The Board of Selectmen (BOS) voted unanimously Monday night to recommend an extension off the first phase of the that would go down Del Mar Drive, a commercial road with 15 local businesses. The proposal will now go to the Board of Finance (BOF), which has its next regular meeting on March 14, before going to a town meeting for approval.
According to the town’s water consultant, Martin Handshy, the 1,900 linear feet of main line will cost $397,800, to be bonded by the town, which the property owners will pay down over 20 years through .
The line would extend from 360 Federal Road, “virtually across the street” to Del Mar Drive, Handshy said, adding that 10 of the 13 property owners have spoken overwhelmingly in favor of getting public water through a benefit assessment.
The other option would be for the businesses to request service from Aquarion, which will take over management of the Del Mar Drive and when completed.
“You go to Aquarion and request service and one or more of the property owners would have to come up with the $397,000 upfront,” Handshy explained.
Were the water company to build the line, the property owners would be responsible for the initial financing, however they would receive credits if and when other properties in the area tied into the line.
“In this economic climate, it would be hard to find all at once,” Handshy added. “The benefit assessment process is very enticing for them and they’re requesting that they be included in that, minimizing their upfront outlay for water.”
If approved by the BOF and at a town meeting, the construction should take only four to five weeks, according to Handshy, once the project is bid, and would coincide with an upcoming sewer project planned for Del Mar Drive.
The trenches for the pipes must be at least 10 feet apart, per Department of Health (DPH) standards, but doing the two projects at the same time saves the town from having to tear up the roads twice.
