CASSADAGA - There has been a delay in the Putnam Road water line replacement project, Cassadaga Village Board members learned last week.

Project engineer Bob Anderson said he expects the hold up to be a couple of weeks until the national office of USDA Rural Development has an opportunity to review the legal and bonding documents associated with the water development project.

Rural Development is the federal funding agency that has loaned the village $5 million for the water development project that in addition to Putnam Road includes a new water well, a treatment house, water lines from the well up Maple Avenue and High Street to a new 300,000 gallon water storage tank.

"This review is something Rural Development requires and unfortunately, this approval was not obtained earlier," Armstrong told the board.

Once the approval is obtained, he said, a notice to proceed will be issued and the Putnam Road project can begin.

In response to questions raised about whether the weather would have a negative impact on the project, Armstrong said similar projects have been undertaken in mid-winter.

He anticipates the Putnam Road project will be completed within a month.

L.W. Parker of Dewittville has been awarded the contract for a low bid of $138,116.

Work on the new water well located on property the village purchased behind the Cassadaga Elementary School on Maple Avenue will begin as soon as the project receives approval from the Chautauqua County Health Department, the state DEC, the Army Corps of Engineers and Rural Development.

Trustee Mike Lehnen told Armstrong to :Keep doing what you're doing, just keep us informed."

In other action associated with the water development project, the board learned an auditor has to be hired to fulfill Rural Development's requirement.

Mayor LeeAnn Lazarony said two bids were received for this work.

"Bahgat & Laurito Bahgat would do the work for $6,500 per year over the life of the project while Johnson Mackowiak wants $14,000 per year," she said.

The board approved Bahgat's offer.

The next step is to get the village's fixed assets evaluated, in accordance with this audit.

Trustee Rudy Abersold asked that more than one professional be contacted.

The board plans to act on this at the Nov. 4 meeting.

Village clerk Roxanne Astry said the water meter grant the village applied for has been denied.

"The agency said there was $17 million application requests for $6.5 million in funding," she said.