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Flood board unanimously approves amended letter asking for design and budget changes to Riverside Creek tide-gate project
Summary
The board voted to send an amended letter to Tim Bishop requesting the Riverside Creek tide-gate walking path/top of berm be raised to 12 ft, that marsh-restoration and salt-water exchange be included, and that those items be incorporated into the project's design and budget.
The Flood Prevention, Climate Resilience and Erosion Control Board voted on Feb. 17 to send an amended communication to Tim Bishop requesting specific design and budget considerations for the Riverside Creek tide-gate project, including raising the walking path/top of berm to a 12-foot elevation, incorporating marsh restoration and improved saltwater exchange, and ensuring those changes are reflected in the project analysis and budget.
What the board asked for: The draft letter as amended asks that (1) the walking path atop the berm between Riverside Drive and Fairfield Mills open space be raised to a similar 12-foot elevation; (2) the project design include both marsh restoration and flood-mitigation objectives (with appropriate saltwater exchange); and (3) the additional scope and any incremental cost be developed during the design phase and incorporated into the project budget so that they are bid with the work.
Budget and schedule notes: Board members noted Race's preliminary construction budget of about $2,666,000 (including contingency, as cited in consultant materials) but said that specific additional costs for raising the berm and any required mitigation (for example 3:1 mitigation ratios for marsh encroachment) would need to be estimated during design. One member warned the board that without explicit language requiring budget inclusion, the recommendations could be ignored by project managers.
Motion and result: A board member moved to approve the letter with the requested amendments; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The meeting minutes record the board's approval; no individual roll-call vote tallies were recorded in the transcript.
Next steps: Board members said they will send the amended letter to Tim Bishop and asked staff to request that the project's design documents and budget include a clear line item for the berm elevation increase and for marsh-restoration work so the features are part of the contract bid package.
The board's formal endorsement of these design changes is recorded in the meeting minutes and will be transmitted to Mr. Bishop and the town administration.
