by Sarah DeMaranville
The Geneseo Current
From a new water treatment facility and major wastewater improvements to street work, park upgrades and replacement police vehicles, the City of Geneseo is looking several years ahead at its infrastructure needs.
The city’s 2027–2031 capital planning was presented during September’s Committee of the Whole meeting as part of the city’s annual capital planning process.
The Capital Improvement Plan, or CIP, is essentially a long-range roadmap. It identifies major projects city departments anticipate needing, estimates their costs and places them into future budget years. Inclusion in the plan does not necessarily mean every project has received final approval or that the city will spend the full amount as currently estimated.
Taken together, the department schedules show approximately $42.3 million in planned capital expenditures from 2027 through 2031, based on the annual figures contained in the plan. More than half of that amount is currently scheduled for 2028, when two major utility projects are planned.
Two projects dominate the plan
The largest single water project is an estimated $8.5 million new water treatment facility, currently scheduled for 2028.
Geneseo’s water plan also includes continued lead service line replacements, with $600,000 scheduled annually from 2027 through 2031. Other projects include water main work along Routes 6 and 82, a second transmission main, generators and additional State Street water infrastructure.
The wastewater system contains an even larger individual project: $10 million for phosphorus-removal construction in 2028.
Other wastewater investments include sewer and manhole lining, backup generators at lift stations, a $425,000 rebuild of final clarifiers and a future sewer replacement project. The city's wastewater capital schedule totals more than $13 million across the full 2026–2031 plan.
Together, the $8.5 million water treatment facility and $10 million phosphorus project account for a substantial portion of the city's anticipated capital spending.
Water improvements extend beyond the treatment plant
Several of the smaller water projects are intended to address reliability, fire protection and future development.
A Route 6 project calls for approximately 1,500 feet of new 10-inch water main between Dilenbeck Drive and Hanford Street. City documents say the project would replace a water main with structural-integrity issues while improving fire flow, water quality and capacity for future development.
Another project would install approximately 800 feet of water main along Weber Drive between Gorman Drive and Roos Hill Road. The city says looping the water main would eliminate a dead-end flow serving the industrial park and improve fire protection.
The city also has $50,000 scheduled in 2027 for preliminary engineering needed to pursue up to $1 million in grant funding for future water projects.
Streets, parks and other city needs
Not everything in the plan carries a multimillion-dollar price tag.
Geneseo's street plan includes annual street overlays, concrete patching and equipment replacement. For 2027, projects include a $225,000 wheel loader replacement, $150,000 in street overlay work and $135,000 in Chicago Street concrete patching.
The parks plan includes $60,000 in improvements to the City Park band shelter and bathrooms in 2027, followed by $70,000 in improvements to the Richmond Hill ball diamonds in 2028. Future projects include playground replacements at Champion Park and Lodge Park.
Plans for the City Park band shelter call for a new roof, LED lighting, bathroom improvements, interior painting and other work. The city notes that the roof is deteriorating and that some of the bathrooms have not been operational for years.
The Police Department's plan largely focuses on its vehicle and technology replacement cycle, including squad cars, computers, server equipment and improvements at the department's shooting range.
Electric system also represents a major investment
Geneseo's municipally owned electric system has a substantial list of projects of its own.
Among the largest is approximately $2.12 million in wind turbine upgrades scheduled for 2027. The plan also includes switchgear replacements, power plant improvements, electrical distribution projects, equipment purchases and other system investments.
Unlike most of the other department schedules, the electric plan extends through 2032.
2028 stands out
The five-year schedule is heavily weighted toward 2028 because of the water and wastewater projects.
Based on the annual department totals in the city's plan, approximately $23 million in capital spending is currently scheduled for 2028 alone, compared with roughly $6.1 million in 2027.
Much of that difference comes from the proposed $8.5 million water treatment facility and $10 million phosphorus-removal project.
Those figures represent planned projects and estimated costs, rather than a single $23 million expenditure already authorized by the City Council.
As projects move closer to construction, individual costs, schedules and funding sources can change. Grants and other outside funding may also reduce the amount ultimately paid from local city or utility funds.
For residents, the Capital Improvement Plan provides an early look at where Geneseo expects some of its largest infrastructure needs — and expenses — to emerge over the next several years.
