Board ratifies five-year capital plan; projects include fleet funding, bridge study and library roof work

The Waterford Board of Selectmen ratified the town's five-year Capital Improvement Plan (FY2027–2031) and approved the FY27 current-year capital request of $3,699,490 after department-level presentations and line-item discussion.

Major items highlighted included a $1 million fleet-management request to fund high-cost apparatus and trucks, a Hunts Brook hydraulic study ($25,000) intended to evaluate replacing multiple culverts with a box culvert after flooding, and a $200,000, three‑year program to replace rubberized playground surfaces at three elementary schools. Recreation staff described a proposed covered stage at Waterford Beach Park; staff estimated the full project and landscape work at roughly $250,000–$350,000, and one selectman proposed removing $30,000 from the amphitheater planning line (that motion was discussed on the floor).

Library officials reported active leakage and brittle seams in an aging membrane roof; staff said the roof has required repeated patching and that previous reroofing work omitted ice-and-water protection for a contractor credit, contributing to current vulnerabilities.

Public works described Hunts Brook bridge work as a multi-year, multi-million-dollar replacement project once engineering and hydraulic studies are complete; the $25,000 study would define scope and identify grant opportunities. Utility staff also briefed the board on ongoing cross‑country sewer-main access work behind the high school and water‑system assessment work.

After discussion and a series of voice votes, the board approved the CIP numbers and ratified the first selectman's five‑year plan. The ratified plan will be forwarded to the Board of Finance and RTM for appropriation consideration and consistency review under charter processes.