The Camillus Aqueduct Project received another shot at life last week when town of Camillus Supervisor Mary Ann Coogan announced the project would go to bid August 19.
In 2004, the town put the project to bid but all bids received exceeded the funds available for the renovation, said Director of Parks and Recreation Eric Bacon.
“As long as our bids are lower than the money we have, we’ll be alright,” said Dr. David Beebe following Coogan’s announcement Saturday.
This time around, a $25,000 grant was secured for the project by Sen. John A DeFrancisco to fund the reconstruction.
The renovation will use treated glue-laminated timber to replace of the deteriorated wood of the original aqueduct, and will closely resemble the original materials used while extending the service life of the new structure, said Phil Pierce of Clough, Harbour and Associates (CHA), which will be overseeing the project.
Pierce said the town of Camillus will perform the bulk of the construction inspection services and is the entity responsible for the project.
“This project represents a rare effort to replace a primary component of the Erie Canal destroyed long ago,” Pierce said. “In more local terms, the project can certainly be a tourist attraction bringing those benefits to the community.”
