Town finances the Barton Road bridge repair — $710,000, subject to referendum

The Town of Schaghticoke has taken the money step on a road problem it’s been chipping at for two years. At its July 8, 2026 regular meeting, the Town Board authorized the repair of the Barton Road bridge and voted to borrow $710,000 to pay for it. Per the highway department’s report that night, the work is set to begin the week of July 13, alongside repairs to the Grant Hollow bridge.

The financing, from the town’s official notice and the adopted minutes:

A note (borrowing) not to exceed $710,000 in principal.
Interest rate not to exceed 5.50%.
The bond resolution authorizes a term of up to 30 years, but the Board voted to borrow the $710,000 over five years to pay off the repair.
The Board found the financing to be a SEQRA Type II action — no negative environmental impact — and determined that borrowing to make the repairs is in the town’s best interest.

”Subject to permissive referendum” — what that means

The resolution is subject to permissive referendum. In plain terms: it takes effect on its own unless residents formally object. If enough voters want the borrowing put to a public vote, a petition requesting a referendum must be filed with the Town Clerk within 30 days of adoption — roughly August 7, 2026. A copy of the full resolution is on file with the Town Clerk. (See our note on what a public notice is and why the deadline matters.)

The back story

The Barton Road crossing has been a recurring item at Town Board meetings:

The highway superintendent flagged the needed repair back in mid-2024.
In February 2025 the Board hired Excellence Engineered to design the replacement — engineering that referred to it as a culvert; the town’s July 2026 report calls it the Barton Road bridge repair. Either way, it’s the same long-troubled crossing.
Engineering costs were carried through the late-2025 budget, and residents kept asking for updates into 2026.

This vote is the financing that turns those designs into a funded project — and, with work slated to start in mid-July, into one that’s finally underway.

Sources: Town of Schaghticoke Notice of Adoption of Resolution (dated July 15, 2026) and the July 8, 2026 Town Board minutes (draft). Always confirm deadlines against the town’s official posting before acting.