BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – On Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022, the Bellows Falls Village Trustees discussed capital water projects and heard an update on the Vilas Bridge.
Municipal Manager Scott Pickup announced that New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu had signed the NH Department of Transportation ten-year Transportation Improvement plan in July, which included the Vilas Bridge Project at $17.7 million with engineering to begin in 2023. Pickup said that conversations had begun with Christina Haskins from the Dufresne Group of Manchester on the village capital water projects and they looked at the intended use plan.
Haskins explained that the last remaining asbestos cement (AC) pipe on Kissell Hill was the last in the village. She said the Kissell Hill pipe was ranked a top priority project in the Asset Management Plan having the highest risk scores for potential and consequence of failure. In February, an application had been made on behalf of the village and Bellows Falls was eligible for a 50% subsidy. Haskins said the project was projected at $1.25 million for construction and engineering with 20% contingency with a loan term of 40 years at 0% interest. The village share would be $625,000 at the projected cost which Haskins explained would be subsidized at 50% of the final cost.
Trustee James McAuliffe asked if the loan would be for their share or the full amount. Haskins said the loan would be issued at the end of the project. As an example, she said, if the project cost $1 million, the village would pay half, and they would issue the loan for $500,000. Village President Deborah Wright asked if the cost would be spread over the community or be paid by Kissell Hill residents. Pickup said it is a system based project and the project share would be paid by all users in the system. Wright asked what the increase to water rates would be and Pickup said around $15,000 per year, roughly 0.25% increase.
When asked about the current pipes, Haskins said that ideally the old pipes would be left where they are, as allowed by state waste regulations or “abandon in place.” She said it was the same funding model as previous water main projects where the village would be reimbursed on a monthly basis.
Wright asked where they would install the new pipes. Haskins said next to the old or across the street. Haskins said, “We don’t want to disturb the old pipes, [because] once we dig them up, we have to remove them.”
Pickup said the project would start in 2023 and said, “This is an opportunity to do a major project at reasonable funding.”
Trustee Stefan Golec remembered a conversation with recommendations to continue the line from BDR Trucking up the high school driveway to Kissel Hill and asked if they should look at having a loop there.
Wright asked if that was in the design phase of the project. Pickup said, it would have to be before the environmental phase. He said the idea tonight was to make sure the trustees were in agreement.
Trustee Wade Masure asked about the current footage of the AC pipe. Haskins did not have the number at that moment. He asked the age of the current pipe on Kissell Hill and Haskins thought around 60 years old. Trustee Jeff Dunbar said that made it likely the age of the development.
The Bellows Falls Village Trustees meet on the second and fourth Tuesdays in the Lower Theater of the Bellows Falls Opera House. Their next meeting is Oct. 11, 2022, and the Tri-Board meeting is on Tuesday, Sept. 27 where the Vermont Finance Housing Agency will present the VT Housing Needs Assessment.
Meetings are open to the public and also available by Zoom.