Severe storms in 2023 caused major damage
At their Wednesday (May 23) meeting, members of the Cold Spring Village Board continued the painful task of dealing with aging — and often failing — infrastructure. The village has been working with an engineering firm since early 2022 to prioritize upgrades and repairs to the stormwater system, whose origins go back a century or more.
Those needs were clearly evident in July 2023, when a severe storm caused a 30-inch metal culvert to collapse under Fair Street. For safety reasons, parking has since been prohibited at Mayor’s Park.
In a presentation to the board, Will Angiolillo of Hahn Engineering explained that the root of the problem is a 160-acre drainage basin that takes runoff from as far upstream as Bull Hill. From there, stormwater flows in some areas through underground culverts and in other areas as surface water, with virtually all runoff ending up in the Fair Street culvert.
Mayor Kathleen Foley described the drainage network as “a cobbled system that evolved organically,” noting the village is trying to apply long-range planning to what is now a “built-up, historic residential community.”
Angiolillo said improving drainage, including at Cedar Street in Nelsonville, must begin at the bottom of the watershed.
At Fair Street, this will mean replacing the collapsed 30-inch metal culvert with two 42-inch plastic pipes, which is estimated to cost $1.5 million.
Foley said the village will likely pay for the construction and be reimbursed by the federal government, although she said it wasn’t clear how much would be provided. Cold Spring has budgeted about $300,000.
When asked if construction could begin by November, Angiolillo said he’d “like to be optimistic” but that the timing depends on the permitting process. The project must be approved by the federal Department of Transportation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the state departments of Transportation and Environmental Conservation and the Putnam County Health Department.
In other business …
■ The Cold Spring Boat Club presented designs for upgrading its aging seawall, which Angiolillo described as a good, effective solution. The club, which leases the property from the village, will return at least once more before seeking board approval.
■ The board received notification from the state Office of Cannabis Management that it had received an application from Piffords Inc. for a retail dispensary at 40 Main St., the Cold Spring Apothecary and Wellness House. Foley said the Planning Board has not received an application for a change of use at that address.
■ Gregory Henson was appointed as village clerk and treasurer at a salary of $30 per hour. Henson succeeds Jeff Vidakovich, who will retire May 31.
■ The board waived the 30-day waiting period for a liquor license application for the Cozy Corner Café at 129-131 Main St., formerly the site of Hudson Hils’ Cafe.
■ The board approved a bid from T2 Parking Management Systems to add automated lookups for out-of-state license plate numbers.
■ Approval was also granted to purchase updated equipment from Gentech Ltd., which initiates backup generators at the Fishkill Road water treatment plant during power failures.
