ORANGE — Seven people attended a public hearing on Wednesday to hear about the West Main Street roadway improvement project and offer feedback.
Orange plans to reconstruct West Main Street from its intersection with North Main Street down to the town’s Wastewater Treatment Facility, enhancing roadway safety and accessibility, and replacing the aging water, sewer and storm drain infrastructure. The work will consist of full-depth roadway reconstruction, the installation of new curbing, enhanced pedestrian access — including rapid-flashing beacons — at crosswalks, new line striping and additional signs.
Engineers Michael Davis and Evan Springer, with the civil and environmental engineering firm Fuss & O’Neill, delivered a slideshow presentation in Town Hall’s Ruth B. Smith Auditorium and addressed concerns from attendees. The engineering design was funded by a $275,000 grant from the MassWorks Infrastructure Program.
Longtime resident George Willard said he objects to what he anticipates will be reduced parking near the intersection of the main streets.
“The more you restrict parking, the more you restrict businesses in the town,” he said.
But Davis, the project manager, and Springer insisted access to homes and businesses will be maintained, as will emergency vehicle access. They also said residents will receive advance notice of any utility service interruptions. Davis mentioned the work will include the replacement of about 2,850 feet of 8-inch waterline.
Two attendees brought up the plan to plant ginkgo trees along West Main Street, saying the female of the species produces a foul-smelling fruit, with seeds that are toxic in large quantities. The male of the species, however, is safe and not foul-smelling.
Davis and Springer could not speak to the sex of the trees intended for the project but, upon learning of the female’s characteristics, agreed that planting males would be ideal.
The project’s cost estimate, including the roadway and utility improvements, is between $4.9 million and $5.9 million. The plan is for the town to apply for a MassWorks construction grant in May 2027 and award a contract by the winter of 2028, with project completion expected in the fall of 2029.
Fuss & O’Neill is also the environmental engineering firm that removed debris from the site of a former cereal factory that burned down at 16-36 West River St., and has since been tasked with determining potential future uses for the land. Five buildings, including the vacant cereal factory, were destroyed as a result of an apparent arson on June 4, 2022.
