Hydro Repair work moving steadily

Cortlandt Town officials say progress is being made in repairs to the Furnace Dock Lake Dam. Town officials will likely vote at the Dec. 11 Town Board meeting to allow the town Engineering Office to seek bids for the project.

Town engineers then have about a month of prep work, during which they expect a permit to begin work from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Cortlandt officials estimate the dam will cost about $1.3 million, to be paid entirely by Con Edison, as long as the work is completed by February 2014.

During the six-month repair process, Town Engineer Ed Vergano said residents will see “earth moving,” along with construction of various types of dam walls.

“You’ll see the construction of walls, they’re called training walls, which is basically the walls which follow the direction of the stream.”

Additionally, residents will see construction of “parapet walls which follow the direction of the dam, which are perpendicular to the stream.” Workers will also construct a berm, or ledge, to redirect any potential flood waters.

The town purchased the 10-acre lake, also known as Railroad Pond, from Con Edison in June 2011 for $300,000. The utility company considered removing the dam entirely, draining the lake and returning the land to its “natural state.”

At the time, a Con Edison spokesperson said the deepest part of the lake was about six feet deep.

Officials have since pledged to turn the 100-year-old man-made lake into a “passive recreation” facility. Signs have been placed along Furnace Dock Road identifying the lake, but no other improvement measures have been taken.

Anyone walking near the lake should use caution, as no trails have been marked out at this point, and there are poisonous plants near the lake.
Cortlandt Town Supervisor Linda Puglisi, said the most important thing is that the cost of repairs is “not coming out of the taxpayers’ money.”