The Wiscasset Water District wants the town to join in a three-party effort to overhaul the sewer system, water system, storm drains and paving on Main St. and Federal St. Water District officials gave a presentation to the board asking for the town’s participation during the regular Tuesday night Board of Selectmen meeting.
Selectmen said they would support further investigation into the project after hearing a joint presentation from Superintendent of the Wiscasset Water District Chris Cossette and two engineers from the Tata and Howard consulting engineering firm out of Portland.
The water district and engineers seek collaboration with Wiscasset, as the water mains, sewer system lines and storm drains run closely together. They offered up the project as a way for the town to save money, not only through the efficiency of replacing the utilities all at once, but also through the acquisition of Rural Development grant funding and a low interest loan.
The project calls for replacement of a water main on Main St., replacement of sanitary sewers on both Federal and Main streets, storm drain systems on both streets and the restoration of sidewalks and pavement in the areas where crews would need to tear up the pavement to make these replacements happen. The project would also involve putting in new crosswalks and access ramps.
Cossette said the Maine Dept. of Transportation (DOT) became interested in the project after DOT representatives learned the water district was committed to the project. Information on paperwork presented at the meeting showed that the MDOT had originally scheduled Wiscasset paving work for 2012-2013.
Project Engineer Aubrey Strause addressed some of the reasons why the utilities need to be replaced and why the project requires cooperation and investment from the town. She said the DOT would cover two thirds of the cost for the storm drain and pavement replacements. Sewer system line replacement cost would be absorbed by the town and the water district would be responsible for the replacement of the water main.
Strause said that after some research they learned the water mains need to be replaced, as there has been significant breakage over a number of years and sections on both streets are undersized. Information from a presentation packet states that these mains also are insufficient in providing adequate fire protection water flow. The sanitary sewers are old and should be replaced and the storm drains are collapsing. Pointing to a map the engineers brought to show selectmen, Strause showed locations on the streets where the water mains would need to be replaced.
She said there are potential conflicts in the configuration of utilities on each of the two streets. For example, there is a foot and a half separation between the water main and sewer line in places and often they are entrenched in the same location.
“It’s a perfect time to do all of these replacements,” she said, adding that since the utilities are so close together, replacing all of them in addition to paving would save time and money later on.
Project engineer Paul Cote, said there are several pipes in the area that are undersized and their replacement would improve hydraulics.
The engineers said they would be able to secure federal grant funding from the Dept. of Agriculture’s Rural Development program that would cover 45 percent of the entire project cost. They also could get approval for a low interest loan to cover the remaining half. Currently, the rate they could get for a 30-year loan would have an approximate 4.25 percent interest rate, but Cote said this rate could drop, considering the acquisition of the federal grant.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Cote said, adding that the grant percentage was likely to drop as time progresses.
Increasing the quality of pipe that services the downtown area is important for a number of reasons, Cossette said. Fire lines going into buildings in the village area could result in the improved ISO (Insurance Services Office) rating, thereby reducing costs to the community in fire insurance. An improved ISO rating would also provide long-term benefits for the fire department.
In response to a question about cost from Wiscasset Town Manager Arthur Faucher, Cossette said it would be determined by the level of involvement with the town and by the project’s scope. He asked selectmen to consider the current economic conditions moving forward and that were the water district to go solo on the project, it would likely result in higher costs for rate payers down the line. He said the water district is ready to submit the application for the grant funding and has been in communication with representatives from the MDOT.
Faucher said he had suggested selectmen review the costs and options with the Budget Committee during a workshop session. He said a cooperative agreement with the water district would be a lot less costly, especially considering the grant funding opportunity.
In response to a question posed by Selectman William Curtis, Cossette said it would be ideal to have 10 feet of separation between water and sewer pipes (running across the street from one another) and the district would install lines distanced from one another where it would be feasible.
Engineers said they realize this is going to be a difficult project, considering the downtown location, but they have been considering options for construction times to minimize conflicts with heavy traffic.
The engineers and Cossette are going to next meet with the DOT on Dec. 16 to determine funding opportunities and to further discuss the project. Board approval to further investigate the project allows the team to meet with Mike Jenkins of the Rural Development program to discuss terms, rates and packages.
Cossette told selectmen they could have an estimate of costs by sometime in February.
