Water, Traffic Lights on List of DPW Articles for May Town Meeting

With 75 employees and an operating budget of nearly $15 million, the Department of Public Works is responsible for keeping our water clean, our streets paved and safe for driving, our trash and yard waste is picked up, and most anything else that contributes to a functioning and beautiful Burlington. A number of items are needed by the department outside of the regular operating budget, and those are represented as DPW Articles for May Town Meeting.

• Article 7-04 - Winn Street and Mountain Road Traffic Light - A study, funded last year at Town Meeting, was done on this intersection, and it was determined that a signal is needed. It will cost $400,000, and safety at this intersection will be greatly increased.
• Article 7-05 - Terrace Hall Station VFD Replacement - These variable frequency drives help pump sewage where it is supposed to go, to avoid sewage going where it is not supposed to go. $40,000 will fund Phase 2 of the project; Phase 1 was funded through Town Meeting last May.
• Article 7-06 - Water Meter Replacement Program Design - The DPW needs $50,000 to create a plan for purchasing new water meters to perform the ongoing replacement program to increase efficiency and accuracy in reading and prevent the town from incurring fees.
• Article 7-07 - Drainage Repair/Stream Cleaning - Cleaning sediment out of streams and repairing drainage systems and ensuring they're clear of clogs helps prevent localized flooding, ensuring storm and ground water has somewhere to go. This costs the town $200,000.
• Article 7-08 - Vehicle Replacement - There are five vehicles on the planned replacement schedule for this year, and the $662,000 requested by the DPW will allow them to procure these vehicles.
• Article 13 - Road, Parking Lots, and Sidewalk Paving - This article comes with a big price tag ($3.5 million), but according to the DPW's capital request form, the town's investment in paving (over and above the funds we get from the state via Chapter 90) have resulted in improvement in the "Pavement Condition Index." Who knew there was such a thing.
• Article 14 - Grandview Ave. Sewer Pump Station - This pump station is 54 years old, at the end of its useful life, and needs to be replaced to avoid sewage flow into surrounding areas. The price of this replacement will be $2,500,000.
• Article 15 - Phase 2B of the MWRA Water Connection - This is the final phase of the town's connection to the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority, a process which began several years ago. This is actually a reappropriation of $4,600,000 in funds already set aside for entrance into the MWRA; the town received a waiver for that fee and would like to use the funds to complete the connection, making 6.5 millions of gallons of water per day accessible to Burlington via the MWRA connection.
• Article 16 - Mill Pond PFAS Resin Replacement - In 2023, the project to install PFAS filters at Mill Pond to address the higher-than-accepted levels of the forever chemicals in our drinking water was completed. The useful life of the resin used in these filters is thought to be about 18 months, but the town is not sure precisely when the filters will need to be replaced. They are requesting to have the material on hand so they can replace it when it becomes necessary, per their regular testing of the water. These materials cost $1,200,000.

That's it for the DPW Warrant Articles for this May's Town Meeting. If you have questions, reach out to the DPW or check out the Warrant and Backup.

This year’s Annual Town Meeting will begin on Monday, May 13, at 7:00 PM and will continue on Wednesday and Monday evenings until the entire Warrant has been reviewed. Stay tuned to the Buzz for summaries of the articles in the Town Meeting Warrant and how Town Meeting votes on each.