Tivoli mayor outlines trail opening, drainage projects and firehouse expansion loan plans

The mayor updated the Village of Tivoli on several infrastructure projects during the board's April meeting, saying residents can expect work on trails, park remediation and drainage in the coming months and that a loan decision could advance a long‑planned firehouse expansion.

The mayor said the long-awaited trail (referred to in the transcript as the "Catsbond and Tiboli trail") is expected to open this summer once ground conditions permit. She described an orange fence in a park as part of remediation after removal of a water tower: a roughly 20-by-20-foot area will be excavated to a depth of about 2 feet, the material hauled away (the mayor said it will go to Buffalo), and clean fill brought in; she said the village itself will not pay for that remediation.

On drainage, the mayor said multiple grants will be applied to projects: the village plans to put the Furough Avenue drainage work out to bid and will also seek bids for the Memorial Drive drainage project. The village has applied for a community development block grant to help fund that work, and officials emphasized drainage remediation is incremental because the area was historically the last to be developed and needs staged solutions to move storm water toward the river.

The mayor also said officials are inching closer to securing Rural Development financing for a firehouse expansion, and that an approval in the next few weeks would allow that project to move to the bid stage.

On roads, the mayor said the village will begin pothole repairs once the local asphalt plant reopens and described a lighthearted community fundraising idea suggested by a resident to measure pothole volumes for a guessing contest.

What happens next: the village expects to put multiple projects out to bid, await the Rural Development loan decision for the firehouse expansion, and begin pothole repairs when materials become available.