HomeMy Public PortalAbout2016-10-27 PW_Cmte Report 2017_roads_FINALWatertown Town Council
Committee on Public Works, Meeting October 27, 2016
Report: November 9, 2016
The Committee met at 6:30 pm in the Council Chambers. Present were: Aaron Dushku (Chair), Anthony Palomba
(Vice -chair), Susan Falkoff (Secretary), Town Councilor Vincent Piccirilli, DPW Superintendent Gerald Mee,
DPW Director of Administration and Finance Dennis Sheehan, Town Engineer Matt Shuman, Steven Magoon
(Director, Community Development & Planning), Rich Benevento and Mike Pompili from WorldTech
Engineering, Charlie Breitrose from Watertown News; and Nancy Hammett, a resident.
Updates
Community Path
Now that the Town Council has voted to acquire the house at 10 Winter Street, we need to obtain a cost estimate
for final engineering/design and construction for capital planning purposes. Stantec Engineering's work on
this project is complete, for now. The design will include the projected construction cost, but there will be some
additional costs such as demolishing the building. The committee members stressed that they don't want this
project to lose momentum.
Parking Meters
We are waiting to hire a Transportation Planner before making any decisions. Committee members noted that
there are meter technology issues that would fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Public Works (DPW)
and there are unresolved planning issues such as where the meters will be located, how long one can stay in the
same location and cost. Mr. Magoon and Mr. Mee said that they would expect decisions could be made within six
months. Councilor Piccirilli noted that money for new meters has been approved for this year in the Capital
Improvement Program.
Stormwater Demonstration Sites
The Stormwater Advisory Committee selected 2 demonstration sites from the list that was developed by Horsley
Whitten under a 604B grant to promote green infrastructure. One will be at the Hosmer School and another will be
in the Public Works parking lot. The latter location was chosen because it will be viewed by developers when they
come in for permits. Horsley Whitten will be developing the projects up to 30% design.
Howe Park
DPW has determined that they can provide handicapped access to the dog park with minimal impact to the greater
park area by moving the dog park entrance directly to Bacon Street and approximately 45 feet up from the existing
gate. Other improvements include bank stabilization, pea -stone surfacing, fencing modifications and sidewalk
reconfiguration. He expects that the project could be completed by late summer 2017 with an approximate cost of
$75,000. The funding source is yet to be determined.
Road Program
Mr. Shuman prepared a PowerPoint presentation on the status of 2015 and 2016 projects, an updated Pavement
Condition Index (PCI) map, and the roads selected for 2017 repairs. The slides can be viewed at
http://www.watertown-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/20830 and the map is at http://www.watertown-
ma.gov/DocumentCenterNiew/20837.
Here are some highlights of the discussion:
1. In 2012, the average condition of our roads was 59 (out of 100), now it is 65. 6.8 miles have been repaved
during this time.
2. It is wise to do a PCI every 3-5 years and ours was last updated in 2011 so it's good that one is in process
now.
3. There are 5 levels of road maintenance. From least to most expensive they are: Defer maintenance, seal
cracks, micro -seal a larger area, mill and overlay, or complete reconstruction by reclamation. It is unwise
to only repair the worst streets because then the better streets get worse and need expensive work that
could have been prevented by earlier intervention. So selecting which streets to repair in any give year is a
balancing act among many variables.
4. Road project planning uses a Complete Streets approach which now includes street tree planting.
5. Road repair projects are being coordinated much more effectively with gas, sewer and water repairs -for
example, DPW has begun notifying utility companies to prioritize underground work on Mt. Auburn Street
in anticipation of the TIP project.
6. All of the 2015 and 2016 roads are substantially complete except for Edenfield Avenue which will be
completed next year.
7. The 2017 roads selected for reconstruction are: Hovey, Cushman (which has a PCI of 0!!), Waltham
Street (Rosedale to Bridge Street), Knowles Road, Holly Street, Whitcomb Street and Irma Avenue.
8. DPW will perform additional repair work and preventive maintenance on other streets as needed (such as
the Walnut and Fayette Street projects in 2016). The 2017 list does not include developer -initiated
projects like Arsenal Street and Nichols Avenue or larger capital projects like Common Street and Mt.
Auburn Street.
4ACTION ITEM Councilor Palomba made a motion, seconded by Councilor Falkoff to ask the Town Council to
approve this list of streets to be included in the 2017 road program. The motion carried 3-0.
The 2018 Road Program will be presented to the committee on October 18, 2017.
The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:55 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Falkoff, Secretary
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