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Furnace Woods Sewer District
July 9, 2025
Re: Furnace Woods Sewer District
Town of Cortlandt, Westchester County, NY
Dear Resident:
I trust this letter finds you well. The Town of Cortlandt is pleased to announce that work associated with the Furnace Woods Sewer Improvement District (FWSD) is underway. The project entails the construction of a sanitary pump station and installation of approximately 7500 linear feet of 6” sanitary sewer pipe starting at 141 Furnace Dock Road, then extending along Furnace Woods Road, Maple and Lafayette Avenues before discharging to the Town’s existing sewer infrastructure near 214 Lafayette Avenue. Sanitary effluent is then conveyed through Town and County infrastructure and is treated at the Westchester County Peekskill Sanitary Treatment Plant.
The Town awarded the construction contract to Shawn’s Lawns after a competitive bidding process in the amount of $5,149,923. The Yeshiva Ohr Hameir received a combination of direct State grant funding in the amount of $2,787,481 and the Yeshiva is also contributing $907,434 towards the balance of construction costs. Currently it is estimated roughly $2,000,000 may be bonded to cover the balance of debt, paid for those properties that benefit from these improvements. Only the Yeshiva and those properties that petition and are successfully incorporated into the various districts will be charged fees.
As part of the sanitary force main installation, the Town is installing “fittings” along the route that will allow homeowners the option (now or in the future) to connect to the sewer system. Hence, if your property is located along a portion of the proposed infrastructure, you will be able to connect to it via a low-pressure sanitary sewer (LPSS) pump.
To connect, a property owner will need to make application to the town for a sanitary service connection that will extend house plumbing to the fitting located at the sewer main in the roadway. Applications will be made through the Town’s Department of Technical Services and filed online through the OpenGov Portal.
The cost to connect to the sanitary force main will vary by property. The cost will depend on where your existing septic is located, how far your house is from the roadway, and potential electrical upgrades.
If you elect to make application for connection, you will be added to both the Westchester County Peekskill Sewer District and Town Furnace Woods Sewer Improvement Area. Formal petition and approval to Westchester County may take 12 months or more.
• County special district costs will be provided by Westchester County. Typically, the annual expense is roughly $300 / year for a home valued at $500,000. In addition, a buy-in fee to reimburse the district for past debt service will be charged. This fee is payable over 10 years and calculated based on your homes assessed values.
If interested in connecting to the sewer, kindly submit a formal notice of interest to the Town’s Department of Technical Services, by emailing lwalsh@townofcortlandt.com. We understand there is a tremendous amount of information to digest. That is why DOTS Staff will contact you once the request is made and further explain the application and construction process.
Importantly, you do not have to connect at this time and always have the option to do so in the future. The Town encourages application only if your existing sanitary system is beginning to fail, which is indicated by frequent septic repair and pump out of your holding tanks. The cost to connect to the sanitary main should comparable to repair and less costly than replacement of a failing septic system. It will also afford you more latitude for use of your property, and the ability to connect to the sewer system in the future should increase your property values!
The Town appreciates your understanding. If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact Engineering at 914-734-1060.
Respectfully
____________________
Michael Preziosi, P.E.
Director – DOTS
