A bitter divide on the Woodstock Town Board has stalled urgent repairs to McDaniel Road, where a massive washout threatens both the roadway and nearby power lines.
At its most recent meeting, the board was urged to release $150,000 from emergency reserves to begin work, warning that delays could force the road’s closure this winter. But a majority of council members, led by Bennet Ratcliff, refused to move forward without clearer cost estimates and competitive bids, citing mistrust and fears the project could balloon into the millions.
“What I’m interested in is seeing holistically what the actual cost of the entire project may or may not be,” Ratcliff said.
“I would be more interested in finding out from three different bidders what they believe that it would cost. We just approved a wash system and there were three bidders there. I think that what we really need for this road study is to find out what three different bidders think that this will cost,” Ratcliff said.
Highway Superintendent Donald Allen said it’s not that simple.
“I can tell you from my experience they’re all going to be expensive, but [town engineer] Dennis Larios is going to review it with him, and then they’ve got to draw up a bid package,” he said.
“No contractor is going to bid on it until there’s a bid package,” Allen said.
“If we don’t move forward, we’re just wasting time.”
Allen explained the need for the repairs.
“Back in the spring, someone walking down McDaniel Road found a huge washout that’s going down toward Old Keefe Hollow. It’s endangering our road and it’s endangering the power line for Central Hudson. And I’ll be honest, I haven’t seen something like that. It’s a big washout,” he said.
Allen had proposed moving $150,000 from a reserve fund dedicated to emergency repairs as a starting point “because we’re going to burn through that quickly, I believe.”
Ratcliff demanded specifics.
“If we’re going to burn through $150,000, I’d like to know, are we going to burn through $1.3 million or are we going to burn through $500,000.”
Council member Anula Courtis asked how much it would cost to get a bid package put together, but Allen didn’t know.
“I’m not quite sure what the hesitancy is. We’re going to end up spending money still to fix this,” Supervisor Bill McKenna said.
“Or we’re going to close McDaniel Road,” Allen said. “If you close McDaniel Road, your phones are going to ring off the hook and my phones are going to ring off the hook.”
Courtis said McKenna had recently said it could be $150,000 or it could be $700,000, and she wants the figures narrowed down.
“What we’re trying to do is not stall things, but very simply get us to the bid point,” she said. “What is it to get from where we are now to the bid point? And I think you’d get unanimous votes across the table.”
Allen said a project of this size is new territory for him, but he reminded the board he has a $400,000 capital reserve for emergencies and he wants to move $150,000.
“I think it’s unfortunate that there seems to be a lack of trust. I trust Superintendent Don Allen that if we give him the $150,000, he’s not going to spend it. He’s not just going to run out and spend it just because he’s got it,” council member Laura Ricci said.
McKenna reminded the board any big expenditures have to get approved.
“So I’m not sure where the concern is. You’ve done your due diligence. We don’t have the answers to exactly how much it’s going to cost,” he said.
Ratcliff moved to table the motion and the motion passed 3-2, with Ricci and McKenna opposed.
“If McDaniel Road gets closed this winter, I’m going to remind everybody that they can thank you three,” McKenna said in response.
Fight over minutes, last straw for clerk
The McDaniel Road disagreement was not the only drama at the board meeting.
Ratcliff moved to accept the minutes he personally drafted for the July 22 Town Board meeting when nobody from the clerk’s office was present.
McKenna objected, saying they haven’t been circulated for approval. Ratcliff countered they were distributed on July 23. He then passed out copies of the minutes to the board, asking the library board to hold off on their presentation on a bond until action was taken.
“You’re going to make every meeting from now until December a service, aren’t you, Bennet,” McKenna asked.
That was the last straw for Town Clerk Jackie Earley, who got up and said, “Whatever is said at this meeting as of now is not going to be recorded,” as she walked out of the room.
The vote to accept the minutes was 3-2, but wasn’t acknowledged.
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