On Tuesday night, Town Manager Fidel Maltez, provided the Select Board with updates on numerous construction projects in town. From the Auburn Street water tank, to Birch Meadow Phase 1, downtown parking kiosks, MBTA train closures and ADA access, we have outlined everything he mentioned below:
- Engineering reported that the Auburn Street Water Tank was fully completed without requiring explosion to the rocky ledge and was on schedule.
- The wireless carriers are scheduled to go back on the water tank but with no ETA although it remains a top priority. The carriers being included on the new water tank are AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless.
- Birch Meadow Phase 1 – the parking lot is largely completed and granite curbing is on schedule for next week. The contractor requested to keep the parking area closed until the project is fully complete for safety reasons. The fence has been pulled back to allow the sidewalk to be open again.
- The central spine walkway is largely complete.
- The lacrosse wall is fully built and upright.
- The pavilion was delayed due to a concrete block shortage but will be going up in the next couple weeks.
- The downtown parking kiosks will have a soft roll out at the end of September or early October.
- The MBTA announced that the commuter rail will have a short term closure for maintenance reasons on September 9th through October 22nd. They assured Fidel that service will be equal or better via shuttle buses.
- The new push button entrance to Town Hall has been completed for ADA access.
- The town has continued to receive complaints regarding the port-o-potties at the athletic fields. Fidel and the Rec Division have been working with the sport leagues to rectify the situation. Due to the lateness in the season, the existing ones will remain in place until the end of October. For next season, all the port-o-potties will be required to be ADA complaint.
Not included in Fidel’s update was the Parker School roofing project being completed. We have a video from the work being done and the final result coming in the next week or so.
