RHINEBECK – The Village of Rhinebeck has been awarded a grant from New York State totaling $2,228,276.00 for much needed improvements to the Village water distribution system. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the grant on Friday as part of $49.1 million the state is investing to support 38 critical Mid-Hudson Valley municipal water infrastructure projects.
The system provides the water for the entire Village and part of the Town of Rhinebeck to residents and businesses, as well as for firefighting.
“The NYS grant allows us to to move forward with our plans to improve and modernize the system,” said Mayor Gary Bassett . “This critical project will ensure that our residents, businesses, and emergency services have enough clean water to meet future needs”.
Bassett further explained that parts of the existing water system are more than 100 years old and fall far short of meeting today’s standards for water main size and fire flow capacity. The problem is most acute along Montgomery Street and the adjacent side streets of Livingston, Chestnut, and Platt Avenue. In those areas, age has caused deterioration and reduced water flow.
The upgrade will include replacing approximately 2,500 feet of 6” water main with new 12” water pipes along Montgomery Street. And, between Livingston and Beech Streets, Chestnut Street and Platt Avenue to Mulberry Street, we will be replacing 5,150 ft of 4” water mains with 8” pipes. This will make the system more reliable, provide back-up water in case of a water main break, and give firefighters more water for emergencies. Replacing the aging pipes will also ensure that the water flowing through them remains clean and safe.
In 2015, the village began an analysis of the existing system before moving on to the design phase. Once the village identified problems and set priorities, they submitted grant applications to the New York State Intermunicipal Water Infrastructure Grants Program for Drinking Water. Now that the money has been authorized the mayor said “we can move forward in addressing our most urgent needs.”
The overall cost of the upgrade is $3,700,000. The balance will be raised through more grants, as well as bonds.
