Road Advisory Committee
Town of Princeton, Mass. -- Town Hall Annex
ROAD ADVISORY COMMITTEE Meeting Minutes, April 14, 2021 6:00 PM
Present: Chair William Holder; Members Kevin Toohey, Terry Thompson, Matt Granger, Ann Neuburg; Highway Superintendent Ben Metcalf, Town Administrator Sherry Patch.
Guest: Daeg Brenner
6:14 PM Call to order (GoToMeeting)
Administrative: Unanimous vote to approve minutes for 3-10-2021 meeting as submitted.
Daeg Brenner unanimously approved as alternate member of the committee.
Welcome Daeg!
Adopting More Aggressive Maintenance Practices
General discussion of treatments to extend the life of roads 4-6 years old.
Superintendent Metcalf has been studying the efficiency of treatments and would like to test their efficacy on Princeton roads. $50,000.00 of operating budget funds current treatments (crack sealing, tree removal). Mr. Metcalf would like to use some of the $50,000 to test additional wear surface treatments.
Motion: To support Superintended Metcalf’s plan to implement additional treatments to extend the life of the roads.
Vote: unanimous “aye”.
Complete Streets (changes to funding)
massDOT has drastically changed their funding for Complete Streets. The maximum amount awarded per town has dropped from $400,000 to $100,000 and the cadence of eligibility has also changed.
The changes prompted a re-review of the Complete Streets project prioritization as agreed at the April 8 meeting of the Complete Streets committee. See Referenced Documents:
Focus was changed from “low hanging fruit” to selecting a single project with broad appeal, such as sidewalk improvements on Worcester Road.
Municipal Roadway Projects
Superintendent Metcalf reported on a new funding source: Municipal Roadway Projects. See Referenced Documents:
Funding is new, non-federal, and focused on mill/resurface projects that will make the money go furthest. Discussion of how Municipal Roadway and Complete Streets might be dovetailed.
Motion: Road Advisory Committee endorses focus on the Worcester Road project regarding tying together Complete Streets (sidewalks) and massDOT’s (mill/resurface) funding.
Vote: unanimous “aye”.
Review bids for engineering Coal Kiln Road
Reminder of the appropriate terms (advantageous, highly advantageous, etc.) to classify responses.
Proposals from GPI and HSH earned the greatest number of first and second votes. The proposal from McClure was by far less costly, explained as McClure’s wish to “get their foot in the door”.
Mr. Metcalf has spoken to all submitters. If the road is widened on only one side, it can be engineered without a retaining wall. If the road is widened on both sides, a retaining wall is required. Mr. Metcalf suggests interviewing candidates. Deadline to select candidate is 4/25.
To do: Town Administrator Sherry Patch will schedule interviews with GPI, HSH, and McClure for the next RAC meeting (4/21).
Adjourn 7:27 pm.
Respectfully Submitted: Ann Neuburg
- csc minutes 2021-04-08
- D3 (District 3) Potential Municipal Sections