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Lancaster reviews lead service line replacement plan, owner-side forgiveness and payment options
Summary
Land Use Coordinator Robin Irving briefed the Select Board on the town's Lead Service Line project, saying inventory and potholing work are non‑construction tasks, owner-side replacements may qualify for 66% forgiveness, and the board favored offering interest‑free payment plans for remaining costs.
Lancaster's Select Board received a briefing on the town's Lead Service Line replacement project during its May 4 work session. Land Use Coordinator Robin Irving presented project steps, funding sources and legal/administrative constraints, and told the board that inventory and potholing are classified as non‑construction tasks that do not require competitive bidding or a resident engineer.
Irving explained that portions of the work—inventorying service lines and potholing to locate utilities—are administrative or investigative in nature and therefore not subject to the town's competitive-bidding requirements. She described the funding framework for the project and noted that, if the town does the property‑side replacement work, property owners would qualify for 66% forgiveness under the program's terms.
The board discussed how to reduce financial barriers for property owners. According to the minutes, the Select Board supported the idea of offering interest‑free payment plans to cover property‑owner costs that are not forgiven. Robin Irving said Paul Crane must submit a change order for a related scope change on a referenced project.
No formal motion or vote was recorded in the minutes. The board asked staff to continue developing the logistics and funding details needed to implement replacements and owner assistance, including next steps for contractor procurement where applicable.
