BERLIN– Design of West Street improvements could begin in the coming year.
In a budget work session this week, town officials said Berlin’s proposed budget included $100,000 for West Street design, the first step in bringing stormwater and pedestrian access improvements to the street.
“It’s going to take a significant amount of money for us to improve West Street but what this $100,000 is going to allow us to do is design and engineer that footprint and what it would look like,” Mayor Zack Tyndall.
Tyndall told the council that during staff level budget meetings, Town Administrator Mary Bohlen had suggested beginning the West Street design process with $100,000 from the town’s reserve impact fees. Tyndall said the design would look improving what was under the street as well as stormwater and pedestrian access.
“That’s going to position us in a way we can hopefully advocate for some grant funding and at least understand our costs to be able to improve that,” he said.
Bohlen said the overall cost of the project couldn’t be projected until design work was done.
“We could take some wild guesses at this point what the cost would be but we don’t really know until we have the engineers dig into it,” she said.
She added that the improvements should be pursued all at once.
“My thinking on it is rather than do some of it now and come back later and dig that up to do another piece we really need to look at it as a holistic project and do all of it,” she said.
Councilman Jay Knerr pointed out town officials would also need to consider the replacement school being planned for the Buckingham Elementary School property. Tyndall agreed and said more should be known about the school design later this year. He added that citizens would be consulted as well.
“When you see something like this pop up, it’s very early in the process but what we would want to do at some point there is before things come to paper is we’ll have an ability for the public to weigh in and get some feedback from residents to make sure we’re capturing that as holistically as possible,” he said.
Residents of West Street have long sought improvements to the street. Many property owners have complained of drainage issues and pedestrians have expressed safety worries, as the majority of the street lacks sidewalks. Resident Marie Velong has been a West Street resident since the 1970s and believes the street aside from the portion closest to Main Street has essentially been ignored.
Flooding on West Street is shown in this photo from the late 1970s. Image courtesy of Marie Velong
“Any improvements to West Street have been a block from town because they have affected Main Street and its environment,” she said. “I have had standing water in my yard since I moved here in 1976. I have seen growth all around me with no regard to the ancient infrastructure under this street that affects everyone.”
In addition to drainage issues, she says the amount of traffic on the street in recent years has increased significantly.
“This street is used as the second outlet south for the town of Berlin,” Velong said. “We have an immense amount of truck traffic on our street.”
She’s glad officials have included some design funding in the budget and says it’s a little progress in the right direction. Mary Hedlesky, a resident of nearby Westminster Drive, agreed.
“That would definitely be a step in the right direction,” Hedlesky said. “West Street needs a lot of help. I am really glad to see the Mayor and Council dealing with West. I live on Westminster, which is off of West and we have additional stormwater issues. I hope this means that Westminster will be looked at as well.”
