Poughkeepsie Capital Plan approved – full details to come later

POUGHKEEPSIE – No one knows specifically what will be in the 2019-2023 Capital Plan for the City of Poughkeepsie, or if any projects put in the plan will happen.  That didn’t stop the common council from approving the plan on a six-zero vote with three council members absent Monday night.
Councilwoman Sarah Brannen said she was caught by surprise by seeing the item on the agenda.
“The reason why I’m raising this is because it’s $925,000 bonding, which is a large bonding for us and so I was hoping that we would have some information about what we were approving before we voted on it today,” Brannen said.
Continuing some infrastructure work in progress was one area discussed by the council last month and during a public hearing. 
Major initiatives to improve bridges at Garden Street, Washington Street, and Mansion Street at Pershing Avenue are identified in the Capital Plan. Citywide improvements to all parks, lead service line replacement, and pedestrian safety are all new initiatives to be started with grant assistance.
Brannen said it is easy for the city to get grant money to fix up parks. 
Mayor Robert Rolison emphasized that it is just a plan.
“Move the Capital Plan on forward because that’s subject to change, too, and also changed by you because it’s really just a plan that’s put together by various departments on expenditures that we feel that the city needs, that totals $53 million, but obviously we’re not going to spend $53 million anytime soon on any of these,” Rolison said.
City Administrator Marc Nelson said the bonding amount is not a firm number.
“Our work to date has been to decrease the amount that we’re asking the council for bonding authorization for.  That’s why we’re taking the extra time.”
Nelson also conceded that past capital plans have been more wish list than reality but he said the city is doing better each year. 
Councilwoman Sarah Salem said some of the ideas talked about are “exciting.”  She suggested a Capital Plan Task Force. 
Nelson thought that was a good idea.