WESTFIELD – A bond order for $4 million for sanitary sewer extension to the Bigwood Drive project area, Western Avenue, Jessie Lane project area, Montgomery Road and Joseph Avenue was discussed at the Finance Committee on Thursday.
Committee chair Robert A. Paul, Sr. said a $20 million bond order was put in several years ago, and the first $3 million was previously released for the Joseph Avenue project. The $4 million bond being discussed is the second rollout of the project.
Finance Committee members David Flaherty, Matthew T. VanHeynigen, and chair Robert A. Paul, Sr.
Paul said he has been involved with the Jessie Lane project portion, which is in Ward 5,and said the pumping station for that project can go at the end of Plantation Circle.
In response to a question, Department of Public Works director David Billips said that portion is called the Jessie Lane Project because that is where the pumping station originally was slated to be installed, but the neighbors objected and threatened to sue. Billips said Plantation already has piping that was put in for sewers.
Paul said the residents on Plantation have been waiting for the sewer. He added that once the bond is approved, it will be designed and signed off on engineering this year, and next year people should be able to get hooked up.
“The people on Plantation are upset because they were told that the monies were approved three years ago,” Paul said.
“Until someone said you could put a pumping station here, that project was a no-go,” Billips said. He added that there are septic tanks failing on the street. The bond received a 3-0 favorable recommendation from the committee.
Also approved were several transfers within departments. The Fire Department requested an appropriation of $12,375 from the Ambulance undesignated fund balance to the Ambulance purchase of services account to hire an outside contractor for quality assurance, a mandated program. The contractors will review and evaluate 1,500 calls, and also offer training to the department.
“They will do a very competent evaluation of the calls,” said Chief Mary Regan.
Public Works requested a transfer of $9,796 from refuse collection to severance, due to an employee who had originally stated an intention to retire, and then postponed the retirement for one year.
A request for a transfer of $19,500 from the Airport Salary account to purchase of services to buy a truck remained in committee, due to a lack of information and no airport representative in attendance at the meeting.
Under new business, Flaherty said that he recently surveyed residents on a Facebook forum about the roads, and whether they would be willing to invest $7-$10 per month to significantly improve the road surfaces, road beds, and storm water management infrastructure. He said he received 350 responses, the majority saying they don’t trust the city to take the money and spend it on roads.
Flaherty said he was considering proposing a large debt-exclusion bond for rebuilding and repaving roads and associated storm water management systems and sidewalks, that couldn’t be diverted to any other use. He said his intention would be to bring it to the voters, but before proposing anything to the City Council, he wanted to discuss it with the Finance Committee.
Billips said something needed to be done. “If we get creative, we can do a lot more with less. The majority of Chapter 90 money is spent on contractors,” he said, adding that he was concerned about taking out a long-term bond that would outlive the life of the roads, but there may be another way to do it.
Paul said he supported coming up with multiple solutions to earmark money for the streets. The discussion remained in committee.
After the meeting, Flaherty said that Chapter 90 money and annual city budgeted road funds are nowhere near enough to repair and maintain the roads. “A massive investment is needed to fix the many problems we have, and then appropriate annual budgets are needed for maintenance. My primary goal is to improve the roads while guaranteeing taxpayers that funds would only be used for road surfaces, road bases, and associated sidewalks and storm water management for those roads,” he said.
