ERVING — Funding for a lead pipe assessment and expedited capital improvement projects highlight Erving’s nine-article warrant for Monday’s Special Town Meeting.
The meeting will begin at the Erving Senior & Community Center at 7 p.m.
Article 4 asks residents to appropriate $135,000 from free cash to fund three capital projects that the town hopes to expedite for completion ahead of fiscal year 2024. Projects include surveying the Poplar Mountain Conservation Area, upgrading the treasurer’s financial software and replacing streetlights on Lillians Way.
The Poplar Mountain project, a $10,000 expense, involves “re-identifying the boundaries of the first parcel that the town purchased and surveying the boundaries of the parcel [Erving] received from Mount Grace [Land Conservation Trust] several years ago,” Town Planner Mariah Kurtz explained in an email. The town purchased the Old State Road conservation land, previously used as a dairy farm, from the Ginuisz family in 2006 with free cash and a grant, according to the Erving town website.
The financial software, which would receive a $75,000 upgrade, serves accounting and budgeting purposes. The new software would include employee portals such as pages for submitting time sheets, reviewing paid time off and accessing benefit information; more “robust” budgeting capabilities; and improved reporting abilities, according to Kurtz.
There are two out-of-commission streetlights on Lillians Way slated for replacement after one was hit by a vehicle and one has non-functional electrical components, Kurtz explained. According to the Selectboard, a $50,000 replacement cost is the “rough estimate.” Town Administrator Bryan Smith said replacement streetlights will be “ornamental” and that the town is exploring solar options. Selectboard Chair Jacob Smith noted that “some number of additional” units may be considered as well, with Kurtz adding that residents of Lillians Way will be consulted to determine whether this would be advantageous.
Article 7 requests that residents appropriate $125,000 to conduct an engineering assessment for the development of a Lead Service Line Inventory and Replacement Plan for the Water Department.
According to Jacob Smith, the state requires that every municipality undergo an assessment of all water piping to check for the presence of lead. Water Superintendent Peter Sanders said this assessment will almost certainly not reveal lead in public pipes.
“Our system is fairly new as far as water systems go and I was informed from prior operators and whatnot … that it is highly unlikely that we’ll find any lead,” Sanders informed the Selectboard on Jan. 30. “I know in our lines, there isn’t. We have no documentation that there is.”
Sanders noted that in the future, Erving might have a program that assists residents with removing lead pipes from private water lines.
The town intends to submit an application to the state for a forgivable loan so that the $125,000 lead pipe assessment project, “in effect, becomes free,” Jacob Smith said.
“There’s probably some carrying costs in between,” he continued, “but in the long-term, the bulk of it is not paid by the town.”
Other warrant article requests include amending the fiscal year 2023 general operating budget to accommodate $26,715 in Board of Health expenses, funding an engineering phase for a $26,000 water tank equipment construction project and clarifying the responsibilities of the Cemetery Commission.
To view the full warrant, visit bit.ly/3J6zTUV.
Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.