Water Tank design updates delayed

Design updates for the water tank replacement project will be delayed for at least a month, according to the engineering firm working on the tank designs.

Robert Williamson, a project manager at Wright-Pierce, announced the delay at the Water Tank Working Group’s Nov. 19 meeting. He said the 60% design plan update, originally planned to come in around Thanksgiving, will be submitted near the beginning of the new year.

“That’s not alarming. I think if we can get it there with the effort to pin down the remaining outstanding design activities, we still have plenty of time to bring this final design,” he said, adding that the deadlines were self-imposed by the company and the Select Board.

Williamson said the delay comes after a meeting with the Department of Public Works (DPW) to address further engineering questions, as well as a site visit with abutters of the Paines Hill tank.

Read more Observer coverage about Weston water tanks: Water tank replacement project progressing.

According to Amy Coppers, an engineer with Wright-Pierce, abutters requested the site visit to discuss the location of the project’s access driveway. The firm now recommends placing the access drive north of the tank based on the level of tree clearing necessary, as well as for future operations and maintenance. Abutters asked about the possibility of moving the road farther south after the new tank is built.

Relocating the driveway after the new tank is constructed would require moving utilities as well, according to Coppers.

“The reason being is the utilities need to be installed while the existing tank is still online, because in order to sequence the construction and demolition of the tank, we need to have those utilities installed to the new tank,” Coppers said. “By relocating that access drive, we would need to potentially look at relocating the utilities.”

Williamson estimated that it would cost somewhere between $20,000 and $25,000 to evaluate this option and doing so could delay the design update by a month and a half. Wright-Pierce asked the Select Board if they should look into alternative options.

“It’s your money,” Williamson said. “We didn’t want to take off and do this without your blessing.”

Select Board Chair Lise Revers asked to move the decision to a later meeting to give the abutters a chance to voice their concerns since she and the abutters did not get enough notice that it would be on the agenda. Abutter Jill Wadner also said she would like the decision to be postponed. Attempts to contact abutters were unsuccessful prior to the Observer publication deadline.

Fellow Select Board members Tom Palmer and John McDonald agreed to postpone the decision, although both voiced their doubts about pursuing the alternative since it would require additional construction.

“As I look at what’s in the best interest of the town as a whole, my common sense says it’s not worth pursuing this alternative solution because it’s going to be more expensive,” said Palmer.

McDonald agreed, adding that although the amount to analyze the potential change was small compared to the overall cost to the project, it was still additional spending.

“I don’t want to spend $25,000 because it’s not going to change my opinion, at least I don’t believe it will,” he said.

The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 17.