Chemung County has received a $1.4 million federal grant to expand wastewater service at the Southern Tier Logistics Business Park in the village of Horseheads, according to a news release from U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy. State funding of another $1.4 million brings the planned investment to $2.8 million.
The money will support sewer infrastructure at the former Holding Point military depot, where the county is preparing space for manufacturing, warehousing and logistics businesses. Langworthy said the work is intended to provide enough reliable wastewater capacity for existing and prospective employers.
The project calls for construction and rehabilitation of about 4,500 linear feet of sewer main. It also includes new manholes, a pump station and restoration of abandoned sewer lines.
Langworthy said the grant comes from the Appalachian Regional Commission, a federal-state economic development agency. The release did not identify the source of the matching state funding.
The upgrades are intended to expand capacity and improve the system's reliability while providing wastewater service that meets environmental requirements. Those improvements are part of a broader effort to make the business park ready for new industrial tenants, though the release did not name a company committed to the site.
Construction is expected to take three years. The Chemung County Sewer District will own and maintain the upgraded system after the work is finished.
“We can't expect to attract jobs and economic development if we don't have the public infrastructure to support the growth,” Langworthy said. He described the sewer work as a step toward attracting private investment to the former depot property.
The announcement did not give a construction start date. The district's ownership and maintenance role will begin after the planned improvements are complete.
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