POUGHKEEPSIE – A geyser of water erupted from underneath Marshall Street on Monday shooting water 20 feet into the air. New water mains are being installed by Thomas Gleason Inc., a Poughkeepsie -based excavating company. Gleason was assisted at the scene by the city’s water and sewer contractor, Veolia North America.
One resident of High Street who saw the water stream said, “It doesn’t surprise me. The streets in this neighborhood have been a mess for months. When the workers wrap up for the day, they leave trenches in the roads filled with stone. If they hooked the pipes up the same way they cover the holes, it was bound to happen.”
Al Nowak resides on Marshall Street. Work began in front of his house in July. Gleason trenched the road and installed the new main between Washington and Garden Streets. They also installed a new hydrant in front of Nowak’s house, leaving the old hydrant in place.
“They dumped slabs of concrete next to the hydrants and put tall orange construction markers with yellow caution tape all along the front of my house. It’s absurd that it’s still like that after four months. The trench in front of my house and driveway has become a muddy mess and getting in and out of my driveway is a challenge to say the least.”
Monday’s break in the main happened in front of the Nowak residence. “This is the first time I’ve had the crew here by my house in months . Unfortunately they weren’t here to fix the mess they created four months ago – they just worked to minimize today’s disaster.”
In January of this year, Gleason began a project to replace water lines on Marshall, Cottage, Garden, and High Streets, along with Balding Avenue. “Our road has been torn up for what seems like an eternity,” said one resident of High Street. The work is slated to be finished in December of this year.
According to City Administrator Marc Nelson, the contract for the project is $3.75 million for Gleason, a Minority-Women Owned Business Enterprises .
After installation is complete, the pipes will need to be tested, disinfected, and inspected by the health department.
“The project is expected to be completed in December and will provide residents with improved water flow while providing increased safety by having more powerful hydrants to distribute more water in the event of a fire.”
