NARROWSBURG — The Town of Tusten voted Wednesday to request bids to revamp the Overlook Deck, considered the largest capital project in recent memory.

After receiving the bids, the board will then have to decide if it will put the proposal to public referendum, as required by state law when a project needs to be bonded.

Supervisor Carol Wingert summed up as “innovative and thorough planning” the presentations by the two engineering firms handling the project.

She continued: “If we kick the problem down the road for a year or more, there is no certainty that the deck will not fail. Any injury or loss of life through such a failure would be a catastrophe from which we might never recover.”

The lone “nay” vote was from Ned Lang, who cited numerous reasons behind his decision. First and foremost, he said, it would translate into higher taxes to take on the extensive project. Further, the project could be scaled down by Chazen Companies and Illing Engineering Services and obtain the same results.

Wingert's caveat is “safety first” and she felt the firms, board and residents were on board with that priority,

The two firms worked, by their own admission, tirelessly to draw up plans that are cost effective and safe. Meetings, emails and many phone conversations between the two firms resulted in a dynamic and complex solution to the “sliding deck.”

That is what Joe Lanaro, vice president of Chazen and Mike Baron, an engineer for the firm, along with the town's engineer, Wes Illing, passed on with numerous slides that ranged from aesthetics to the nuts and bolts of the complex proposal that addresses the foundation, digging and shoring up the “eroding deck” and creating safe conditions for “50 plus years.”

The proposal will cost in the vicinity of $300,000, with $106,000 coming from a grant, $25,000 from the Narrowsburg Beautification Committee and the possibility of another $10,000 grant.

This means a 1 percent increase in taxes in what Lanaro described as the “best solution at the best cost.”

Lanaro said his firm has always had the town's “best interest” with the understanding that small towns have small budgets. Further, his firm will sign off on every aspect of the renovation.

To this end, a design engineer will closely supervise the contractor's work and conduct periodic checks to make sure everything falls within the firm's concept and parameters.

Should any problems arise, said Lanaro, the contractor's funds would be used to remedy it and it would not be charged to the town.

The firms are also dedicated to making sure that the adjacent properties would not be compromised.

Illing called Chazen's proposed “top-down technology” as a “valid approach” to the project at hand.

“There is only a half a dozen firms that are qualified to use this method,” Illing said, adding that it will make the project less complex and more cost effective.

Wingert said, “Over the years, the deck on Main Street has become increasingly important to the vitality of our hamlet and to the Town of Tusten. No other town can boast a scenic viewing area that is so close to our retail shops and with such an unspoiled view.”

She added, “The decision we make about the best course of action for the deck will have ramifications for years to come. Remember, rebuilding the deck in New York State requires a licensed engineer to put their name behind the plan and the work.”

The state is stringent about the specs on such a project some shortcuts that have been proposed would not pass state codes.

Lanaro said if bids go out “at the height of the construction season, they will be costly.” The project, he said, would take two or three months to complete.

All things considered, the board, along with the engineers, foresee a start date in the spring of 2016.