Torrington council approves contract to begin Winstead Road force‑main replacement

Torrington City Council, acting as the Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA), voted Oct. 28 to accept the WPCA administrator—s recommendation and authorize the mayor to use a Capital Region Council of Governments cooperative purchasing contract to award phase 1 of the Winstead Road force‑main replacement to Yield Industries Inc of Torrington for a contract amount cited in the administrator—s memo as "$246,658 and $70.16."

The action was taken during a special Zoom meeting in which Councilman Daniel Ibane made the motion and Councilwoman (surname recorded in the transcript as) ReWitt seconded. Council members present, as listed by the chair at the start of the meeting, were Councilman Ibane, Councilman Waldron, Councilwoman Spino and Councilwoman Rouette; the chair confirmed a quorum before taking the vote. The chair called for the vote after a brief period of questions and audible "Aye" responses were recorded; the chair stated the motion carried.

Ed, the WPCA administrator, told the council the contractor expects materials could arrive in about a week, possibly two, and staff wants to complete the work before winter and before asphalt plants close. He described the phase as a relatively shallow excavation, roughly 8 feet below the road surface, that will place casements in the roadway so the force main can be pulled through later. Once this phase is completed and the road is paved and guardrails restored, crews will be able to work on either side of the road and the state will no longer be as involved, Ed said.

Ed also told the council that two force mains exit the station and that one of them is leaking under the road and is currently not in use. He attributed recurring breaks in the area to how the single bridge was backfilled after removal and to poor bedding around the pipes, which creates movement when pumps cycle. The project—s immediate focus, he said, is to address the areas with repeated breaks so the same problems do not recur.

On traffic control, Ed said the state required that traffic be maintained with only half the road closed at a time. He added that because the excavation is only about 8 feet deep it should not require the long-term closures expected for deeper tunnel work. The WPCA administrator also said historical mapping of the former bridge abutments is imperfect; the contractor is prepared to demolish up to an estimated 4–8 feet of an abutment with a jackhammer if encountered, and staff did not consider that possibility a project stopper.

No further public testimony or dissent was recorded during the meeting. With the motion carried, the council adjourned the special meeting.