BELLOWS FALLS — The Bellows Falls Trustees gave the go-ahead to resubmit a bond to voters that would fix and upgrade a large portion of the existing water delivery system within the Village limits at a cost of $8.2 million.
All improvements were identified and prioritized in a March 2012 report that was reviewed and approved by the state.
This cost of the bond will not be paid by taxes, but rather would raise household water costs for a $100,000 home from $47.31 to $55.66 per month. Only water system customers and real estate owners enrolled in the Village Fire Protection system would pay for the project.
An informational meeting will be held on Thursday, Feb. 27, at 7 p.m. in Town Hall Lower Theater.
According to Municipal Manager Chip Stearns at the Jan. 14 trustees meeting, the wording of previous failed bonds has been fixed and is set for approval at the state level should the bond passe in the March 4 town election.
More specific wording now includes, “Phase 1 and 2 water works improvements including a new intake, source metering, system control valves, replacing and installing water main on U.S. Route 5 North, completing water distribution system improvements in other areas of the Village, and performing all other work incidental thereto,” at an estimated cost of $8.2 million.
Stearns told the Village Trustees that they were in a good position to qualify for the Vermont Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund (DW SRLF), and that the project is now “shovel-ready.”
An information sheet notes that the DW SRLF could be obtained at a minus-3 percent interest rate, which would amount to “a 45 percent grant.” The sheet also notes that the USDA Rural Development Fund is interested in funding the project as well.
Stearns told the trustees said the final design for the project is complete and that, with bond approval from voters, the first phase of the project can be put out to bid. Construction would take place over the 2014 and 2015 construction seasons, with the first phase possibly completed this year.
Improvements would be as follows:
• Approximately 11,100 feet of new pipe along Route 5 from Pond Road to Imtec Lane to replace an aging asbestos cement water main, improving “fire flow” capability.
• Approximately 1,250 linear feet of water main cleaning and lining rehabilitation on an existing 16-inch water main along Route 5 from Atkinson Street to Pond Road.
• Approximately 7,600 feet of water main would be replaced on Morgan, Summer, Lincoln, Steuben, Elm, School, Henry, Mill, and Lockwood streets.
• Installation of curb stops and intersections would go in on Westminster, Atkinson and Rockingham streets.
• A new intake screen and valve would be installed at Minard's Pond, with a new source-metering vault near the water plant, a system control valve on Meadow Lane, a bypass pipe on Hyde Street, and a river crossing meter on Paper Mill Road installed.
The information sheet concludes with this caveat: “The project, although very important, does not rank high enough at the state [level] to receive funding. However, projects in other towns have not proceeded with bond votes and the state indicates they can bypass these higher priority projects to fund our project this year.
“In addition, the Agency of Transportation is planning to repave Route 5 from Saxtons River to Pond Road in 2015. By completing the work in this area prior to Vermont AOT paving, the cost of final paving will fall on the state. Based on previous projects, by completing water system improvements in areas to be paved by VTrans, it can save approximately 8-10 percent of the construction cost of the water system improvements.”