EFC Sewer-Expansion Grant Funding Report

by Trustee Uku · July 2026 · AI assistance from Claude

A timeline of the Village’s EFC sewer-expansion grant effort, drawn from my reports to the Board and the broader public record.

• Feb 1–3, 2026 At NYCOM’s Winter Legislative Meeting, I attended a panel, “Accessing and Understanding State Funding for Municipal Infrastructure.” During the Q&A, I asked what the Village might do to receive funding toward our sewer-expansion project, as the Town had in December 2025. Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) Program Coordinator Paul Kutscha suggested the Village might want to consider an intermunicipal grant (IMG), and invited me to set up a call with EFC’s Community Assistance Team.

• Feb 15–18, 2026 In reviewing the intermunicipal grant approach, I identified that it was, as structured, misaligned with EFC’s requirements. I set up the EFC call, invited the Mayor to join, and briefed her beforehand on what I suspected we might discover. The briefing sheet is attached.

• March 9, 2026 At the March monthly meeting, I reported to the Board on the NYCOM engagement and our EFC connection. The report is also attached.

• June 8, 2026 At the June monthly meeting, I began reporting the specifics of the Village’s EFC sewer-grant status to the Board.

• June 16, 2026 EFC confirmed the reading I had raised in February: the path forward is a joint Village–Town application.

• June 17, 2026 Following the call, I met with Town Supervisor McKeon for a briefing and confirmation of the proposed joint path forward.

• June 22, 2026 At the Board workshop, I presented the full arc of the Village’s EFC engagement, from the NYCOM connection onwards.

Moving forward: The joint Village–Town application, due by July 27 at 4 PM, is now underway, with an expanded scope and the potential for additional funding. This is such a win! I will continue to follow every step closely and report back to the Board with developments.

YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK: Advocating for Red Hook Village in Albany

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Here are the key achievements from my recent trip to the NYCOM Winter Legislative Meeting (Feb 1–3.) In other words: How I turned a conference training trip into a targeted advocacy mission.

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1. STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE: NYCOM "Cliff Notes"

The value of NYCOM is that they digest the massive Executive Budget into a cheat sheet for local elected officials. They identified exactly where the pockets of funding are for 2026, so we can lobby our specific needs. Highest on the list of Legislative Priorities – SWAP (S.4350/A.6012-A Safe Water and Infrastructure Action Program) —the "CHIPS for Water" bill.

2. LEGISLATIVE ACCESS: "The Room Where it Happens"

Armed with this data, I secured one-on-one meetings with our state legislators to deliver our specific water/sewer story as ammunition for their own advocacy in Albany. We are now on their radar and only a phone call away.

3. AGENCY CONNECTION: "The Bank"

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Perhaps the biggest operational win was connecting directly with the Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC)—often called "The Bank" for state infrastructure, via a municipal infrastructure panel at NYCOM.

4. EXECUTIVE RECOGNITION: “FDR Lived Here”

I was honored to receive an invitation to the Governor’s Mansion. I had the opportunity to personally thank Gov. Hochul for selecting Dutchess County as one of only three counties to pilot her $60 Million "2-Care" Initiative (universal child care for ages 0-3). This is funding we may wish to access right here in the Village.

I’m happy to answer any questions or provide links to the photos. Both are available from the Executive and Legislative Offices.

I hope you agree your money was well spent.

Red Hook Intermunicipal Sewer Project

Background February 2026 Prepared by Trustee Frances Uku, Village of Red Hook

The Project

The Village of Red Hook and Town of Red Hook are undertaking a combined $26 million sewer project. The Village is expanding its WWTP from 75,000 to 300,000 GPD, extending its collection system to ~170 additional properties ($19.5M combined), and dedicating 50,000 GPD of capacity to the Town. The Town is building a new collection system connecting ~51 properties to the Village plant ($6.6M).

The Agreement

In 2024, the Town and Village executed an Intermunicipal Agreement that defines this as a single project in which the Village is the central party: the Village owns and operates the treatment facility, controls the project budget, authorizes disbursements, employs the operator, and the Village Engineer reviews and approves Town construction plans. Section 8.d requires the Town and Village to “work cooperatively” on grant applications.

How It Was Implemented

Each municipality engaged its own engineering firm and prepared separate grant applications:

Funding Status

The Challenge

The Town’s collection system and the Village’s WWTP expansion are interdependent — the Town’s infrastructure connects to the Village plant. The Town’s IMG was awarded in the same round that the Village’s WIIA was denied.

EFC Funding

Current EFC grants Combined project at IMG rate (40%) Town IMG: $2.56M · Village WIIA: $0 Up to $10.4M before adjusting for grants already awarded Total EFC funding: $2.56M on a $26M project

Precedent: Millerton / North East

In December 2024, EFC awarded a $5.08M IMG to the Village of Millerton and Town of North East for a combined wastewater project. Same county (Dutchess). Same structure: Village-owned WWTP, Town connecting via IMA. The two municipalities engaged a single engineer (Tighe & Bond) and filed a single combined application — one lead municipality, one project.

Questions for Discussion

1. What options are available to the Town and Village in future grant cycles?