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Council hears major cost increase for Lower South Street sewer project as staff seeks extra grant funding
Summary
Water Superintendent Dave Rambo told the Peekskill Common Council the proposed 5,000‑foot force main and Lower South Street pump station were re‑routed after the health department’s advice, driving the project cost from earlier estimates to $11,500,000 and prompting staff to seek additional funding from the Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC).
Dave Rambo, Peekskill’s water superintendent, told the Common Council that a required design change — routing a 5,000‑foot closed force main under the railroad and through the Riverfront Green — increased the project cost substantially. “We’ve now increased that the cost of that project to 11,500,000,” Rambo said, and explained the health department advised against tapping into the original Water Street alignment because of dense underground utilities.
Rambo said the new closed force main will run from Lower South Street past Sun Chemical to the county pumping station on Central Avenue and will not be tappable at future points, which he said frees up capacity in the existing sewer network for Water Street redevelopment but raises the city’s matching obligation. He told council the city previously expected a $3,750,000 cost and that private and grant matches had been part of the plan; with the regulatory change the team will request additional funds from the EFC and WQIP programs. “We’re hoping to get more money out of that,” he said of the planned letter to the EFC.
Council members pressed staff on the city’s share after grant matches and on construction timing; Rambo said the city has a $3,000,000 match in earlier memoranda and that Solo (a private developer referenced in staff materials) had also planned to contribute. He said the immediate next step is a meeting with EFC to request scope funding adjustments and that design work for the pump station and piping is substantially complete pending financing. The council did not take formal action on the item at tonight’s meeting but directed staff to pursue the additional grant funding and return with a formal resolution next week.
