Residents press selectmen over Forest Road sewer extension; questions raised about testing, culvert repairs and project oversight

Several Forest Road and Sewell Road residents used the March 5 public-comment period to press the Board of Selectmen for additional answers about the recent Forest Road sewer extension and related water-quality and drainage issues.

Concerns raised

Residents said the engineering and notification process left questions: how many properties are within the 100-foot hookup zone, how many have actually connected and paid hookup fees, whether independent testing proves the project lowered local E. coli risk, and whether a town culvert near 208 Forest Road — a spot repeatedly used for water sampling — was replaced as part of the project.

Resident testimony included specific claims that (a) a privately owned septic tank at one address had been pumped and capped and was being managed while testing continued, (b) repetitive E. coli spikes had not been conclusively traced to that property, and (c) the town’s plan originally identified a culvert for replacement but communications later said the culvert would not be replaced. One speaker asked for a full project audit; another described an ongoing appeal to the state housing appeals board over a conditional-use decision and said poor stormwater management around new construction contributed to the problem.

Town response and next steps

Public Works and town staff told residents the sewer main and pressure testing were completed by independent third-party testers (a contractor identified in the record) and that the town’s ownership ends at the main and curb stop; private homeowners install and maintain their grinder pumps and force mains to the curb stop. Staff said five property connections on the new Forest Road main had paid to hook up as of the meeting and one more was ready to hook up as soon as frost allowed. The town’s billing office provided an up-to-date payment count to the board the night of the meeting.

Public Works Director Steve Randle said the department supports further study of the culvert and told the board engineering work had been requested; staff said an engineering scope was under preparation. Town staff also said weekly microbial testing had been performed during summer 2024.

Residents’ requests

Speakers asked the board to: - make project test data (E. coli and other results) available to the public, including 2024 weekly testing; - review whether engineering calculations (hydraulic pressures, pump sizing and the ability of the system to support future hookups along Sewell Road) match field installations; and - confirm the town’s plan for replacement or repair of the culvert that conveys wetland flow near the affected sampling sites.

Board direction

Selectmen said the town would supply the requested testing and hookup status data and that staff had already commissioned an engineering review of the culvert. One resident urged a formal audit; the transcript shows residents calling for external review because the project involved significant town-taken debt and taxpayer funds. Selectmen did not take a formal vote to order an outside audit during the meeting but agreed to provide the public records and pursue the culvert engineering analysis.

Why it matters

The Forest Road sewer extension involved bonded town funds and affects areas where water-quality tests have shown intermittent E. coli exceedances. Residents want assurance that the town’s investments solve the water-quality problems they were intended to address and that decisions about repairs and hookups were done with complete engineering oversight.

Ending

Staff agreed to publish hookup and testing records, to continue the engineering review of the culvert and to provide periodic updates to the board. Residents indicated they may pursue additional legal or administrative options if answers are not forthcoming.