APP-2023-12 : MWRA LWSAP Water Project Funding

Transcript (~12 min @ 38:04)

Speakers identified by voice; unnamed voices are numbered within this recording. Auto-caption text — verify against the video.

▶ 38:00 Maya Jamaleddine: Mr. Mr. Coy yes from DPW

▶ 38:04 Speaker 6: good evening Council. So yeah, so this is for mwra loan for the construction of water mains on Knoll Henry Trenton Street with the possibility of adding in Reading Hill. It's a 688,000 10 year no interest loan with loan payment starting next year in fiscal year 24. For 68,800 per year. We expect this loan plus leftover money from previous loans and interest accrued to cover the costs of Trenton now in the first part of Henry. We've added in the second part of Henry from novel to Richardson and reading Hill as at alternates to the bid that if the bids come in at lower prices will make will assess the where we are with the water Enterprise Fund in terms of revenues to see if we can add in more work this year or we'll decide to just push that off to next year and delay the rest of those the project where replacing these water mains in Trenton because there's an undersized main at the End of the Street towards Washington and we've gotten a lot of complaints about low pressure and like the last five or six houses. Now Henry and reading we're doing because it was recommended for replacement as part of our cep and they also have the poor and poorest roadway conditions as part of that project something to note National Grid has completed or is in the process of completing upgrades of the gas Mains in those streets from Iron to plastic Mains and then we plan to pave those areas the three areas a year after the water main construction is complete which is consistent of our multi-year roadway and utility program and that should be it. So I'm open to any questions if anyone has anything. Thank

▶ 40:00 Maya Jamaleddine: you. Do we have any question from the console?

▶ 40:05 Jen Grigoraitis: Madam president thank you madam. Chair. Thank you for being here tonight just to questions. I know it says in here that the construction would begin in the spring of 23 and continue throughout the 2023 construction season, which I'm assuming is probably like November early December based on the weather. Do you think the project will be completed in that time frame? Yes. So what

▶ 40:24 Speaker 6: for the funding that we get this year whatever we decide to do. I don't expect construction of the three main areas to be much longer than a month and a half once we get started. It's a fairly smaller project compared to the last couple of years. So it should be fairly quick and as long as we don't have supply chain issues and everything, it should be fairly fairly smooth process and then the following year will be the paving. Yeah,

▶ 40:50 Jen Grigoraitis: okay, and then related to that because it says 2023 construction season here. Do you have a sense of when we could anticipate seeing the 2023 construction schedule?

▶ 41:02 Speaker 6: Like the whole entire construction schedule usually get

▶ 41:04 Jen Grigoraitis: a spreadsheet that kind of lists out the projects and you know, I think it's helpful, especially when things are multi-year sure.

▶ 41:11 Speaker 6: Okay, so I don't know the answer to that. I'm actually surprised. It doesn't exist already. I just yeah, it might so I'll follow up with with Vonnie and Elena on that and and make sure that's Sent around thank you so much. Yeah, of course no further

▶ 41:28 Maya Jamaleddine: questions. Thank you and Consular karamchetti.

▶ 41:31 Manjula Karamcheti: Hi, thank you for being here. Of course just related to the timeline. I'm particularly interested in the the paving piece and many a couple of the roads on here. I've sort of gotten a lot of calls and complaints and concerns from residents in regards to the state of those roads. So just so more so I'm able to respond. Why is there a year wait until those roads are paved particularly on some of these streets because these residents have been waiting years already. Yeah.

▶ 42:03 Speaker 6: So the reason we wait a year is when you are digging trenches in the roads and you fill that back in and put the temporary pavement on we want those trenches to go through a full freeze thought period over the winter so that if there's going to be any additional settlement because the the contractors can only compact it as best as they can. So we want the, you know water to get in there freeze thought allow any additional settlement so that when we go to pave it that that doesn't happen further and then need the road to be repaved. So it's it's kind of a preemptive of let's let things settle out before we pave it and not have you then see like kind of a ditch in the road where the old trench work was done. That makes good. Yeah, it's unfortunate because we wish we could do. Right away. Although I will say and I've seen in some cases just the temporary trench makes the road so much better already because it is it ends up being a smooth trench compared to all the potholes and whatever ends up being there. So at least it'll be a little bit better for the for the you know the winter time. But yeah, that's why we wait a year. Okay. Thank you

▶ 43:11 Speaker 1: so much. I appreciate that.

▶ 43:14 Maya Jamaleddine: Thank you. Next I have con.

▶ 43:18 Robb Stewart: Thank you madam chair. Thank you, sir for being here tonight. Can you talk a little bit about the communication plan that you have for the the residents that are going to

▶ 43:27 Speaker 6: be impacted by this absolutely. So whenever we do any sort of projects but these in particular we send out a paper notifications to all the area residents that are going to be impacted directly on or neighboring the community and we host neighborhood meetings. We then invite the particular council member of that Ward we host a neighborhood meeting and we explain to them kind of the timeline. What work we're doing when the road will be paved because that's always a big question and then we try you know, and then we basically start with the schedule and keep everyone updated as far as how when the progression of the of the project work. So for instance if we're going to be doing doing work in front of their houses will you know will knock on doors and say you might not be able to get in and out of your driveway for the next. Few hours. So but we the biggest thing is those neighborhood meetings, you know, we notify everyone by flyer. We do everbridge calls locally to those areas and host those meetings.

▶ 44:31 Robb Stewart: Great, please include me for Trenton Street.

▶ 44:34 Speaker 3: Absolutely. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you

▶ 44:36 Maya Jamaleddine: anyone else would like to ask questions? Just to follow up on consoles to us question and your answer as well. Would you give enough time for those that need specific accommodation to prepare and plan for

▶ 44:57 Speaker 6: that? Absolutely, so as part of our notification process on those notifications specifically it does say that if anyone needs any additional assistance for one reason or another to contact us so that we can coordinate with that and that gives us the ability to if someone needs to access their driveway to go to any medical appointments or to have anyone come and go so that we can coordinate with the contractors on that to make sure that The Trenches are filled as quickly as possible in front of those houses access is kind of open as much as possible things like that. So we do we do coordinate and give the residency ability to to notify us as as they can and you mentioned

▶ 45:40 Maya Jamaleddine: it's going to be about a month and a half to be completed give or

▶ 45:44 Speaker 6: take from like and that's from like that's the whole entire project. So each Street will be so we usually do one street at a time these streets. The longest one is 1200 feet. We can usually do about 300 feet a day. So that's really four days of main construction. And then you go back and do all the individual Water Services connection. So depending on how the contractors kind of stage everything it could be the water main in one street water main and another Street water main and other Street and then come back and do Services throughout so it it could feel like a longer time but it's not constant construction the whole entire time. It's like four to five days once and then another four to five days. Is and you know coming back for the water services

▶ 46:29 Maya Jamaleddine: and is it full day of work? Yeah, they

▶ 46:31 Speaker 6: work seven am to usually three 3:30. Sometimes they go a little bit late but usually usually they don't want to work late. So usually they're out of there by that like depending on if they need to like button something up they'll you know work until that's close so that there isn't a trench open by the end of the day, but I mean I've never from in my experience. We haven't really stayed much past 5:30 6 o'clock compared to but it's usually seven to three Thirty.

▶ 47:02 Speaker 6: So we're gonna hopefully go out to bid mid-march, I think or mid to early March and then we'll have about a month bid opening process probably award it in April so we could technically start in the mayish time frame. We might not start that early depending on if we are, you know, trying to get more funding for the rest of the project or whatnot. So I would assume sometime in the late May June to start and then it'll kind of go through the summer and finish up probably mid August or so.

▶ 47:40 Speaker 2: Console Stewart. Yes. Thank you madam chair

▶ 47:42 Robb Stewart: and apologies. It's another question. I should have brought up earlier feedback that I've received from several constituents regarding the current work that's going on in the Washington Street Carter and and certain areas and Clinton and so forth is the equipment being put on the streets and getting in the way of the local. Community not that any answer or anything. I just want to provide that feedback in this open form to let you know that it was addressed. Partially there was also some where we had to go back forth once or twice. But if that could be part of the response as you put this out to bid on how they're going to manage the equipment particularly if they take several days off, you know if there's a holiday period that would be I think quite helpful for Our constituency base. So just as

▶ 48:35 Speaker 6: feedback. Yeah. Absolutely. We we do try to coordinate with the contractors on where they're storing their equipment and and stock and and all that stuff. We we try to get you know, if usually these are summer projects. So local school parking lots are usually an option that we end up using we try to get them in a tucked away as much as possible, you know, depending on the areas that we're we're working for sure, but we will you know, we do make sure that or we will make sure that we coordinate with the contractors on on keeping equipment. Moving and not just stationary for for months. Thank

▶ 49:10 Speaker 3: you. Yep. Thank you.

▶ 49:11 Maya Jamaleddine: Thank you. Consort, what is the will of the committee?

▶ 49:16 Speaker 3: Sure, I'll make a motion to recommend to the full concert second. We have

▶ 49:19 Maya Jamaleddine: emotion to recommend made by counselor stewards seconded by Consular camshady all in favor. any opposed okay motion carries. This will be recommended to the full console. Thank you so much. Great. Thank you everyone.

▶ 49:37 Maya Jamaleddine: next on our agenda order 2023-60

▶ 49:44 Robb Stewart: whenever disorder news, it's

▶ 49:49 Speaker 3: Because it's money, okay, because it's financially. Okay, so

▶ 49:52 Maya Jamaleddine: we're gonna do a roll call since it's a