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Water department outlines Mount Beacon tank and water-main priorities tied to rail-trail planning
Summary
Water department staff described added costs and site constraints for the Mount Beacon storage tank and called out aging mains (including a 100‑year-old main) needing phased replacement; council asked how these projects intersect with the proposed rail trail and grant opportunities.
Ed Bilicky, representing the water department, reviewed major water projects in the capital program including additional funding requests for the Mount Beacon water-storage tank, explaining that topography and preexisting easements (including a Central Hudson easement) drove higher site costs. He described the additional request as an "addition, not the total" and said grants and engineering reports would be required to pursue outside funding for construction alternatives.
Bilicky also described long-run vulnerabilities in the distribution system — including a 100‑year-old main and a recent break that damaged roughly 300 feet of roadway — and identified two priority replacement segments that should be addressed regardless of rail-trail timing. Council and staff discussed coordinating pipe replacement with surface projects to avoid repaving over new mains; Ed recommended seeking grants and phasing work to limit community disruption. The administration said these projects should be planned to align with rail-trail timing where feasible and that grant-seeking will continue.
