June 20, 2025
Project Updates
By Gregory T. Federspiel

There are many important projects in various stages that the Town has in the works. The following provides a status report on many of them.

Pleasant Street Paving: The end of the construction efforts along Pleasant Street are in sight, after new water and sewer mains were installed along with improved drainage. The final coat of asphalt for both the street and sidewalks should be in place by the end of June. The street should not need to see any more work for years to come.

New Water Meters: The selection of the vendor for the new water meters has been made. Details on these new meters can be found on the Town’s web site. The DPW is in the process of selecting the vendor who will be responsible for the installation of the new meters. Once this vendor has been selected the details of rolling out the actual installations will be finalized. Scheduling of meter installations will likely begin in August. The new meters will allow better tracking of water consumption, provide accurate usage for billing purposes, and should help promote wise water use.

Central Street Culvert: After eight years of studies, public meetings, forums and hearings, the project to replace the undersized and deteriorating culvert and dam at Central Street where Sawmill Brook enters the inner harbor is slated to begin later this fall. Over $6 million in federal and state funding has been secured for the project. The majority of these funds must be spent by next spring. The permitting process has been extensive. One of the last permits to be obtained is the Chapter 91 permit from the state. The draft permit has been appealed by one of the abutters to the project. Hopefully the concerns can be addressed quickly, and the schedule can proceed. Once a contractor is chosen, details on the timeline and the necessary traffic detours will be developed and shared with the public. While detours/disruptions will be a necessary part of completing this critical infrastructure project, they will not be nearly as bad if the culvert and dam fail before the reconstruction can take place in an orderly fashion.

Senior Center: Another project that has been on the drawing board for many years is the creation of a Senior Center. The Town and the Mason’s have signed a purchase and sales agreement whereby a new condominium association will be created with the Town owning about two thirds of the building and the Mason’s one third. An extensive renovation and expansion of the structure is being planned. Voters have approved Town funds to purchase the Town’s share with funds for the renovation and expansion to be raised through private donations. A fundraising feasibility study is underway and should be completed in August.

The fundraising campaign is expected to begin in the fall. Assuming success, construction should begin on the project next summer.

Rotunda Renovations: Replacing the rotted pilings and raising the pier and Rotunda out of the way of rising seas should get underway next winter. Voters have approved partial funding for the project. One grant application was recently submitted and another one will be submitted in the fall to complete the funding package. Of course should the grants not come through a Plan B will be needed. In the meantime the temporary gang way allows access.

Water and Sewer lant upgrades: Upgrades to our drinking water plant are needed to remove unwanted “PFAS” chemicals. The design work for the additional filtration systems will be getting underway this summer. Construction of the new systems is slated to begin next year assuming funding is in place.

The sewer treatment plant is about to undergo various upgrades, replacing worn out equipment and making the plant more efficient to operate. Floodproofing critical elements is also on-tap. The engineering for the engineering for these improvements starts this summer as well with construction to follow. Voters have approved the funds to have this work completed.

As always there is a lot in the works as we strive to maintain all of the infrastructure on which residents rely.