contribute economic benefits and development in selected rural areas. The rest of the funding came from the Rural Development branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); they also provided a grant of $500,000, as well as a $1.06 million loan, which will be paid back by Kerhonkson sewer district subscribers over the course of 38 years with an interest rate of 2.875%, which breaks down to about $29,000 each year. The first sewer bill going toward paying back the loan will come in January of 2009.

"You, Ed, and your board had a decision," said Patrick Brennan, the director of the New York State branch of the USDA, when presenting the funding to Supervisor Jennings. "You could try to continue to work along, and help out with other needs, and maybe not address this challenge, but you took it on…You took your responsibility very seriously, you put this package together, and you prevented your children, and your children's children from having to worry about this burden in the future, so I do congratulate you."

"The REAP zone came about in 1999," said Hinchey in a phone interview on Friday. "I initiated it a couple of years earlier, and I did it because of my intention to try and bring money into some of the communities that I represent, because I know that there are a lot of things that need upgrading, that need improving. And one of the main focuses of my attention is to try to improve the quality of life of the people I represent, and to upgrade the infrastructure, and create more jobs." The REAP zone in Wawarsing is one of five in the entire United States.

"The fact that we have two reap zones in New York is pretty remarkable, because there are only a few of them in the whole country," continued the congressman.

"Held together with Band-Aids"
Wawarsing Town Clerk Jane Eck is pleased about the funding, as she is adamant about the need for an updated sewer plant for Kerhonkson, going so far as to say that the current one is "held together with Band-Aids."

"It's a very small plant, and it's pretty old," she says. "It needs major repairs…this has been an ongoing project back to the previous supervisor, James Dolaway." She says that the funding will go a long way toward helping the residents of Kerhonkson, which is a poor hamlet. Adding to the aid will be the eventual establishment of the Wawarsing Estates development to the area, which will hook into the Kerhonkson Sewer District lines, and will contribute taxes to paying for the district's expenses.

Damien Petrick, the operator apprentice under Mark Smith at the sewer plant, describes some of the problems that have plagued the current plant, which was built in the mid-1980s.

"The hamlet of Kerhonkson is too large for a plant of this size…there's too much flow," he says. Due to the inability of the plant to handle the district's output, the town currently must pay to have excess sludge hauled away, a process which will be diminished or done away with entirely with the new plant's creation. According to Petrick, the current plant also has "outdated and obsolete" equipment, such as crumbling concrete in the building, and a return pump that went down and had to be sent out for repairs, since the particular piece of equipment is no longer even made. A new plant would eliminate all of these problems.

Petrick says that the current plant can handle 75,000 gallons per day, while the new plant will be able to handle 130,000 gallons per day, nearly doubling the current capacity.

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