By Adam Swift
Over the next two years, the town will be replacing the fiberglass poles on its approximately 450 fire hydrants.
The poles are typically used to help locate the hydrants in the snow or in potentially overgrown areas.
However, as the fiberglass poles get older, they can present a hazard to any curious children (or adults) who touch them.
The issue with the hydrant poles was first brought up at a council meeting earlier this month. At last week’s meeting, Town Manager Tony Marino said the town will be replacing about half the poles per year over the next two years.
Council President Jim Letterie said he had received calls from several parents who were concerned that their children cut their hands on some of the older, more brittle fiberglass hydrant poles.
“The parents, as concerned as they were for the hands, they were concerned that the kids were going to wipe their tears away and put fiberglass in their eyes,” Letterie said.
At last week’s meeting, Letterie said the town has secured the money to replace the poles.
“The goal is to potentially do half this year and half next year,” said Letterie.
Marino said the poles cost $32.50 each, with it costing about $7,800 to do 240 hydrant poles this fiscal year.
In other business at last week’s meeting, Letterie said the town may need to address some issues at the track at Miller Field in the near future.
“I’ve been down at the track at Miller Field; this is part of the property of the town,” said Letterie. “The field is still in good shape, it doesn’t get the play that a lot of other fields get, and I think we are going to get a little longer life expectancy. But I do have some pictures which I will share later of the track and there are some issues that we have to take a look at.”
Also related to the town fields, Letterie said there will be some improvements coming to the Little League A field thanks to $25,000 in grants that state Senator Lydia Edwards and state Representative Jeff Turco were able to secure, along with funds from the Winthrop Foundation.
“They are going to be moving the scoreboard down there and building new dugouts,” said Letterie. “That is a project you will see starting pretty quickly.”