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Richmond Select Board leans toward Stage Road culvert replacements after alternatives review
Summary
Consultants recommended advancing a Stage Road culvert upsizing and realignment to concept design after modeling showed substantial upstream flood reductions; residents pressed for maps to be shown alongside the town's corrected regulatory DFIRM maps and warned of insurance impacts.
The Richmond Select Board reviewed a flood-mitigation alternatives analysis on Aug. 4 and heard consultants recommend advancing a Stage Road culvert replacement as the top candidate to progress to concept design.
Megan Arpino, the Stone Environmental presenter, told the board the study screened 42 candidate projects and is ‘‘leaning towards the Stage Road culverts,’’ saying a combined upsizing of two structures north of Stage Road showed modelled benefits. "We're seeing a flood level on upstream end of the culvert of reduction of almost 5 feet," Arpino said, and added that upsizing a second upstream structure produced "just over a 2 foot reduction." The study team described these results as screening-level estimates that would be refined during design.
Consultants said the Stage Road option scored well on the study's criteria—flood mitigation potential, feasibility, cost and HMGP eligibility—and recommended preparing concept designs, a benefit-cost analysis and an application package. Megan Arpino said the work would set the town up to apply when Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding opens, though she cautioned that construction funding is not currently available.
Residents and select board members raised questions about downstream impacts if culverts channel water more quickly, and consultants said realignment and channel restoration would need to be considered so flows are conveyed where intended. The Select Board will decide which single project to advance into the study's concept-design phase in a forthcoming meeting; staff said the design work is meant to leave an ‘‘on‑the‑shelf’’ application ready for future grant rounds.
The article is based on the Stone Environmental presentation and the public Q&A during the special meeting.
