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Board authorizes bid release for Well #7 and Well #4R work, seeks SRF extension; warrant article to combine loan and reserve funding
Summary
Selectmen authorized release of bid documents for water system work at Wells #6–#7 and replacement Well #4R, approved requesting an SRF extension to Jan. 1, 2027, and reviewed a warrant-article draft that combines a $250,000 Cemetery Association loan with a $61,000 capital reserve contribution into a gross-budget article totaling roughly $384,000.
The Town of Farmington Board of Selectmen on Feb. 9 authorized release of bid documents for work connecting Well #7 and related upgrades at Wells #6–#7 and approved seeking a State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan extension tied to the project.
Underwood Engineers’ Senior Technical Leader Lynnette Carney and Project Engineer Stephanie Kosmin summarized the base bid and several add-alternates, including installing a pressure-reduction vault/automatic valve to improve north-end distribution, SCADA and communications allowances, soil/concrete testing, and optional site improvements such as a permanent generator and additional hydrant work. "DES gave them authorization to bid on the 6th," Carney said, noting a planned advertising and pre-bid schedule.
Selectmen voted to authorize release of the bid documents and to request an extension of the SRF project period. The board also ratified Finance Administrator Kelly Heon as the local disbursement contact for the SRF work. A separate motion authorized Chairman Gerry Vachon to sign loan-extension paperwork; that motion passed 4-0-1 with Vachon abstaining on the signature authorization vote.
Town Administrator Paul Sanderson explained related financing and warrant logistics for a separate but linked action: a proposed memorandum of agreement with the Cemetery Association to borrow $250,000 for Well #4R with $61,000 drawn from a Capital Reserve Fund. Counsel advised the town to present those two funding sources together on the warrant because the Department of Revenue Administration (DRA) is applying a ‘‘gross budgeting’’ approach; Sanderson said the combined principal plus disclosed amortized interest (an estimated $73,761 over a 10-year term in draft schedules) produces an article authority around $384,000.
Sanderson told selectmen the change is presentation and disclosure rather than a change to the underlying deal. He asked the board to be prepared for an additional published public hearing required for long-term borrowings and to arrange a secret ballot for the warrant item at Town Meeting, as required when voters consider certain debt articles. "This is the way we were instructed to do it by legal based upon all the state requirements we have to meet," Selectman Charlie King said.
Selectmen also discussed how to present the broader funding picture — including federal and state grants already secured for related water-main contracts — to the Budget Committee so voters understand the net town cost and grant leverage. The board directed staff to present the revised warrant language and full financial explanation at the Budget Committee public hearing.
Next steps: advertise the bid per the engineers’ schedule, accept bids, evaluate them, and return to the board with award recommendations; finalize and publish the warrant language and required notices for the public hearings and Town Meeting.
