Snow, ice and road salt have caused the Town of Poughkeepsie to begin road improvements; but town officials will do so with the help of a $6 million road repair bond.
Starting in April, the bond will cover work over the next two years (2008-09), and roughly $1 million will be distributed to each of the town’s six wards.
Highway Superintendent Marc Pfeifer said last week that money from his own $450,000 budget will most likely be used for road improvements, but he hasn’t yet determined how much.
A year ago, when noticing tennis courts near his home needed fixing, board member Michael Cifone (R-4th Ward) decided repairing roads in the town should take precedence.
“It’s a town issue; safety comes first,” he said at a Town Board meeting on March 5.
Cifone, who said he drives by some of the roads each day on his way to work, knows certain roads haven’t been fixed in quite a while.
“Crestwood (one of the roads set for repairs this year) hasn’t been done in over 30 years,” he said. “It’s an unsightly road. In my area, Green Street is getting done this year as well.”
“Some problems are causing run-off into people’s yards,” he said.
Cifone said roads in the vicinity of St. Francis Hospital will hopefully be improved in the coming years.
Some board members noted that repair money isn’t always divided evenly, depending on the extent of road improvements in any given ward each year, and the fact that some projects require more work than others.
According to Pfeifer, some of the roads to be completed in 2008 and 2009 include Overocker Road, Crestwood Boulevard, Slate Hill Drive, Schoolhouse Lane, Croft Road and Cottam Hill Road, among others.
“Last year, we did Overocker, and $1 million took us only through two-thirds of the road,” Pfeifer said, noting how costly road improvement projects can get.
Pfeifer also said that some roads in the town haven’t been paved in 50 to 60 years.
The Town Board authorized Morris Associates, P.S., L.L.C., to assess the roadways and make recommendations. The bid contract for Overocker Road is in Phase 2.
Board member Dominic Seminara (R-2nd Ward) said drainage problems are an issue he hopes to see improve in the coming year. He noted one road in his ward, Brookland Farms Road, which he said will be rehabilitated in 2008 or 2009.
Cops earn props
Three Town of Poughkeepsie police officers – Detectives Darrell Honkala and Joseph Chorba and Detective Sgt. Michael O’Dell – were also appointed to their new positions at the meeting.
O’Dell’s appointment is subject to an eight-week probationary period effective March 24. Honkala’s and Chorba’s appointments are subject to a 26-week probationary period, also effective March 24.
“I trained Joe (Chorba) when he was a correction officer at Fishkill. He’s come very far in a short amount of time, and I’m very proud of him,” said Cifone, a corrections officer.
“All of these men are well-deserving to receive such recognition,” said Seminara.