SOUTHWICK — While the Select Board identified and approved several of the road repair projects suggested by the former DPW director in early June, it still needs more information before finalizing the project list for fiscal year 2026.
“Believe it or not, but with the discussion we’ve had, we’re already at $1.8 million,” Select Board member Douglas Moglin said about how quickly the dollars add up when deciding which projects will be approved for funding.
Every year, the DPW provides the Select Board a prioritized list of roads, sidewalk, drainage and culvert repair projects from which they choose which to fund.
Before the board got to the list, it again discussed contracting with an engineering firm to conduct a thorough survey of the town’s roads.
The town has used BETA, a firm that provides pavement management plans, for at least 10 years. Its original road report was done in 2010 with an update in 2015.
Select Board member Russell Anderson said one of the pavement management companies he spoke to that will survey the roads, suggest what applications might be applied to prolong their life, offer suggestions based on importance or degradation and provide advice on borrowing.
“They’re pretty much soup to nuts,” he said.
Select Board member Doug Moglin suggested offering several firms an opportunity to present their programs to the board before a decision is made.
The members generally agreed to that.
Before the meeting, Moglin gave his fellow board members his suggestions for roads to get the town’s attention in 2026.
“I did it with a bit of balance,” he said, but added, “you pick any road in town and we could work on it.”
When the former DPW director provided his “high priority” list of projects, he included Phase II of the Ed Holcombe Road project for $490,000, Phase III of the Gargon Terrace project for $420,000, and spending $95,000 to repair erosion on South Longyard Road.
The director also suggested spending $80,000 for crack sealing, setting aside $25,000 to match a Rural Development Grant to have Powder Mill Road repaired, $30,000 for drainage repair on Granville Road, and spending $15,000 to match a grant for culvert design.
The board approved those allocations.
However, using Moglin’s suggestions, they veered off the script.
He suggested starting repairs on Fernwood Road, Meadow Lane, Vining Hill Road.
These three roads were on the list, but not priorities.
Moglin has been advocating to have some of the neighborhood roads that haven’t been worked on in over five decades included this year.
The estimated cost to repair Fernwood is $520,000. Meadow is estimated to cost $420,000. Repairing Vining Hill Road is estimated to cost $1.14 million.
He suggested breaking those projects into phases and allocating half of the total estimated cost over two or three years or longer.
Select Board member Diane Gale liked his suggestion.
However, the board decided to hold off on approving Moglin’s suggestions.
Gale tasked Assistant DPW Director Jon Goddard to research those three and make a recommendation on how each could be done in phases.
The board has at its disposal a total of $1.82 million, which is comprised of $1 million appropriated at Town Meeting, $83,600 from a state surtax on incomes over $1 million, also known as the Fair Share Amendment, which was significantly less than the town’s allocation of $215,000 last year, $122,255 in state Rural Roadway funding, $370,00 in Chapter 90 funds, and $167,000 in leftover Chapter 90 funds.
The board has already approved paving for Hillside Road and South Loomis Street for $756,000 using $905,000 that was left over from Chapter 90 funds, Fair Share funds and Rural Road funds over the years.
The “high-need projects” the former DPW director identified are Birchwood Road ($460,000); Buckingham Drive ($680,000), Depot Street ($680,000), Feeding Hills Road, from Crepes Tea House to Foster Road ($270,000); Feeding Hills Road, from College Highway to Shaggbark Drive ($300,000); Foster Road, ($670,000); Kimberly Drive ($540,000); and Laro Road ($390,000).
Other paving and drainage projects on the list are Matthews Road ($410,000); Meadow Lane neighborhood ($420,000); Partridge Lane ($130,000); Pineywood Road ($430,000); Point Grove Road ($870,000); Powder Mill Road ($1,860,000); Reservoir Road ($210,000); Rising Corner Road ($250,000); Sam West Road ($1,110,000); Sheep Pasture Road (($1,100,000); Vining Hill Road ($1,140,000); Thurgood Road ($130,000); and Woodside Circle ($630,000).
Also listed were five sidewalk replacement projects: Falmouth Road neighborhood ($310,000); Granville Road, Evergreen Terrace to Bugbee Road ($180,000); Vining Hill Road ($250,000); and Powder Mill Road ($250,000).
Those projects add up to roughly $22.8 million.
There has been some discussion about the board requesting a $20 million bond at the next annual Town Meeting in an attempt to fund the majority of the projects.
