Town outlines capital program, highlights $1.5M state grant for Farm Road/Route 106 intersection and transfer station review

At the March 12 meeting, town engineering and public‑works staff walked councilors through a reduced capital request for fiscal 2027 totaling about $12.6 million, down roughly 10% from the prior year, and highlighted several major projects.

Staff said the intersection improvement at Farm Road and Route 106 — a project that would add a left‑turn lane for southbound traffic — is expected to be fully funded by a $1.5 million state grant under the Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program; the town would cover limited design costs already included in the budget and will proceed to the DOT for a commitment to fund letter. "If we can get it in and completed within four years, we're ahead of the game," staff said of the project timeline.

The capital program also includes a $375,000 request for an environmental review of the old incinerator building at the transfer station; staff said the site (about an acre) could later be redeveloped to provide a proper salt barn, swap shop and animal control space but that a full program could cost about $4–4.5 million in out years.

For sewer infrastructure, staff described a planned inflow and infiltration (I&I) program with a $900,000 ask: $400,000 for the next engineering phase and $500,000 for a construction phase aimed at manhole repair and sewer relining to reduce wet‑weather flows (which have sometimes reached about 7 million gallons per day) toward a more normal sanitary flow baseline of roughly 1 million gallons per day.

Councilors asked for clarifications on timing and next steps on grants and environmental reviews. Staff said they are in early phases for several projects and will return with schedules and refined cost estimates as work advances.