Cold Spring board approves $1M purchase of 4.6-acre parcel to secure upper dam access

The Village Board of Trustees of Cold Spring voted to authorize the mayor to execute documents to acquire approximately 4.6 acres at 260 and 261 Lakes Price Road for $1,000,000 to secure access to the Upper Cold Spring Dam and protect the village's drinking water supply. The resolution was read into the record and then approved by the board; the clerk recorded the vote as 4 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain, 1 absent.

"Whereas the agreement sets forth the terms and conditions and villages acquisition of the property from seller amount of $1,000,000," the resolution recited as read aloud to the meeting. The text describes the parcels as providing staging, laydown area and watershed protection, and states the acquisition is in the public interest. The board also directed pre-closing steps including a boundary survey and a Phase 1 environmental site assessment for each parcel.

The resolution authorizes the mayor to execute the purchase agreement and related documents, ratifies prior negotiation steps, and authorizes limited expenditures to prepare the parcels for closing. The reading included line items for assessment and survey costs and a 20% contingency for those professional services; later in the resolution the mayor was authorized to spend up to $3,480 for Phase 1 site assessments, $8,400 for surveys and $1,800 for legal descriptions. Attorney James Arvito and village counsel participated in the SEQRA and contract discussion.

The board's approval follows a SEQRA review (see related article) and was framed as necessary to allow future repair and resilience work on the Upper Cold Spring Dam. The board did not approve any immediate construction at the site; the resolution and the short-form environmental assessment state the purchase itself is an unlisted action and that no significant adverse environmental impacts were expected.