Whoops, Not So Fast!

It looks like Christian Russo jumped the gun when he announced at Wednesday's Town Board meeting that Lake Peekskill and Barger Pond had been added to the state's list of water bodies eligible for septic replacement funding. In that meeting, he attributed the information to Rian Rodriguez, Putnam County's Public Health Director. However, Shanna Siegel, the health department's public information officer, says that while it is true that the county added those two water bodies to its funding request, the county has not yet received any confirmation that they've been accepted.

Russo says he was told by Assemblyman Matt Slater that the county's request had been approved, which was why he felt comfortable announcing the outcome at the meeting. However, after hearing Russo's statement at the board meeting, which came as a surprise to her, Town Supervisor Alison Jolicoeur says she contacted Assemblyman Slater. She says he confirmed that the final approved list has not yet been received from the state's Department of Environmental Conservation, which makes the ultimate determination.

Hopefully, the county's wish list will win the day, but at least for now, the champagne needs to go back in the fridge.

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