LAKE PLACID — The village board of trustees has awarded a bid to complete much-needed sanitary sewer improvements, but that work will now wait until spring. Officials had hoped it would commence this fall.

W.M. Schultz Construction of Ballston Spa has been hired as the contractor for the project at a cost of $1.25 million. Schultz was the lowest of five bidders.

The project will cover what the village has called the “upper Main Street leg,” from Saranac Avenue to Mid’s Park, of the sorely-needed sewer line replacement work throughout the village that is estimated to cost several millions of dollars. The work will consist of digging up the sewer line that runs through that portion of Main Street, which will heavily impact traffic flow while the work is completed.

Lake Placid Mayor Craig Randall has described this section of the pipeline as the “most at-risk piece,” of a sewer line system that is around 110 years old. In recent weeks, a leak developed in that sewer line leading to a leakage into Mirror Lake, though the village has since resolved the issue.

The village may borrow up to $8.1 million for the totality of the sanitary sewer improvement project, though some of that cost will be offset by state grant funding that may amount to $2 million. The grant funding would come through the state Environmental Facilities Corporation’s Green Innovation Grant Program (up to $1.85 million) and EFC Clean grant funds ($288,750).