Numerous construction projects are at various stages of development/completion as reinvestment into the important infrastructure of the Town continues. A status report on these includes the following.
Water and Sewer Lines: The work on Forest, Mill and School Street is making good progress. Our contractor, Granese and Sons, should be done on School Street within a week or so. All but a short section has been completed on Forest and Mill Streets. This will be done when warmer weather returns. The project provides new service to the Limited Commercial zoning district across Route 128 as well as new sewer connection options and a new
loop for better water service in this area of town. Funding for the project came from a $3.5 million MassWorks grant with additional support from Cell Signaling Technologies.
Harbor Floats at Reed and Morss Pier: An expansion of float space at both harbor facilities are planned for next fall/winter and will be operational for the 2026 season. The expansion of the Reed Park transient boater facility is fully funded through state and federal funds that Harbormaster Bion Pike was successful in securing. Funding for the new slips for commercial fishing boats is expected to be from another Seaport Economic Council grant with a local match of 25% coming from the Town (proposed capital budget item for FY26.)
Rotunda at Tuck’s Point: Reconstruction of this beloved structure is also slated for next winter/spring. The public input process yielded the preferred plan of raising the structure in place. Two state grants are being sought to cover the bulk of the project’s cost with a Town supplied match being requested through the Community Preservation funds to be voted on at April’s Annual Town Meeting.
Central Street Culvert: For the past eight years the Town has been methodically studying the hydrology of Sawmill Brook as it enters the inner harbor and the need to replace the ever weakening and undersized culvert under Central Street. It has been nearly 100 years since the culvert and dam were updated and the state inspections of the structure give it a near failing grade. We are entering the final stage of permitting the reconstruction of the structures and plan to seek bids from contractors to do the work in the next month. $6.5 million in federal and state funding has been secured for the project.
With any luck construction work will begin in September. The work includes the removal of the old tide gate and shoring up the upstream banks of the brook where old stone walls have crumbled into the water. With the improvements, flooding along Sawmill Brook will be reduced. This will be a major construction project in the heart of Town that could last up to 9 months. While one-way alternating traffic should be possible to maintain during much of the project there will be many weeks when traffic will have to detour around School, Pleasant, and Pine Streets. A temporary pedestrian bridge behind Seaside 1 is planned. Once a contractor has been hired and a more detailed schedule developed, the plans will be shared with the public.
Senior Center: The Town and The Mason’s are close to finalizing the Purchase and Sales agreement along with the needed condominium documents that are necessary to complete the partial purchase of the building by the Town. A fundraising consulting team has been hired (using state funds thanks to Representative Ferrante) to help layout a successful campaign to raise the needed funds to renovate and expand the building into a full functioning senior center and multi-use space when seniors are not utilizing the center. Architectural firms are being interviewed to develop final plans and bid documents for the needed construction. The Select Board is considering seeking borrowing authority from the Town for the construction project
at this coming Annual Town Meeting. This would enable the construction project to begin next winter with the expectation of donated funds being able to repay the bonds (similar to how the City of Gloucester is doing their major library expansion project.)
As always, there is a lot of activity happening as we strive to maintain the important infrastructure of the community. Work also continues finalizing needed building projects (new DPW garage, “waterproofing” Town Hall and the Sewer Plant, etc.) meaning the list of projects will continue.
