The Town of Sharon is likely looking at spending as much as $15,000 on a DEC-required study of its Bowmaker Pond dam.
And that's just for the study; any needed work it uncovers will be extra and likely a lot extra.
Supervisor Sandra Manko said Wednesday that the study-an assessment that will include, among other things, a visual inspection as well as test borings of the dam-is something DEC has begun requiring owners of Class B dams to do every 10 years.
Ms. Manko said she's been working with Lamont Engineers on the study since the winter, but it's a very specialized type of work and they've now recommended the town go with a different firm, suggesting Woidt Engineering in Binghamton.
After she balked at the price they quoted--$10,000-$15,000-Ms. Manko said, she talked to a couple of other engineering firms and quickly realized the Woidt figure was on the low side.
"I was thinking gmore like $5,000-$6,000," she said.
The study is supposed to be done by August 19, Ms. Manko said, but clearly, that's not going to happen.
"Every municipality with a Class B dam should be going through this," she said. "And that figure doesn't include any work that needs to be done."