Westborough seeks funds to assess DPW yard and begin lead service‑line confirmations

Chris Pant, director of public works, asked the committees to fund an engineering assessment of the DPW yard and garage to address storage, exhaust, floor drains and equipment protection. He said the facility (a 1983 building and adjacent yards) stores heavy equipment outdoors and has drainage and bay‑door deterioration that should be assessed and prioritized before major capital work.

Pant also explained the town’s work on lead water service lines. DPW has an inventory of service‑line records; roughly 300 service connections remain classified as “unknown” or as possibly galvanized and require physical confirmation. The EPA requires communities to identify and replace lead service lines; DPW’s planning estimate for full replacement of the confirmed lines is roughly $1 million, Pant said, and the department is proposing $400,000 to start confirmation and replacement work this year. He emphasized the first step is confirmation (visual checks and targeted excavation) to determine whether the public portion of lines contains lead; only then will the town determine which replacements are public obligations and which are private.

Pant told members the work will require contracted excavation rigs and crews; DPW will use ARPA funds and seek other grants first, then ask for retained earnings to complete the initial phase. He recommended a proactive approach to avoid large, deferred liabilities and speed compliance with state and federal rules.