DPW: Wheelabrator contract, transfer-station economics and multi-year road plan top Select Board update

The Town of Southborough Department of Public Works told the Select Board on Tuesday that the town's contract with Wheelabrator (the regional waste energy/processing company named in the meeting record) will expire in 2028 and that the town needs to update prior transfer-station and solid-waste economics before negotiating a new long-term contract.

DPW Superintendent Bill (presenting) and volunteer John Butler said they plan to refresh a 2020 analysis of regional disposal options and transfer-station finances to position the town for the next contract negotiation cycle. Butler has volunteered to help update the work he produced in 2020, when the town analyzed pay-as-you-throw and other transfer-station options. DPW officials said the regional consortium of communities that use the Millbury facility is organizing collective talks to negotiate terms for a new contract, but individual towns must still approve and sign contracts.

Butler warned the board there is currently a large gap between the town's existing tipping fee and market rates and that a new contract likely will involve a significant change to tipping costs. He recommended updating the previous analysis to model possible contract outcomes and municipal options, including changes to user fees and transfer-station operations. Select Board members supported the approach and asked staff to prepare an analysis of town options ahead of negotiations.

In the same presentation, DPW staff reviewed several capital projects and a proposed multi-year pavement-management approach. The department reported it has about $1 million available for FY26 paving work and is preparing a paving bid package. Staff detailed a list of candidate roads and explained the pavement-management system's road-surface-rating (RSR) method: Southborough's average road condition is in the low 70s (a marginal "passing" level), and DPW officials said investing approximately $850,000 per year maintains the current condition, while a larger annual investment would be needed to improve the network's average condition over five years.

Specific projects discussed included the Willow Street sinkhole reconstruction (designing under a state grant and bid targeted for late 2025), Northborough Road sinkhole work, Central and John Streets reconstruction, and Pine Hill Road segments. DPW noted that some projects include state grant opportunities and that certain TIP (Transportation Improvement Program) projects such as parts of Framingham Road and Cordeville Road are in the state pipeline and will take multiple years to reach construction. The department is prioritizing treatments that give more lane miles per dollar by using preservation treatments where appropriate.

Board members asked about funding options, including whether bonding to create a multiyear capital program would help close the backlog. DPW staff said they will present a five-year capital plan with funding options at a future meeting and hold public education sessions to gather input before a potential town meeting article.

Ending: DPW will update the transfer-station economics analysis, prepare a detailed five-year paving and capital plan for Select Board review, and pursue available grants for sinkhole and sidewalk projects; staff will return with cost and funding options.