Saratoga County public works accepts $363,430 state bridge grant, approves retaining‑wall feasibility study

Saratoga County Public Works on July 8 accepted a New York State Department of Transportation funding award of $363,430 for preliminary and final design and right‑of‑way work on the Ballard Road bridge in the Town of Wilton, and approved a matching consultant contract to carry out the design work.

Chair opened the meeting and put the funding acceptance and consultant contract before the panel after a staff presentation. The staff member said, “So, first is to accept some Marcela funding from New York State DOT, totaling $363,430,” and later presented a contract to Barton and Lejudice for the same amount to perform preliminary design, final design and right‑of‑way incidentals.

The action follows a related adjustment the staff reported for a previously completed project on Ashdown Road. The staff member said DOT has changed funding sources, allowing the county to recover additional expenses tied to a railroad agreement and other costs; the amount available for reimbursement was stated as $327,750 and the panel voiced approval to accept that adjustment.

The meeting’s largest new request concerned a stretch of North Shore Road beside the lake where century‑old stone retaining walls have separated from the roadway by about 8 inches in one area. The staff member asked the panel to authorize a not‑to‑exceed $300,000 contract with Greenman Peterson, Incorporated to assess feasibility, perform subsurface exploration and develop repair alternatives and design documents.

“That's the ask is a not to exceed amount of $300,000,” the staff member said, adding that the figure includes unknowns tied to subsurface work and that the county would manage the project through its Department of Public Works to control costs. Staff said underbids on a separate $1.8 million bridge project produced roughly $600,000 in savings that can fund the study without affecting the adopted 2026 budget.

A committee member questioned the scale of the fee for what he characterized as a feasibility study: “And I just look at that and say, 300,000 for them to tell this is a possibility, here's a possibility…,” he said. Staff responded that the scope includes alternatives development, final design and preparation of bid documents so the county will have a construction‑ready package at the end of the work.

Staff also noted the county will coordinate with the regulating district because the ownership line lies in the corridor and aesthetic or historic considerations may require a modern structural back‑up concealed behind an exterior that looks like the original stone wall. The feasibility work will also evaluate an exposed rock ledge on the lake side that has created winter maintenance and safety constraints and will include drainage work where needed.

The panel moved and seconded the items and recorded approvals on the agenda items. The meeting concluded after routine closing questions and a call for any other business.

Votes at a glance • Approval of minutes (June 3): motion seconded; recorded 'Aye' responses (two recorded). • NYSDOT funding acceptance for Ballard Road: motion moved and seconded; body indicated agreement to proceed. • Consultant contract with Barton and Lejudice ($363,430): approved to perform design and right‑of‑way services. • DOT funding source adjustment / reimbursement (Ashdown Road project): staff reported $327,750 available to recover prior project costs; accepted. • Feasibility and design contract with Greenman Peterson, Inc. (not‑to‑exceed $300,000): approved; study will include subsurface exploration, alternatives, final design and bid documents.

Next steps: staff will execute the accepted contracts, begin subsurface exploration and produce a package of alternatives and design documents for construction bidding. The staff member said monitoring will continue while design work proceeds and the county will coordinate with the regulating district on ownership and aesthetic requirements.