At an Aug. 22 meeting at Town Hall, the Poughkeepsie Town Board authorized maintenance contracts for landscaping and sidewalks for the second phase of construction on Raymond Avenue. But citing an unclear warranty agreement with New York State Department of Transportation (DOT), the board tabled authorizing the highway lighting contract until the Sept. 5 meeting by a 5-2 vote.
The contract specifies that the DOT will install 68 lights along Raymond, as well as provide underground ducts, pull systems and foundations for the lights. However, because the town will be responsible for the repair and maintenance of the light system for 10 years, Councilmen Jon Baisley (R-1st Ward) and Dominic Seminara (R-2nd Ward) discussed the need for the DOT to provide a warranty.
“I’m just making sure we don’t get stuck with a project where things are going wrong,” said Baisley.
As of press time, Baisley could not confirm if the town would receive a warranty, but said he had no reason to assume otherwise.
Councilmen Stephan Krakower (R-5th Ward) and Todd Tancredi (R-6th Ward) opposed the delay.
“The sooner we can move forward with this, the better off the town will be,” said Krakower. “We’ve had this item on the agenda for a month or so, and the issue of a warranty from the state or contractor was never raised then.”
The decision to table the highway lighting contract comes after the town failed to approve a maintenance contract for the proposed $4 million public parking facility next to the Poughkeepsie Post Office.
The landscaping contract specifies that the Arlington Business Improvement District (BID) will be financially responsible for the upkeep of medians, curbs, center islands and all shrubs, grass and tree planting along Raymond, Collegeview and Fulton avenues. Their work will begin after the DOT plants 84 trees, 88 shrubs and 1,200 plants and bulbs after construction next summer.
The DOT will also provide construction and reconstruction for work on sidewalks along Raymond Avenue, though the town agreed to maintain pedestrian walkways in the medians, and for property owners to assume responsibility for snow removal.
Several board members, including Krakower and Seminara, lauded the maintenance contracts for taking the majority of the burden off the town. Though Seminara stands firmly against paying for maintenance on the project, he supports the town’s responsibility with lighting.
“If anyone’s going to benefit from the landscaping, it will be Arlington, so the BID stepped up and said they’d pay for it,” said Seminara. “But I couldn’t in good conscience say we’re not paying for the lighting, when the town pays for lighting everywhere else.”