By Greg Ellison

(Nov. 11, 2021) The Berlin Town Council will issue requests for proposals for street paving and replacing a failing well on Branch Street, council members decided Monday.

Town Administrator Jeff Fleetwood said the paving work includes Stevenson Lane, Decatur Street and Graham Avenue east, as well as replacing a walkway in Stephen Decatur Park.

Both the roadwork and well replacement were discussed during the mayor and council meeting on Oct. 25.

In late September, the Maryland Department of Transportation notified the town that estimated highway user revenues would be increased to $227,221 for FY22 and $233,293 for FY23.

During the October meeting, Fleetwood said earlier estimates were roughly $100,000 to repave the trio of roads.

The increased highway user fee revenues are also being slated to replace an existing walking path in Decatur Park comprised of recycled scrap tires.

In October, Fleetwood estimated costs at $400,000 to use comparable recycled materials, while switching to asphalt would cut the price tag to between $80,000-$90,000.

Town officials attributed the current walkways’ state of disrepair to seasonal weather changes that caused the material to deteriorate more rapidly.

The council also approved an RFP to replace a failing well on Branch Street.

Last month, Fleetwood informed the mayor and council that the well on Branch Street went offline several weeks earlier.

“The bottom portion of that well has a mesh screen that had deteriorated, and it failed,” he said.

Berlin’s Water Resources Department found in late September that the well was  discharging excessive amounts of sand and stones. The department later learned that the screen at the well bottom had collapsed.

Fleetwood said although two other wells are functional, the town should focus on obtaining grants for a long-range plan to install a fourth well to provide sufficient water to accommodate future growth.

Speaking to the issue on Monday was engineer Josh Taylor with Davis, Bowen & Friedel.

“These are two separate things,” he said. “Replacing the well that has failed and also planning ahead.”

Taylor said Berlin has used on average 400,000 gallons a day for the last five years.

“Water usage in 2020 bumped up to 440,000 gallons,” he said. “The town is growing, and the 2021 numbers could be even higher.”

In an October meeting, Fleetwood recommended tapping into ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds to cover the well replacement costs.