Highway superintendent warns of rising winter costs and major capital needs
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Summary
Highway Superintendent Randall told the Select Board that winter operations have already produced heavy overtime and a projected near-$100,000 seasonal deficit; he also outlined multi-year capital projects (Safe Routes to School, East Street reconstruction, Greenway) and the trade-offs for Chapter 90 funds and right-of-way acquisition costs.
Randall, the town’s highway superintendent, told the Select Board on Feb. 19 that an unusually active winter and decades of underfunding for pavement preservation are stressing departmental operations and finances.
"Right now we're in a deficit, of $6,681. I have projected that by the end of the winter... we will be over close to $100,000," Randall said, summarizing overtime and salt usage tied to 20 storm events so far. He said the department uses a pool of call-in operators for storms, subcontracts sidewalks and school-area plowing, and has three current vacancies (two equipment operators and a mechanic/laborer).
Why it matters: Randall said the town’s Chapter 90 balance is roughly $1.2 million with typical annual allocations around $315,000, but the scale and timing of major projects require balancing preservation against right-of-way acquisition and design costs. He listed five near-term projects that may need land-acquisition work next fiscal year, warned easement and legal costs can reach several thousand dollars per parcel and urged careful capital planning to avoid escalating construction costs.
Randall presented specific projects: a Safe Routes to School shared-use path along Pomeroy Meadow, phased East Street reconstruction with TIP-funded construction and locally-funded right-of-way costs, rehabilitation of the Pomeroy Meadow bridge, and a Greenway trail under MassTrails and other potential support. He described equipment and fleet needs and said mechanical and maintenance costs have been volatile with larger one-time pavement contracts in recent years.
What’s next: The highway capital plan and winter-deficit remediation options (free cash, deficit spending or reallocation) will be part of FY27 budget deliberations; board members discussed possible short‑ and long‑term borrowing and the trade-offs of using Chapter 90 funds for acquisition versus pavement preservation.