The beginning of the streets reconstruction project could also mean the end to a 10-year stretch of no village property tax increases.

The board of trustees held a special session Monday morning to review a growing list of expensive projects which could quickly eat up the village's more than one million dollars in surplus and dedicated reserve funds.

Almost a year ago, while adopting the budget for the coming year, the board agreed to take a look at formulating a prioritized list of streets that need repair and embark on a program to fix them.

Since then, a number of other capital projects, some of them looming on the horizon for a number of years, are becoming more urgent and expensive.

"Our main concern is the cost," said Mayor Wendell Tripp, who last week announced he will not seek another term. "If not for the cost, we would just do the whole thing."

Most recently, the cost of dechlorination at the sewer plant rose from the original estimate of around $30,000 to more than $200,000. The village just last week was given a reprieve by the DEC which will let them have additional time to explore other options, including the use of ultra violet light.

Another capital project is the construction of a new water reservoir to replace the aging one off Spring Street. Being able to impound more water would help with concerns about water shortages during the summer tourist season when demand reaches its peak.

The municipal building is in need of repairs and the board has also talked about the having a re-evaluation of all village properties so that assessments are in line with changing property values.

Upgrades are also in line for the sewer plant which needs to upsize its generator, according to plant operator John Cankar.

The village is currently in the middle of an ongoing effort to repair and improve the sewer system which has been troubled in the past by storm and ground water finding its way into pipes and ending up having to be processed at the plant.

Sewer board chairman Dr. Theordore Peters said during Wednesday's meeting that he believed it would be possible to delay the long-term project by a year in order to fund the sewer plant work on disinfection.

The village had tentatively planned to begin street reconstruction this year and had targeted five sections of roadway. The job is not as simple as rebuilding the streets, but also takes into account recommended repairs and upgrades to sewer and water lines buried under the road surface.

"Main Street is rotten to the core," said Tripp.

The board discussed starting the streets project elsewhere in the village, but decided to stick with Main Street which was originally targeted for the starting point.

Tripp said the village wants to avoid borrowing and that the tax rate had not gone up in 10 years, but added "I think most residents would rather have a modest increase in taxes rather than wait and have a big increase."

The $1.8 million project may be funded through the use of some or all of the money in a streets improvement reserve fund and from a budgetary surplus which is now close to $850,000. Some of the cost could also be borne by the general fund budget for next year.

Work on the sewer and water lines would be paid for through rates charged users rather than property taxes. Costs attributed for streets are almost $1,280,000; for sewer and water the cost if expected to be $360,000.

"We can look good by holding taxes steady and building the surplus," Tripp said, "but you don't want to put things off and cause a real calamity down the road."

Lamont Engineers are currently completing the final specifications for the Main Street project in preparation for soliciting bids for construction to begin in the fall.