Helderberg Lake Community Association seeks funding for dam repairs

Wednesday, September 8, 2021 - 19:01

Enterprise File Photo -- Noah Zweifel
The wall of the Helderberg Lake Dam, with the spillway barely visible.

BERNE — The Helderberg Lake Community Association is attempting to repair the dam at Helderberg Lake, in Berne, but first it must obtain necessary funding — approximately $500,000 — which it’s attempting to do through the Berne Town Board.

The Helderberg Lake Dam is a “high-hazard” dam which, according to state law, means that failure of the dam “may result in widespread or serious damage to home(s); damage to main highways, industrial or commercial buildings, railroads and/or other important utilities, including water supply, sewage treatment, fuel, power, cable, or telephone infrastructures; or substantial environmental damage; such that the loss of human life or widespread economic loss is likely.”

An Associated Press report published in 2019 on more than 1,500 dams across the country that are in need of repair, including the Helderberg Lake Dam, which had cracks in its concrete and an uneven spillway crest. 

Attorney Dave Brennan, who is representing the Helderberg Lake Community Association, told the Berne Town Board last month that the association wants to increase the length of the dam’s core wall, seal cracks, and address deteriorated spillway features, among other things, to bring the dam under Department of Environmental Conservation guidelines. 

“They’ve been patient with this, but they do want it to be addressed,” Brennan said of the DEC.

Brennan said that the repair costs are estimated around $500,000, and that the lake association is hoping the town will take out a loan to front the cost. He said that the approximately 74 households with lake access would reimburse the town through the creation of a special tax district over an undetermined period of time, but which Brennan said would likely be about 20 or 30 years.

The taxes on those residents would be based on property values, Brennan said. 

The Berne Town Board had intended to schedule a public hearing on the matter at its Aug. 25 meeting, but town attorney Javid Afzali said that not all details were in place in time for the board to be able to set the hearing. The board’s next meeting, on Sept. 8, was canceled and rescheduled for Sept. 15.

The Helderberg Lake Association Board of Directors could not be reached for comment. 

More Hilltowns News

  • Berne supervisor proposes 19-percent tax increase

    After raising taxes more than 750 percent for this year’s budget, Berne Supervisor Dennis Palow — who lacks a town board after a majority of members resigned over financial and other concerns — is proposing raising taxes 19 percent to roughly $5.49 per $1,000 in assessed value, which would be the highest tax rate in more than a decade.

  • Palow unveils new ’25 budget with 2-percent increase, no ambulance funding

    Supervisor Dennis Palow has released a new tentative 2025 budget that would increase taxes by 2 percent, not 19 percent as proposed in an earlier tentative budget that was published last week. Among the expenses he cut in the new version is for ambulance service from the county.

  • Berne supervisor addresses town finances and accusations of hostility

    Berne Supervisor Dennis Palow made the rare decision to speak with The Enterprise this week, offering his side of two allegations that have defined the town for at least the past few months: that he has allowed the town to drift into financial ruin, and that he meanwhile had created such a hostile work environment that three of his fellow Republican-backed town board members resigned.

The Altamont Enterprise is focused on hyper-local, high-quality journalism. We produce free election guides, curate readers' opinion pieces, and engage with important local issues. Subscriptions open full access to our work and make it possible.