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Select Board, staff and residents discuss drainage fixes and culvert work on Narrows Road
Summary
Board and highway staff debated stone swales, riprap and culvert relocation on Narrows Road and Bull Lake drain outlets, with plans to prepare a construction plan; work may require short road shutdowns and permits.
Barnstead Select Board members, highway staff and residents discussed detailed options to reduce recurring roadside erosion and material washing onto driveways along Narrows Road.
Staff (S3) proposed installing a stone swale approximately 1 foot deep and 5 feet wide with a 2-foot ledge-pack edge to capture material and direct runoff into a woods area rather than across a neighbor's driveway. Participants raised alternative options including a paved swale, riprap, pea stone check dams and flattening berms at the bottom of the hill. Board members and staff discussed construction logistics, whether a cross-culvert exists or should be moved, the potential for a one- to two-day road shutdown during work, plow impact on any installed features, and the need for permits. One staff member noted the brookage is further upslope and that the proposed work should not affect the brook.
On Bull Lake, staff reported an excavated catch basin with separated pipes and suggested moving the culvert outlet away from a homeowner's driveway and reorienting the grate; the group agreed to review stakes in the field and consider a permit for any driveway widening. The board agreed to prepare a plan and revisit the site, noting that some fixes are short-term and may require modification next year.
No formal vote or appropriation was taken at the meeting; members asked staff to develop a recommended plan, check existing materials inventory (riprap, ledge pack), and return with a cost estimate and permit needs.
