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Rhinebeck approves $70,400 task order for DEC-required dam inspection, schedules valve repairs
Summary
The Rhinebeck board approved Task Order No. 27 to complete a Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) inspection and engineering assessment of the dam at Crystal Lake, a project costing $70,400 plus about $5,000 in estimated valve repairs; the DEC approved contractor Tye and Bond will perform the work.
The Rhinebeck board approved Task Order No. 27 to complete a DEC-required inspection and engineering assessment of the dam that controls Crystal Lake’s water level, the board learned during extended discussion of the project’s costs and next steps.
Board member 1 introduced the task order as “a culmination of all of the work that has been done for almost 2 years now on our grant application to the DEC for Astra Dam,” and said the full proposal from the contracted engineer totals $70,400. The grant tied to the work was stated in the meeting as $49,500; the board discussed an additional roughly $5,000 budgeted to repair valves that are not included in the $70,400 task order.
The task order covers review of records, an on-site inspection and underwater investigation, bathymetric surveys upstream and downstream of the dam, hydraulic (H&H) analysis related to the overflow weir, assessment of intake capacity and the engineering report. Board members and staff repeatedly emphasized that the DEC requires this level of inspection and that the last comparable engineering review (cited as from 02/2012) did not include the full underwater and H&H analyses now required.
Board member 2 asked whether the inspection would change the lake’s water level; a staff speaker replied that the initial inspection and dive work should not change the water level but said divers could identify conditions that might later require lowering the lake to complete repairs. The board discussed that the valves are not intended as flood-control devices but have been used in some anticipatory storm-management scenarios.
Speakers said the contractor Tye and Bond (also referenced as Ty and Bohn in the transcript) had been approved by DEC as the project contractor, and that because DEC approved that contractor the village would not need a new public RFP to proceed. Board member 1 said they did not want the work to become billable until “fiscal year 2526,” to allow time to align contractors and budgeting.
Board members described the valves as known to be failing: the board stated the existing larger valves cannot be reliably sealed if opened, and the plan is to repair/repack seals rather than remove and replace the valves. The group agreed the valve repair work was budgeted separately at approximately $4,500–$5,000; the full local share plus the grant was discussed as producing a total project cost “about $75,000-ish.”
The board approved the task order after discussion; Board member 1 made the motion and a second was recorded. The board voted in favor by voice vote.
Next steps identified in the discussion include completion of the bathymetric and H&H analyses in the task order so the village can correlate flood-elevation estimates to nearby structures, and scheduling the diver inspection and valve-repair work. Speakers also noted potential downstream and upstream dam points of interest (private dams, bridges and stream crossings) that factor into risk evaluations but are outside the immediate scope of Task Order No. 27.
Evidence in the record: the board introduced Task Order No. 27 as DEC-required work, discussed the $70,400 engineering proposal and an estimated $5,000 valve-repair budget, confirmed DEC-approved contractor Tye and Bond, described the diver and bathymetric work, and approved the task order by voice vote.
