Now that financing for the infrastructure work to take place in the Center Business District (CBD) has been approved by the Town Council, town officials are ready to take the next steps.
Last Tuesday, Nov. 13 the council, minus three recused councilors, approved $4,931,500 for the purpose of financing the Town Center sewer and drainage system.
“Tonight is the first step in alleviating the flooding,†said Council President Ron Vecchia. “Every time we have a large rain event, it floods, and floods into about every business down there. Tonight is the first start, the starting place for the Center.â€
Speaking at the meeting Chris Tsiotis said, “Right now constituents are very frustrated.†A lot people are concerned about the cost and the scope of the project.â€
Councilors James Letterie, Peter Christopher and Mike Lucerto, all excused themselves because of personal and business connections to the Center.
This work would happen during two construction seasons and would include underground work and sprucing up of Frenchmen’s Square.
Town Manager Austin Faison was expected to form a Town Manager’s CBD Committee at the Fall Forum held Tuesday, Nov. 20. Within 90 days of appointment, the Committee is to obtain and publicize the following items concerning the CBD Infrastructure Project:
A construction phasing plan
A new peer review of the engineering work done to date,
Specifically, with a focus on climate change preparedness and modern engineering standards,
A value capture policy for the Town,
Integration of all surface work proposed by the landscape architect into the overall construction documents,
Develop an updated financing plan that accounts for the additional work tasked to the Committee (e.g. additional peer review, surface work, etc.).
Once the Committee’s initial work is complete, the project will then be able to be bid out. All of the items in the charge must be accompanied by public meetings, as to add a level of transparency to the work of the Committee. This would put the Town in the position to bid the project in late February 2019.
The new assistant Town Manager, David Rodrigues, will work closely on this project so that business owners and residents have the opportunity to discuss the impacts of the project on their interests.
Water improvements will include approximately 4,000 linear feet of new eight inch through 16-inch water mains are proposed on Woodside Avenue from Pauline Street to French Square, Somerset Avenue from Woodside Avenue to Pleasant Street, Cottage Park Road from Somerset Avenue to Pleasant Street, Bartlett Road from Woodside Avenue to Pleasant Street, Adams Street and Williams Street. The water main improvements will replace aging, unlined cast iron water mains with new cement lined ductile iron water mains, Faison said.
Sewer work will be done going deeper and sloped to maintain self-cleansing velocities to reduce maintenance. Sewer services will be replaced to the back of sidewalk for each property. Sewer improvements are proposed on Pauline Street from Woodside Avenue to Walden Street, Woodside Avenue from Pauline Street to Pleasant Street, Bartlett Road from Woodside Avenue to Pleasant Street, Adams Street, Williams Street, Cottage Park Road from Somerset Avenue to Pleasant Street and Somerset Avenue from Woodside Avenue to Pleasant Street.
Drainage work will include approximately 5,280 linear feet of new 12-inch through 60-inch HDPE drains to increase capacity.