Council Set To Vote on Revere Street Easements

By Adam Swift

The Town Council is expected to vote on the list of temporary and permanent easements required for the Revere Street reconstruction project at its next meeting on May 2.

Town Manager Tony Marino said most of the takings are for sidewalks that residents may or may not know that they own. However, he said there are three or four properties where permanent easements do encroach more on private property that may require a little more negotiation.

Marino said there is a June deadline to get that list of easements to the state for the $6.4 million state TIPS project that will see the reconstruction of about half a mile of Revere Street.

The project is scheduled to go out to bid this summer, with construction getting underway by next spring.

Marino also provided the council with an update on the commuter ferry, which had its engines replaced. He said the current schedule has the ferry getting its hull cleaned and inspected before going out to sea for a trial run. Marino said he was hoping the sea trial could be done and everything could be done to get the ferry running by the end of the month, but that it depends on the Coast Guard schedule to complete the inspection.

The town manager also stated that the site plan outlining the potential use for the old middle school could be completed within the next week. Marino also noted that the proposed town budget for Fiscal Year 2024 is now available on the town’s website.

“There will be a formal presentation to the Town Council on May 2 in accordance with the charter,” said Marino.

In other business, the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust Board of Trustees recently announced that Winthrop received a $4.89 million low interest loan for a drinking water distribution improvements along Revere, Crest, and Grovers Avenue.

The Clean Water Trust, in collaboration with the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, helps communities build or replace water infrastructure that enhances ground and surface water resources and ensures the safety of drinking water by providing low-interest loans and grants to local communities.