CATSKILL, N.Y. (WRGB) — A CBS6 viewer sent an email asking about accessibility in Catskill. Main Street has seen a lot of construction since May 2025, starting with its water system and soon expected to end with streetscape revitalization. Concerns raised include sections of the new sidewalks not meeting the height of existing entrances and driveways, plans for business deliveries during roadwork and how those needing ADA accommodations are able to traverse the street and enter businesses. CBS6’s Anthony Krolikowski walked Main Street to find out.
“If anybody was here in the past 20 years and seen what the sidewalks were like, I mean, we had a huge liability over the years,” stated Peter Grasse III, the Village Board of Trustee’s Vice President. I can’t tell you how many times that we’ve had, you know, insurance companies or suits filed for people tripping on sidewalks. I’m confident that we are in a much safer place.”
More than 70% of the new sidewalks have been completed. President Natasha Law said they have, “not received any complaints directly from an individual with accessibility disabilities throughout this entire construction period.” One business reached out to the village after an electric chair experienced an accessibility issue and Law said it was addressed the following morning.
“So that’s not in compliance with the ADA,” stated Greg Rinckey, one of the founding partners of Tully Rinckey PLLC. “I mean, the ADA mandates that you have to have handicap accessible sidewalks. If you’re maintaining a sidewalk or there’s construction going on, you have to have ramps.”
One business said the village has been more than accommodating but another owner questions if she should even be open with the way Main Street is. Neither wanted to go on camera. Some older buildings have gaps between their entrances and the new sidewalks, seemingly grandfathered in before ADA laws.
“Was this is kind of like the same level that where they were at? Was there little gaps like that before?,” asked Krolikowski while referencing pictures of La Conca Doro.
I believe they were there,” answered Grasse.
Krolikowski followed with, “Do these businesses have policies or procedures in place where they help somebody in or work with that with a call and phone number? What do you know about people making accommodations like that?”
“I would hope that they are. I mean, I haven’t heard of any complaints as far as anything ADA until like now,” responded Grasse.”
Construction is expected to be completed by the end of October. Anyone with accessibility needs not being met can contact the Village Board and Catskill Police Department. President Natasha Law also sent the following statement in response to the Ask CBS6 email:
“The broader infrastructure modernization effort is part of a $30 million clean water, drinking water, and downtown revitalization initiative involved several years of planning and public review dating back to 2022. We broke ground in May of 2025 on Phase 1 of this project on Main Street, replacing major water and sewer lines, eliminating combined sewer overflows (CSOs), and replacing lead service lines. In November of 2025, we patched everything up for the season and did not break ground again until the end of March 2026. From there, we continued that same underground work from Church Street up to Summit Avenue. By late May 2026, the full scope of underground water and sewer work was completed. At that point, Central Hudson notified us that they needed to install new gas lines, so they arrived and are currently putting in all-new major gas lines. In late May 2026, we also kicked off the final phase of the Main Street project: the streetscapes. This involves removing and replacing approximately 85% of the sidewalks and curbing, planting 49 new trees, installing new streetlights, and adding new parking meters that accept both coins and cards. This Main Street portion of the project totals roughly $7.6 million ($2.4M for water [$2,395,727.91], $2.9M for sewer [$2,918,633.74], and $2.3M funded through our Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant). This is a once-in-a-lifetime project fully funded by grants secured by the Village Board. The Village of Catskill was established in 1806, and we are working with infrastructure dating back that far. While we do our best to plan for what is underground, there have been many surprises along the way including finding historic tunnels and even old wooden water lines. It has been a very interesting process.
Once Main Street is complete, we will be putting out Bids to continue this clean water effort on our East side of the Village.
The roughly 4-inch drop currently visible along sections of Main Street occurs during interim construction stages. When old sidewalks are removed and sub-base layers or utility lines are laid, there is often a temporary grade differential between the active construction area and existing doorways, private walkways, or driveways.
This is not a permanent gap. Final paving (happening today over a large portion), curbing, tie-ins, and poured concrete sidewalk finishing will bring all grades back up to properly meet access points.
We are providing temporary ramps and managing access as best we can in an active construction zone with many moving parts. Businesses and residents requiring immediate access or specific accommodations during active closures can coordinate directly with the Village or with the construction crews on site.
To ensure everyone stays informed, our team maintains daily hands-on oversight:
I am personally on Main Street every day by roughly 7:30 AM, spending at least two hours reviewing plans for the day. I return around 5:00 PM to inspect completed work and plan for the next day. Vice President Pete Grasse is also on Main Street during his lunch hour daily and joins me many mornings overseeing operations. As soon as I receive the daily work update, it is posted across multiple channels: the Village website, the Village Facebook page, a dedicated construction Facebook page, the Catskill Police Facebook page, and a call-in hotline for verbal updates. Trustee Boomhower posts updates to an alert app to notify signed-up residents if work is happening in their area, and Trustee Mitchell delivers physical paper notices directly to affected addresses so business owners and residents can plan for deliveries, parking, and accessibility. The Board has not received any complaints directly from an individual with accessibility disabilities throughout this entire construction period. There was one location where there was a slight lip causing an electric chair to not be able to access a sidewalk but that was a complaint I received by a business owner late at night via text on a Sunday and it was addressed first thing the following Monday morning.
A walkway collapse is news to me! Standard protocol for public water main connections requires pressure testing, line flushing, and formal inspections by the contractors, the Village Department of Public Works (DPW), and the Water Department both before and after tie-ins are finalized. We heavily monitor all hookups. If an issue ever arises, it is addressed immediately. But again, a walkway collapsing is news to me and everyone else overseeing this project.”
In addition, Lauren Robbiani and Natasha Witka Amanna of Catskill Chocolate Co. sent the following statement:
“This has been devastating for all small businesses in Catskill. Two years of business disruption in our peak season. Over 30 non-consecutive weeks of Main St being closed with no through traffic.
We are in need of instructed improvement but the consulting firm, Delaware Engineering overseeing this project neglected to see the economic impact for Catskill and failed to plan appropriately including jobs and business operations. Our entire community is struggling, and they don’t seem to care.”
