BERLIN – Officials delayed a West Street project to allow for changes to the proposal.
The Berlin Town Council on Monday voted 4-1 to table design of improvements for West Street. The delay will allow Davis, Bowen & Friedel (DBF) a chance to update their proposal to address additional stormwater issues raised by the council.
“We’ll make all that clear and come back in three weeks,” said Josh Taylor of Davis, Bowen & Friedel.
Taylor approached the council this week to present a proposal for design services associated with roadway reconstruction, pedestrian facilities, a bike path and utility improvements for the section of West Street from Broad Street to Buckingham Lane. The utility improvements would include the relocation of the existing sewer pump station out of the roadway.
“We need to cover soup to nuts, we tried to put everything in here,” Taylor said.
Mayor Zack Tyndall noted that the proposal did not include ungrounding utilities, as that was expected to cost close to $3 million. Staff added that the poles were also used by Verizon and Comcast, neither of which would move their infrastructure for free.
Councilman Jack Orris said he was eager to see improvements to West Street but wondered if the design could also include Abbey Lane and Westminster Drive, as they were in need of stormwater improvements in the near future.
“Design could quickly turn into done. I don’t want to dig up anything we’ve already done,” he said.
Taylor acknowledged stormwater was a concern and said DBF could look at Abbey and Westminster as they evaluated West Street.
“We certainly welcome as much planning and forward thinking as possible,” Taylor said.
He said he’d set up a meeting with EA Engineering, the town’s stormwater consultant, to discuss Abbey and Westminster. As far as how the West Street improvements would help residents overall, Taylor said they would enhance pedestrian and bicycle access and would update utilities in the area.
“It only makes sense to replace that old clay sewer main,” he said.
He added that there was only enough space for a bike lane in one direction so the town would have to decide how to address that as the design moved forward.
Orris made a motion to table approval of the project until the first meeting in November in order for DBF to update the proposal. He said he also wanted to hear EA Engeineering’s input regarding the stormwater aspects of the project.
“I think everyone would appreciate us taking time and doing it right,” he said.
Town Administrator Mary Bohlen said DBF wasn’t being paid to do the work until there was council approval.
“If we ask them to meet, there’s assumption we’re moving forward or it comes out of on call services,” she said.
Taylor said three weeks would give him time to modify the wording to ensure it addressed the items the council brought up Monday.
The council voted 4-1, with Councilman Steve Green opposed, to delay approval.
“I want government to be efficient and delaying the motion to move ahead with the West Street design work for three weeks unnecessarily slows the process,” Green said following the meeting. “Stormwater concerns and allowing time to meet with the town’s consultant about specific areas was cited as the reason for tabling, but stormwater management is already listed in the scope of services of the design work. Putting off the approval for three weeks is a waste of time. It will most likely be approved next month but it should have advanced this week to get rolling.”
