Potsdam board to vote on Raquette River utility crossing funding
The Potsdam Village Board is scheduled to vote Nov. 2 on budget resolutions tied to a proposed utility crossing and pedestrian bridge over the Raquette River.
By Caleb Mercer, ClickNNY North Country Desk
The Potsdam Village Board is scheduled to vote Monday, Nov. 2, on two budget resolutions for a proposed utility crossing and pedestrian bridge over the Raquette River. The project would address an aging sewer line between Fall Island and Garner Park and provide a new river crossing for the line.
One resolution would establish a $2.4 million capital revenue line connected to a hardship-financing loan from the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund. A second would create a $508,000 capital expense line for engineering services.
The sewer line was identified as a priority infrastructure issue in 2023 through a Clarkson University capstone course. A New York State Department of Environmental Conservation notice describes the existing line as a submerged 4-inch ductile iron sewer main on the riverbed. The notice says a rupture could release raw sewage into the river and downstream communities.
The project includes a pedestrian bridge connecting the north end of Fall Island with Garner Park. The DEC’s environmental notice also says the bridge would add riverfront recreation in downtown Potsdam. In July 2024, the Village Board voted to act as lead agency for the environmental review, and the DEC published a negative declaration in September 2024.
The board authorized the mayor in February 2026 to sign an engineering agreement with Barton & Loguidice, D.P.C. The agreement was not to exceed $478,000. The project’s engineering budget line on the Nov. 2 agenda is $508,000.
The regular board meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday. The agenda and meeting information are available through the Village of Potsdam. The village offices are at 2 Park Street and can be reached at (315) 265-7480. The next regular meetings are listed for Nov. 16 and Dec. 7.
Reported by ClickNNY and reviewed by an editor before publication.
More from ClickNNY
Guides and features from across the North Country.
ClickNNY Special Report · Preparedness
Is the end of the world coming? What it means for the North Country
From Brussels to Albany, governments are telling families to keep days of supplies on hand. The short answer to the big question is no. The longer answer, for a region that lived through Ice Storm '98, is worth a few minutes and a trip to the store.
ClickNNY Special Report · Your Money
The NYSE went to Texas. Has New York lost its green?
Most people missed it: Wall Street opened shop in Dallas, big banks are following, and New York City elected a mayor who wants to tax the rich. Here's what it all means, in plain English, for schools, taxes and banks in Northern New York.
ClickNNY Special Report · Aging in the North Country
The growing cost of growing old in Northern New York
Fuel, food, property taxes, prescriptions and a home-care system that can't always show up. What it now takes for an older North Country resident to stay in their own home, and what's at stake for the region's paid-off houses.