(Feb. 16, 2017) Stormwater improvements on Flower Street in Berlin are in still in progress and more road closures could be coming, according to Town Administrator Laura Allen.
“We’re in what we consider to be a transition period toward the end of the project where we’re wrapping a few details up,” Allen said.
The construction is part of the town’s four-phase stormwater mediation plan designed to alleviate flooding and improve water quality along the Hudson Branch.
A large stormwater retention pond was built behind the multipurpose building on Flower Street last year, and the current portion of work is focused on replacement of the existing stormwater piping under Flower Street and softening the angles of the streambed coming away from Route 113.
That work started in December and was scheduled to finish last month, but weather and other delays have persisted.
Allen said some maintenance was being done to the newly installed culverts, and that the town would install gabion baskets, which help control erosion, to shore up the side of the creek bed.
The contractor was apparently having difficulty getting materials to close out portions of the project, including road resurfacing, because many asphalt plants have closed for the season.
“The contractor has an obligation to finish the project, which includes the paving,” Allen said. “As part of that process they may have to manage the road so that it’s open, and come back and clean it up and keep it appropriate until they get it paved.
“I know it’s frustrating for people when the road has to stay closed for a period of time or it looks like it’s not completely finished, but there are elements that we’re working with that are outside of our control [including] the weather, and this time of year it’s always a challenge to get asphalt,” Allen continued. “Between those two things, the final paving of the road may be delayed a little bit, but the culvert is functioning as it should.”
She said Public Works and Water Resources Director Jane Kreiter has kept in close contact with residents on Flower Street during construction, and that no major issues – or complaints – had occurred.
“Jane and her crew are doing a really good job of helping out with contact with the residents, I’ve been out there a bunch, and then I think the contractor is doing a decent job of working with the folks that are in the neighborhood,” she said.
Elsewhere on Flower Street, Allen said the town was still working to close out Cannery Village, but that the developer had addressed that most of the town’s major concerns.
“We have not accepted Cannery Way yet,” Allen said, referring to the entrance road to the development that would be deeded to the town once the project has closed. “There’s a couple of issues that we’re working with them on. There’s a reimbursement process that these projects go through, so we’re tidying up the accounting and making sure we’re getting all the things they’re supposed to pay for paid.”
Allen said she requested additional information from the developer and was also waiting to receive a report on the roadway.
“It’s very close,” she said. “And it’s not unusual for these types of projects to linger at the end while you’re getting all the details worked out.”
The town will next move onto stormwater projects on William Street, and then on Graham, Grice and Nelson streets.
Allen said preplanning had already started on William Street, and that grants from FEMA and Department of Natural Resources had already been obtained to pay for that work.
The town used about $800,000 in funding from the Community Development Block Grant program for the offline wetland and culvert installation on Flower Street, Allen said.
“We’re in what we consider to be a transition period toward the end of the project where we’re wrapping a few details up,” Allen said.
The construction is part of the town’s four-phase stormwater mediation plan designed to alleviate flooding and improve water quality along the Hudson Branch.
A large stormwater retention pond was built behind the multipurpose building on Flower Street last year, and the current portion of work is focused on replacement of the existing stormwater piping under Flower Street and softening the angles of the streambed coming away from Route 113.
That work started in December and was scheduled to finish last month, but weather and other delays have persisted.
Allen said some maintenance was being done to the newly installed culverts, and that the town would install gabion baskets, which help control erosion, to shore up the side of the creek bed.
The contractor was apparently having difficulty getting materials to close out portions of the project, including road resurfacing, because many asphalt plants have closed for the season.
“The contractor has an obligation to finish the project, which includes the paving,” Allen said. “As part of that process they may have to manage the road so that it’s open, and come back and clean it up and keep it appropriate until they get it paved.
“I know it’s frustrating for people when the road has to stay closed for a period of time or it looks like it’s not completely finished, but there are elements that we’re working with that are outside of our control [including] the weather, and this time of year it’s always a challenge to get asphalt,” Allen continued. “Between those two things, the final paving of the road may be delayed a little bit, but the culvert is functioning as it should.”
She said Public Works and Water Resources Director Jane Kreiter has kept in close contact with residents on Flower Street during construction, and that no major issues – or complaints – had occurred.
“Jane and her crew are doing a really good job of helping out with contact with the residents, I’ve been out there a bunch, and then I think the contractor is doing a decent job of working with the folks that are in the neighborhood,” she said.
Elsewhere on Flower Street, Allen said the town was still working to close out Cannery Village, but that the developer had addressed that most of the town’s major concerns.
“We have not accepted Cannery Way yet,” Allen said, referring to the entrance road to the development that would be deeded to the town once the project has closed. “There’s a couple of issues that we’re working with them on. There’s a reimbursement process that these projects go through, so we’re tidying up the accounting and making sure we’re getting all the things they’re supposed to pay for paid.”
Allen said she requested additional information from the developer and was also waiting to receive a report on the roadway.
“It’s very close,” she said. “And it’s not unusual for these types of projects to linger at the end while you’re getting all the details worked out.”
The town will next move onto stormwater projects on William Street, and then on Graham, Grice and Nelson streets.
Allen said preplanning had already started on William Street, and that grants from FEMA and Department of Natural Resources had already been obtained to pay for that work.
The town used about $800,000 in funding from the Community Development Block Grant program for the offline wetland and culvert installation on Flower Street, Allen said.