Town Manager Paul Harrington and Public Works Director Jim Rollins gave an extended update on road and drainage projects funded by a town infrastructure bond and the annual maintenance budget.

Harrington said the town’s $24 million roadway infrastructure package includes 18 road projects and three bridge projects; “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 of those 18 items are completely done,” he said. He also reported the town closed the bond sale with Raymond James at 3.72 percent and a premium of $344,990; proceeds wired to the town were “just over… $8,344,990.”

Rollins and Harrington told the board that many of the outstanding projects involve drainage, private easements and utility coordination, and that a statewide shortage of surveyors and engineers is slowing design and bidding. Rollins said several projects that appeared straightforward have “become a really tough challenge” and have come in “way over budget.”

Why it matters: Officials said many visible pavement problems have underlying drainage or base failures that must be fixed before permanent paving. Rollins described annual road-maintenance funding as constrained: about $485,000 a year overall, of which he said roughly $150,000 typically pays crack-seal and chip-seal work, another $150,000 for hazard tree removal, $30,000 for asphalt patching and about $20,000 for line painting; the balance must stretch across many other needs.

Specific project notes: Harrington and Rollins listed projects either complete or with work underway, including Case Avenue, West Wakefield Boulevard bridge work, and Grantville Road bridge design. Rollins said Oakdale Avenue drainage and paving has proved costly and is being re-scoped; he also said Highland Lake drainage work and multiple underdrain installations are planned to address recurring winter icing at several locations.

Citizens raised related concerns. Steven Plumley, who said his farm near the Grantham Road bridge would be severely affected by a full bridge closure, reminded the board of public comments urging the state Department of Transportation to keep one lane open during Grantham Road bridge work.

Officials’ constraints: Rollins said unit-price contracting and using town staff where practical are part of the strategy, but he stressed that “everything costs more” and that between 2022 and 2024 “material and labor costs to do road work in Connecticut increased by 45%,” a trade publication noted.

What happens next: The public works director said several design-bid-award steps are active and that the town will evaluate bid results for drainage and sidewalk contracts; the board asked staff to prioritize projects that could be completed quickly to show visible progress.

Ending: Board members emphasized residents’ frustration with road conditions and urged staff to identify mill-and-pave projects that could be finished quickly; no new funding was approved at the meeting.