Uxbridge committee hears bids for Blackstone wells treatment plant; base bid about $1.65M over prior appropriation

The Uxbridge Finance Committee on (date not specified) heard a presentation on bids for a planned Blackstone Wells water treatment plant that left staff and members weighing how much to ask voters to approve.

Derek Belanger, a water consultant with Ty and Bond Engineering, told the committee that the project was bid as a base treatment‑plant package plus two add alternates (about $1.4 million for office/administrative space and $1.6 million for an equipment storage/expansion area). "The construction budget and the professional services budget total to about $21,150,000," Belanger said, adding that the result is "a variance of about 1,650,000.00 above the original appropriation for the treatment plant." The original appropriation referenced in the presentation was $19,500,000 from last spring’s town meeting.

Belanger said the town has applied for and is expecting a $1.2 million emerging contaminants grant from MassDEP that would reduce the town’s net ask. He also warned that delaying the project risks the town losing 0% interest and principal forgiveness from the state program and could jeopardize permitted capacity for Well 1, which has been offline for about a decade: "A no vote will lead to loss of use in wells, specifically the well 1 that's been offline for 10 years," he said.

Committee members pressed staff on procurement and award strategy after learning the contract was structured so the award is based on the low base bid, rather than the lowest combined price including alternates. Staff explained that Massachusetts procurement practice and the specific rule of award in this contract constrained how the town can accept alternates, and that the town could award the base bid now and pursue alternates later as change orders or return to town meeting for additional appropriations.

Members debated several approaches: some urged approving the base treatment plant (the "blue" portion of the plan) immediately to preserve SRF funding and principal forgiveness, while others said the town should also seek approval for at least the office/administrative portion (the "red" alternate) so the project could be finished in one step rather than piecemeal. Staff said they will consult town counsel and the council moderator about how to structure the warrant language and whether separate votes (blue, then red, then green) are permissible and advisable.

The committee did not vote on Article 13 itself at the meeting. A motion to continue the public hearing to Tuesday, April 15 passed, allowing staff time to finalize recommended warrant language, solidify the MassDEP grant paperwork and produce more detailed rate‑impact estimates for voters. The committee also asked staff to produce clear per‑customer impact figures for each package (base only; base+office; all three options).

Next steps: staff will confirm the MassDEP grant paperwork (they said a contract document was expected soon), return with refined cost and rate projections and present recommended warrant language to the committee and town counsel ahead of the continued public hearing on April 15.