Engineering: 2025 road program, lead service replacements and streetlight issues outlined to council

The City of Amsterdam’s engineering team updated the Common Council on Jan. 21 about plans for the 2025 road program, a federally funded lead service‑line replacement project and recurring failures reported in recently replaced streetlight fixtures.

City Engineer Mike said staff are assembling a candidate list of streets for the upcoming road program and plan to present a finalized list by March so the city can advertise for bids in April. He said the city traditionally waits for confirmation of its CHIPS (Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program) allocation from New York State before awarding work; last year’s allocation was roughly $2.2 million, and the city expects similar timing tied to the state budget.

On lead service‑line replacement, Mike told the council the city has a $1.5 million Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for lead service replacements. Staff have begun identifying residences with confirmed lead service lines and said federal rules require the city to replace a city‑side lead service line within 45 days of visually confirming one during street work. The engineer noted homeowners can elect to replace their portion from the house to the curb; if they notify the city that they will do their portion, the city will handle the remainder to the curb stop.

On streetlights, the engineer reported repeated failures among some recently installed LED fixtures—about eight or nine fixtures reported failed or flickering—and asked residents to report outages to his office; the project manager is checking each reported fixture. The city controller added that converting rented fixtures to ownership has already reduced monthly lighting costs by about $20,000, and the city is working to secure fixed quotes for replacement of the RiverLink Park lighting (estimates in an earlier round were $80,000–$105,000).

The engineer also provided updates on several capital projects including the Southside boardwalk (mechanical and electrical contracts awarded; plumbing to be rebid) and golf course plumbing (reposted bids with improved response expected). He said the boardwalk plumbing bid opening is scheduled for Feb. 3 with a planned award at the Feb. 4 council meeting.

Why it matters

The road‑program timeline determines which neighborhoods are prioritized for resurfacing and affects when CHIPS and other state funds will flow into contractor payments. The lead service‑line work ties federal compliance timelines to local water‑main and street construction; replacement obligations can trigger immediate project work when crews visually identify lead connections. Streetlight failures affect public safety and require timely vendor follow‑up while conversions to owned fixtures produce near‑term operating savings.

What staff said

City Engineer Mike: "My goal is to have a solid list by March so that we can then put it together and advertise it by the end of March and get bids in April." (engineering report)

Controller: "We are seeing a $20,000 a month reduction in our lighting bills already." (controller report)

Process notes and next steps

- Staff will present the draft 2025 road list to council by March. Final awarding of work will await confirmation of CHIPS allocations from New York State’s enacted budget. - Lead service‑line replacements identified during street work must be replaced on the city side within 45 days of visual confirmation under federal regulations; staff are creating letters and a list of confirmed residences and will assist residents unsure whether their service line is lead or copper. - Engineering will receive plumbing bids (golf course and boardwalk) in the next two weeks and expects to return award recommendations in February.

Ending

Council members requested continued updates on streetlight repairs and the CHIPS allocation timing; staff said they will solicit council feedback on road priorities before advertising work.