DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board voted to transfer $36,000 in ARPA funds on Monday night to supplement the $50,000 that it already has appropriated for the Dalton Division Road Sewer Project.

 

The cost of engineering is estimated is approximately $37,000 based on the projected project cost. A typical engineering fee is 10 percent of the cost of the project. The original cost estimate did not include construction oversight only bidding services so the new cost is $85,750. 

 

Town Manager Tom Hutcheson was originally going to go before the board to inform them that a total of $92,500 would be needed but, since posting the agenda, the amount had come down by about $7,000. 

 

This new amount includes a substantial amount of extra study necessary to do the engineering because it has to review the existing sewer capacity, calculate what the new peaks or flows will be, and look at the permitting requirements, Town Manager Tom Hutcheson said. 

 

The engineering firm has to do more work so it can determine how big the pipes have to be. 

 

The town only authorized $50,000 to cover the cost of the sewer engineering during its last meeting so to cover the remainder the board voted to transfer $36,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funds to supplement.

 

Chair Joe Diver was hesitant to approve the additional $36,000 without knowing if there are other projects that are more urgent and should take priority. 

 

Hutcheson said a very rough estimate of the total cost of the project would be about $700,000. 

 

It was noted that the town may not approve a construction project that costs that much during town meetings so it does not make sense to spend $85,750 on engineering for a project that may be voted down, Diver said. 

 

If approved by the town, the construction would not be able to happen until 2027 or 2028 because it would be in conjunction with the Dalton Division Road project. 

 

Diver recommended taking some time and looking into other ways to cover the cost of the engineering for the project since there is so much time between now and the start of construction.  

 

"It's much easier to just take it out of the ARPA funds. It's a very good and needed cost. If we do this now, you can sign an agreement and we can get going on this," Selectman John Boyle said. 

 

"If we wait on town meetings to see if they'll approve it an additional $36,000, months have gone by and nothing is happening."

 

Another concern is costs will continue to rise while they wait to appropriate the amount, Vice Chairman Robert W. Bishop said. 

 

Despite Diver's arguments the motion passed 2-1. 

 

They also voted to approve the transfer of $22,000 of ARPA funding to cover the cost of heat pumps for the town garage.

 

The original cost estimate for the heat pumps was $17,131 but are now projected to cost just under $22,000. 

 

As of Jan. 3, there is approximately $446,000 left of ARPA funding, not including the funds appropriated at the Select Board meeting. 

 

In other news: The board approved the change of manager application for Wahconah Country Club to James Scalise after the previous manager Matthew Morrison resigned. 

 

• The board approved the Planning Board's request to Berkshire Regional Planning Commission to use District Local Technical Assistance Program funds for a chapter in a revised master plan. 

 

The Planning Board has been working on a housing needs assessment over the last year that will be used as the basis of the chapter. 

 

The town does not have any urgent needs for the DLTA funds so Hutcheson recommended the money be allocated for this.