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Homeowners show flooding videos; Select Board approves up to $100,000 for design and easement-dependent repairs
Summary
Homeowners presented video evidence of repeated stormwater flooding that poured through their yard and into their house. The Select Board voted to support warrant Article 25 and authorized up to $100,000 for design and construction, contingent on obtaining an easement to route water to an adjacent golf course or pursuing alternate remedies.
Trevor and Christine McFerson described recurring stormwater flooding at their home on 44 South Worcester Street and showed videos from multiple storms going back to 2019 that, they said, demonstrate chronic overflow into their sideyard and basement.
"We bought the house in 2018... once the drain can't keep up with it, it just overflows into our sideyard and then into our house," Trevor McFerson told the board while playing footage of water moving through the yard and into a back door. The homeowners said a town‑installed retention trench and earlier easement work did not stop the flooding and in some cases made ponding on the road less frequent while increasing overflow into the yard.
Town staff and highway/superintendent representatives described prior work, including locating and inspecting a manhole and snaking the pipe. Town representatives said options include (1) running a new pipe to the golf course — a solution that would require a formal easement and a liability waiver from the private property owner; or (2) lower‑impact remedies such as building a berm or regrading to direct flow away from private yards. The DPW director said a design and construction authorization up to a maximum of $100,000 had been estimated for a plan to pipe stormwater to the golf course, and that cost estimates cover design and construction (the $100,000 figure was presented as a not‑to‑exceed budget to avoid repeated return votes).
Board members and staff emphasized the need for careful investigation before large construction: the town had previously inspected pipes and found cases (in other neighborhoods) where roots or localized pipe failure were the source of flooding and a smaller repair solved the problem. Several board members encouraged further analysis of pipe sizing, upstream sources and historical permits to avoid an incomplete fix. The DPW recommended a phased approach: fund the design now and simultaneously pursue easement negotiations and less‑invasive corrections where possible.
Select Board member Bob Kimble moved that the board support Article 25 (44 South Worcester Street storm drainage easement design and construction); the motion passed by voice vote and roll/call recorded as affirmative by board members. The motion authorizes up to $100,000 for design and construction, contingent on securing necessary easements and final design recommendations.
The board asked staff to prepare material for town meeting explaining contingencies and alternate plans if the golf course easement is not secured.
