Jun 10, 2026
OBSERVER Photos by Braden Carmen Matt Zarbo, of Square Engineering, provided an update on the village of Cassadaga’s capital improvement waterline project at a recent Village Board meeting.
CASSADAGA — Now that things have settled in the village of Cassadaga, the village’s capital improvement waterline replacement project is ready to move forward again.
Matt Zarbo of Square Engineering visited the latest Village Board meeting to provide an update on the project and discuss what comes next with the Board. Zarbo acknowledged there has not been a ton of progress in recent months, but there was a clear reason why.
With two new Village Trustees and a new Mayor, Rudy Abersold, the project has moved slowly. Not only was there significant turnover on the Board, who ultimately makes the decisions for the village regarding the project, other important positions such as the Department of Public Works (DPW) Superintendent and both Village Clerk and Deputy Clerk roles have recently been filled, as well. Now, under new leadership, the project is ready to proceed.
Zarbo first met with Abersold, Deputy Mayor Jeff Frick, and Bob Frank Jr., the new DPW Superintendent, to discuss the scope of the project. Despite so much turnover in the Village, Zarbo said the new administration is on board with the initial plans of the project.
The Board is eyeing a multimillion dollar project to update its waterlines throughout the village, many of which have existed for close to 100 years. In its entirety, the project is estimated at a total cost of between $8.6 million and $9.5 million. The variation in cost relates to how much waterline is replaced as part of the project.
Cassadaga was awarded a Water Infrastructure Improvement Act (WIIA) Grant of up to $5 million through the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation for the project. Up to 60% of net project cost can be covered through the grant. Additionally, up to $2.3 million was made available to the village on a 0% interest loan, and up to $2.1 million was offered as a loan at a 33% reduction from the State’s interest market rate.
Cassadaga could also apply for up to $2 million of grant funding through the State’s Community Development Block Grant program. A public hearing will likely be scheduled in July for the Village Board to solicit public input on the grant application process.
Zarbo advised the Village Board that it could elect to design the project with additive bids, meaning that the base bid would cover the most crucial work, but additional bids could relate to more waterline replacements that are deemed necessary, but less critical. Doing so would give the Board the option to approve a project it feels residents could afford with the funds available.
The project design is targeted for completion by the end of 2026. Bidding of the project would then be held early in 2027, with construction expected to begin in spring of 2027.
The village recently received a violation letter from the Department of Health detailing issues with its current system. Zarbo was not surprised by the letter, and noted that most of the violations were already identified and will be addressed in the project. The other issues were deemed minor and fixable.
“I don’t think it was the Department of Health trying to be ‘Big Brother’ or anything like that. It was just their way of saying to come on and keep this on track,” Zarbo said.
A major part of the project cost is related to finding ground water from wells. The village’s current system is not up to code in terms of water production. The system in place barely produces enough to get by, but does not allow for any wiggle room.
“If one well were to go down, the village would be in a real pickle,” Zarbo said. “With critical things like water systems, there needs to be enough redundancy with your largest well out of service.”
Zarbo has been in discussions with a hydro-geologist regarding several avenues the village could take with the project. A new well site will need to be drilled, and Zarbo discussed the options with the Board at the latest meeting.
One option is to drill at the site of an existing well that is no longer in service. Zarbo acknowledged that tests showed elevated iron levels at the site that would need to be treated, but the land is owned by the village already and is proven to produce water.
The village also looked into multiple other properties that could be utilized if the land was secured. However, none of the properties were deemed a viable solution. One landowner was not interested in parting with the property in question, while another landowner provided stipulations that the Village Board was not interested in accommodating. The Village Board is not interested in pursuing Eminent Domain proceedings.
Abersold said it is “fair to say” the Board’s stance is to proceed with the property already owned by the village, which has proven its ability to produce water. Other properties will remain in consideration for the future. Zarbo informed a hydro-geologist of the Board’s stance so the drilling can proceed.
The Board is also tasked with choosing materials for the new water lines installed in the project. The two choices the Board considered were Ductile Iron and PVC pipes. Zarbo said both choices are common in projects like Cassadaga’s, but even though he prefers Ductile Iron with most projects he is involved in, it was his recommendation to use PVC pipes in Cassadaga because of corrosive soils. Various options for water meters for the project have also been discussed with no decision made at this time.
Abersold commended Zarbo for the work he has done so far with the Board regarding the project. He said, “I like listening and working with Matt. The previous Board did a good thing by hiring Square Engineering. This young man has got a ton of projects in Western New York going. He’s making a name for himself.”
Casella Waste Management will remain party to a lawsuit filed by the estate of a man who was killed in 2020 at the …
Copyright © 2026 Ogden Newspapers of New York, Inc. | https://www.observertoday.com | PO Box 391, Dunkirk, NY 14048 | 716-366-3000
Leave a Reply