Collings Lakes told dam repairs could stretch years; design and bids next steps outlined

Beth Grasso, a guest working on the project, told the Collings Lakes meeting that the association is "going through the punch list," and that "we cannot do the stabilization until mid March" because the as‑built plan is not yet available.

The meeting heard that an H&H (hydrologic and hydraulic) survey covering Lake George and Lake Albert has been completed and must be submitted to the state Department of Environmental Protection. "The H&H tells us how big the spillways have to be and the elevations," Beth said, describing cross‑sectional information included in the report. Bids for construction and engineering will be issued after design work, she said.

Kristen Lubrano (Tier 2) pressed officials about funding sources and timelines. Steve Slimm said grants are generally not available to private lake communities and that DEP loan processes can take two to four years. Kristen referenced a court order that mentions a $500,000 figure per dam; Beth clarified that the $500,000 referenced in the court order applies to construction only and does not cover design work.

Beth estimated the overall program could require "at least 5 years" to complete. Meeting participants were also told that once the dams are brought up to standard the association will still incur an annual maintenance portion folded into member fees; funds are being accrued for Lake George and Lake Albert even while some work focuses on the Cushman site.

No vote or new funding appropriation occurred at the meeting. The next procedural steps recorded were submission of the H&H to DEP and issuing bids for construction and engineering.