Council To Look at Funding For Stormwater Management Design Work

By Adam Swift

The town is looking at several options to continue funding engineering work for stormwater management in the Tilestone, Girdlestone, and Pico Avenue neighborhoods.

The town recently spent $50,000 on a survey of existing conditions in the neighborhood, and Town Manager Tony Marino said there was some good news when it comes to the cost to complete engineering and design work for the stormwater management.

“By doing all the work and fine tuning the numbers, the number came in a little less than we thought it would be,” said Marino at last week’s town council meeting. “Not including the $50,000 we already spent, to finish the job would be $396,500. We thought it would be $675,000, so it is certainly less than that.”

The engineering work that needs to be done for the neighborhoods was broken down into four phases. Stormwater conceptual design is estimated at $79,500, preliminary design at $158,500, wetlands resource permitting at $70,000, and final design at $88,500.

Marino said there are several potential funding sources for the work, including a federal grant that is in committee, as well as a state Coastal Zone Management grant that is in the application process.

Marino said the town could also look at finding money to fund the $79,500 for the stormwater conceptual design.

Council President Jim Letterie said he hopes to have a motion at the council’s first July meeting to address that funding.

Marino said the town would likely know about the CZM grant in the fall, and added that the federal grant process could take longer.

“I think the fall is too long to wait,” said Councilor-at-Large Max Tassinari. “I think we should be working on this as soon as we can to find a funding source.”

Precinct 5 Councilor Joseph Aiello said he agreed that the town should move forward with funding the design work as soon as possible.

“The important thing is to move this along as quickly as we can,” he said.