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CDBG funds repurposed for curb‑ramp upgrades; Brookfield plans to bid 30 ADA ramps
Summary
Planner John O'Leary presented final design plans to use $210,000 from a prior CDBG award to replace about 30 curb ramps and correct sloping/ detectable‑warning issues; the board signaled readiness to put the project out to bid with alternates for three road reconstructions.
John O'Leary, principal planner for the Metro Mass Fresno Regional Planning Commission, presented the Select Board with final design plans for a curb‑ramp project that would use $210,000 reprogrammed from a FY22–23 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).
O'Leary said the town originally received $1.2 million in CDBG funding for infrastructure work on Kimball Street and that $210,000 remained available to reprogram to sidewalk accessibility improvements. "We felt a good use of the remaining funds would be reprogrammed into this sidewalk project," he said.
Consultant Bill Storey of Westwood Sampson told the board the work includes roughly 30 ramps that must be replaced or reconstructed to meet ADA running‑slope and cross‑slope limits and to install detectable‑warning pads. Storey described two types of replacements: full ramp and road‑grade reconstruction where slopes exceed allowable limits. He recommended bidding the simpler ramps as the base bid and including the three road‑reconstruction locations as alternates to reduce risk of a high bid requiring rebidding.
Board members asked about materials and preservation of appearance; Storey said crews will use 4,000‑psi concrete with a sealing compound and match granite or curbing where appropriate. O'Leary warned that extending scope beyond architectural‑barrier removal could change CDBG eligibility under HUD rules: "If we go beyond that, they include all sidewalk for all users of the neighborhood, and then it changes the eligibility," he said.
The board indicated support to put the project out to bid (plans to be advertised next Thursday and bids opened locally). Construction is anticipated to start in late August and be completed by late September if bids are favorable. The board also discussed allowing contractors to close low‑traffic streets and provide detours to keep flagging costs down.
What’s next: staff will finalize bid documents and advertise; alternates for the three road reconstruction sites will let the town select options depending on bid results.
