At the June 26 Marlborough Town Board meeting, town residents Maryanne and Patrick Quick urged the board to take immediate action to fix Old Indian Trail that runs in front of their home. More than two months ago part of the roadway collapsed near the Quicks’ driveway and fell down a 50 foot embankment toward the railroad tracks. This forced the closure of the road to everyone except for residents who live on the road.

On June 21 the Quick’s sent a letter to the Town Board, which put them on notice of the seriousness of the situation.

“To date, we, as homeowners, of a beautiful home, have had nothing but hardship, aggravation, major inconveniences, dilemmas and unnecessary expenses,” the couple wrote, leading to the curtailment of oil deliveries, lawn maintenance and servicing of their heating and air-conditioning units. “Some have come only with reluctance, vowing to not come again because it is not safe.”

The Quicks have been actively working toward selling their home for the past two years and are hoping to move into an apartment at One Dutchess in Poughkeepsie, but have informed the board that “these plans are now impossible” due to the road collapse, which they point out has rendered their home “unmarketable...and essentially worth nothing as it exists at present. The Town of Marlborough has essentially stolen our home from us. It is the town’s statutory responsibility to maintain and fix the road. You have a duty to us and you are in breach of that duty. We have consulted with legal counsel and have been advised that the Town of Marlborough is fully responsible to repair the road under the Highway Law.”

The Quicks’ wrote that they are seeking answers and action from the town in a timely manner.

“Two months of nothing being done by engineers and people who know what to do about this, is long enough to wait. Our lives and our future plans can’t be on a permanent hold because of the Town of Marlborough and its refusal to recognize and act on this emergency,” the couple pointed out.

In her comments at a Town Board meeting, Maryanne said they have lived on Old Indian Trail for 38 years and have never seen it properly maintained, describing it as a “forgotten road” in the town. She stressed that by law the town must, “make it safe for us as residents of this town and the state of New York.”

Maryanne said she recently read in the Southern Ulster Times about many of the accomplishments of Supervisor Scott Corcoran since he has served in this position and how well the Town Board is working together.

“Pat and I expect you to do the right thing and work together on this,” Maryanne said. “The collapse of this road must be considered an emergency situation.

Therefore, please suspend your normal bidding process and get the ball rolling as soon as possible to repair Old Indian Trail. Our health, our welfare and our safety are being jeopardized every day.”

Maryanne reminded the board that her husband Pat volunteered 10 years of his life to serve as the project manager in the restoration of the 1883 Milton train station.

“Without his expertise, hard work and dedication to this town, you wouldn’t have this showpiece on the Hudson River,” she said, adding that she helped in fundraising efforts for the Police and Fire Departments and the Library. “Doesn’t any of this dedication to our town mean anything to anybody? We are civic-minded people and are not asking for anything more than what we’re entitled to.”

Supervisor Corcoran said he understands the frustration the Quicks have experienced because of this collapse.

“We are taking this seriously, we are talking to our engineer, and we’re trying to fix this to the best of our ability,” he said, adding that they will be discussing a few options to fix the problem. “We want to make sure that when we do this, we do it right.”

To date, Corcoran has received two estimates. One is from Kevin Patton P.E to conduct soil borings that will be drilled by a geotechnical drilling subcontractor, under contract with the Engineer Management of the soil investigation program, geotechnical and engineering evaluation of the data and preparation of the report, at a cost of $19,555.

A second estimate was submitted by Tectonic Engineering and Surveying Consultants. They will do a Topographic Survey, mobilize drilling equipment to drill into the soil, do a field inspection and laboratory testing and submit to the town a geotechnical analysis and report, at a cost of $27,500.

Corcoran said he is expecting one more estimate and will discuss this further with the Town Board to determine the best course of action to fix the collapsed roadway.