Public works director outlines Aspet Hill drainage and roadway overhaul ahead of Town Meeting

Scott Sharper, the Town of Northborough public works director, outlined a two-phase plan to repair persistent drainage failures and reconstruct roadways, sidewalks and curbing in the Aspet Hill neighborhood ahead of the upcoming town meeting.

Sharper said the neighborhood "is built in 1998 during the housing boom" and that construction at the time was "certainly substandard," which has led to "periodic sink holes, drainage failures, and horrific settlements of the roadway, sidewalks, and curbing." The capital article Sharper presented would fund repairs and reconstruction to address those problems.

According to Sharper, the town performed "a full evaluation of all pipes in 2019" and identified multiple localized drainage failures. "We found a series of spot drain repairs that require cure to place pipe open excavation and manhole sealant," he said, describing the technical fixes the town plans to pursue.

Sharper described the work as occurring in two phases: a partial first phase this year to address immediate spot drainage and preliminary roadway repairs, and a second phase next year to complete full reconstruction of the roadways, sidewalks and curbing. He did not specify a funding total or provide a contract schedule in the remarks recorded in the transcript.

The capital article will be considered at the Town of Northborough's upcoming Town Meeting; the transcript did not record a vote or a funding amount. If the article is approved, town staff would proceed with the phased repairs and reconstruction described by Sharper.