The board of trustees has narrowed the field of firms interested in providing site assessment and design work for the Linden Avenue project.

In a special meeting last Thursday, trustees reviewed the four proposals submitted and selected CLA Site and Clough Harbour to be interviewed.

CLA Site was the only firm to attend the meeting and used the opportunity to pitch their team approach and expertise to the board and mayor.

CLA Site is based in Saratoga Springs, but is partnering with local firms, Walker Planning and Design, Susan Snell Architect, and Mackie Marketing.

Tim Wales, CLA's chief engineer, told the board the firm is tremendously committed to the project and has a great feel for what it entails. The local people working on the project is an advantage because they have a better understanding of the project and community.

Trustee Jeff Katz asked Wales about the firm's estimate of cost which was a little higher than other proposals.

Wales explained that the final engineering cost were submitted as a range because they did not know exactly what they would be designing. He admitted their numbers were a little higher, but they had built in a lot of public participation into the process.

Site assessment and design work for the project is expected to cost approximately $400,000.

Wales and other CLA team members all told the board there are many people involved in the Linden Avenue area and there would have to be considerable consensus building among the stakeholders in order to come up with a project that will address everyone's needs.

Village resident and planning board member Bill Rigby, said he believes all village residents should be considered stakeholders.

Rigby, who is also on the board of the Leatherstocking Railroad Historical Society, which owns property and has tracks for its excursion train in the project area, said nobody representing the village had contacted them about the project.

"That's really a shame," he said.

He added that because the $4.2 million federal appropriation that will fund the project was for an intermodal facility, or one which brings together different modes of transportation, the village should include the Trailways bus system in project discussions.

"You have to look at the bigger picture in the village," he said.

Mayor Carol Waller, described the Linden Avenue area as "awful" and commented that the residents living on Linden Avenue must not be left out of the process.

The board cut the field of potential engineering firms in half by agreeing to interview CLA Site and Clough Harbour Associates of Albany.

Clough Harbour was one of the two firms recommended by hospital vice-president Joe Middleton and Brian Clancy, the village DPW superintendent. Both are members of the Linden Avenue project technical committee.

Waller reminded the board there is still the question of who will pay for the maintenance of the facility and that nothing is yet set in concrete.

"I think we have a one shot deal here and we have to do it right," she said.