After costs double for water district, Barre wants to make sure residents support it

Photos by Tom Rivers: Barre Town Board members Kerri Richardson and George McKenna pushed for a survey of landowners in a proposed Water District No. 10 to make sure they still want to go forward with the project after costs doubled from when they gave their initial approval about three years ago.

BARRE – The Barre Town Board has been working to bring public water to three roads where the wells often run dry, have sulfur water or other harmful micro-organisms.

The town was able to line up resident support and financing for the project. It was slated to be constructed in 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic scuttled those plans.

Barre has pushed again this year to revive Water District No. 10. The project includes about 40 dwelling units and covers 23,350 linear feet or about 4 1/2 miles on Angevine, McNamar and Transit roads.

The town sought bids this spring and construction cost has doubled, presenting a big challenge for the Town Board and the property owners in the district.

Some of the landowners who backed the project before say it is now too expensive. Barre officials estimate they need at least 20 to 21 of the property owners to give their approval. Town Board member George McKenna went door to door recently asking those residents if they still back the project. He said he got 15 “yes” answers and 15 against it. He wants to hear from everyone in the district before the town moves forward.

“If we don’t have a clear majority, which we don’t, how do we justify this?” McKenna said during Wednesday’s Town Board meeting.

Town Supervisor Sean Pogue agreed the project has become very costly. He worries the construction prices would only go up if Barre delayed on the project and tried again for new bids.

The water district was estimated to cost $1,101,000 before Covid in 2020, but is now estimated at $2,125,000.

The annual debt payments would be $1,086.26 over 38 years for each full dwelling unit, about double the amount before construction costs soared. Each water user can also expect to pay about $400 annual for their water bills, on top of the debt service payment.

Town Board member Kerri Richardson said those annual water expenses are too much for many in the district.

“We don’t want to inflict a financial hardship on our residents for something they can’t afford,” Richardson said.

She said many senior citizens on fixed incomes have expressed their concern about the financial impact of the project, which is a 38-year annual commitment.

Town Board member Dave Waters also said the rising costs are alarming to many of the residents. He said some younger families especially want access to public water, and may not move into that area without it.

Before Barre makes a decision, whether to accept the construction bid for the project or hold off, it wants to hear from all of the landowners in the proposed district. The town officials will try to contact every one of them to get their opinion, and make sure they understand the full financial impact of going forward.

McKenna said he feels for residents with poor water quality or not enough water. Many of them pay more than $500 a year to operate and maintain their well water systems.

The proposed district includes 14,500 linear feet of 8-inch water main on Angevine Road between Oak Orchard Road and East Barre Road; 5,250 feet on McNamar Road between Angevine Road and Transit Road; and 3,600 feet on Transit Road between McNamar Road and Mansfield Road.

If the project is stymied, Barre might be able to serve Transit Road in a joint project with Clarendon, or cut out some of the fire hydrants at $7,700 apiece. The town might also be able to find more grant money for the project, McKenna said.

Bridget O’Toole, the Barre town attorney, urged the board to not scrap the project and do a redesign yet.

She thinks further delaying the work and hoping to trim some costs could prove “to be a penny wise and a pound foolish,” ultimately leading to even more expense.