The allocation, which is in addition to the town’s regular
annual PILOT payment of $500,000, is intended to ease the financial strain on
the locality and taxpayers resulting from the long-term loss of tax revenue
from the West Valley Demonstration Project site. The West Valley Central School District will
receive $280,000 of the allocation, with the remainder of $220,000 going to the
Town of Ashford.
“The Town of Ashford and its taxpayers continue to
experience great financial strain as a result of the loss of tax revenue on 87
percent of its taxable land, which is occupied by the former West Valley
Demonstration project. Although state aid is intended to compensate, these
payments are based on an assessment from 1980 and there hasn’t been an increase
in more than two decades,” said Senator Young. “This supplemental payment is
critically needed to ease the pressure on taxpayers, the school district and
the town, and to meet critical obligations.”
“Senator Young has worked with the town on these financial
issues for many years, and I cannot express how grateful I am for her constant
support and commitment to helping us secure state aid and advance goals
important to our future,” said Town of Ashford Supervisor Charles Davis. “These
funds couldn’t arrive at a better time. With our town’s master plan recently
completed, we can now move forward with some of the recommended economic
development projects without having to rely on taxpayers. I am optimistic about
where we are headed.” “The West Valley Central School District and its Board of
Education would like to thank Senator Young for successfully obtaining the
$280,000 supplemental PILOT payment. Senator Young has been working with the
District for several years on the PILOT legislation. She has been a champion of our school
district and the unique situation we are in as a host local government of the
West Valley Demonstration Project.
Senator Young’s hard work and perseverance is greatly appreciated,"
said West Valley Central School District Superintendent, Eric Lawton.
West Valley was the site of the first and only commercial
reprocessing plant in the United States. After operating between 1966 and 1972,
it became the site of a federal demonstration project in 1980 to solidify and
remove the accumulated nuclear waste, in addition to decontaminating and
decommissioning the facility. Demolition began in 2017.
