BURRILLVILLE – Two lots on Route 102 will soon have access to town infrastructure through a $1.5 million project set to extend Burrillville’s water and sewer lines.
The Town Council approved a bid by Boyle & Fogarty Construction Company, Inc. out of Smithfield to complete the work, slated to connect two lots in the town’s Commerce Park to the current system. It will be funded with the help of an $800,000 Rhode Island Ready Grant, along with $792,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act monies.
Public Works Director Jeffrey McCormick told members of the Burrillville Town Council on Wednesday, Feb. 14 that the town first completed a preliminary engineering study on the project several years ago. Since then, his department pursued one grant that would have required the town to create a loop with the water line, so plans on file initially called for the pipe to connect back with the existing line on Lapham Farm Road at a cost of $2.3 million, and APRA funds were set aside to complete the work back in 2022.
But the town did not receive that particular grant, and an additional study has since found that under new state regulations, wetlands would make several lots within the park, previously thought to be viable, much smaller than expected.
“We did not receive the grant and no longer need the extension to achieve our objectives,” noted a memo on the project.
As a result, McCormick said, “It didn’t make sense to spend $2.3 million on this project.”
“This extension would have required the demolition and rebuild of a recently completed section of Route 102, which is not the best use of project resource,” noted a recommendation.
Instead, this week the director recommended saving $1.5 million to put toward other potential town projects, and extending water and sewer services exclusively to the two target lots. Now, water and sewer lines will be extended 1,300 feet south from the current end on Charcuterie Drive in hopes to enhance the value of lots and attract potential investors.
And a the second grant the department applied for, RI Ready, has been approved.
“It’s a business development grant administered through Quonset Development Corp. that allows us to put approximately $8OOK toward the development of lots 9 & 10 along route 102,” notes the recommendation. “The RI Ready grant is usually associated with getting a pad site ready but this utility extension was approved for funding.”
The reduced scope base cost will be $1,516,370, and the Department of Public Works recommended funding an additional 5 percent contingency of $75,818 to cover unforeseen or added value items, bringing the total project budget to $1,592,188.
Of the lots no longer part of the plan, McCormick said, “Right now there’s a solar farm there, there’s a golf course there and there’s really no plan to develop. It’s something we can put aside and go after another grant in the future.”
“We’re still getting our objectives done by getting water and sewer to those two lots,” he added.
Six contractors submitted bids for the project, with Boyle & Fogarty offering the lowest estimate.
“Great job,” said Councilor Justin Batalon before the board unanimously approved the bid. “It’s going to free up some APRA money that we can move around and hopefully do some other projects with.”
As for the now freed up $1.5 million, the council will need to decide on an alternative project soon. McCormick noted that ARPA monies must be committed to a project by December 31 of thie year and spent by December 31 of 2026.
It would be great if the remaining APRA funds get allocated towards the roads in town, many of which are in dire need of repair!