Village staff reported progress on PFAS mitigation and water-system upgrades at the Oct. 22 meeting, including a $1,000,000 grant presented to Ridgewood Water to offset treatment costs for the main PFAS removal facility.

Manager Keith said the check, announced at a ground-breaking event in neighboring Glenrock, complements other financing strategies—interest-free loans and loan forgiveness programs the water utility is pursuing—to reduce ratepayer impacts. Assemblywoman Lisa Swain and Assemblyman Chris Tully attended the ceremony, and Glenrock’s mayor was credited with advocating for the funding.

On a separate procurement, staff told the council they had removed the Cedar Hill project award from the agenda because the apparent low bidder on the current solicitation had previously withdrawn on an earlier bid for the same project. Under state statute, a municipality may not award a contract to a bidder that previously withdrew a bid on the same work. Engineering explained the village is weighing whether to award to the next-lowest responsible bidder or rebid the project; Ridgewood Water must decide quickly because of project timing and regulatory schedules.

No final award decision was announced during the meeting.