Road work underway, three positions cut at DPW

The frequent updates from Stafford’s Department of Public Works (DPW) often include projects that can be years away from getting started. But sometimes the projects are moving full steam ahead—we’ll stick to covering updates on the latter in this article but if you want a full update, watch the video below. 

If you travel Colburn Road you may have noticed that milling is underway by now. The Town is preparing to repave the road from Rte 19, to Finch Rd. Traffic may be reduced to one-lane at times, so the DPW would appreciate it if you avoid the road during this time.

DPW Director John Whetton is also looking at paving Forest Road, Woodland Drive and Barbara Lane subdivision in September. The Town’s paving contractor has an opening at that time, and DPW is looking to see if they can feasibly fit this into the schedule and the budget. He noted that the drainage for this area is in good shape other than a few catch basins that need to be replaced. If this project proves possible, Whetton also expects to include an overlay on Westford Avenue from Meadow Lane up to Village Hill Road.

“There are sections of that neighborhood that we’ve been patching, and the issue is that there’s no more pavement left in some sections…it was identified by my predecessor over five years ago as a priority…,” said Whetton. He noted that other neighborhoods, like Willington Ave., that may also need paving need about $1.5 million of drainage work, putting it outside of the scope of the paving budget, especially on short notice. 

“We’re being aggressive with the paving budget that we have that was given to us by the taxpayers…That $1 million every year has been very effective and we’re trying to make it stretch as far as possible in the short term.” At the same time, they continue to identify grant opportunities to help with bigger, more extensive projects.

Over at the ongoing Hydeville Road bridge, the precast box culverts have been manufactured and were being installed this week. This represents a slight delay, because the culvert manufacturing was delayed, according to Whetton. That puts the Town about two months behind schedule according to his estimates. While he said he hopes to get the bridge completed before winter, he said things need to be done properly so the bridge lasts for another 100 years. 

Also, keep an eye out for more double yellow lines coming to roads like Old Springfield, Hampden, and Colburn once paving is complete on Colburn. In addition to keeping people on their side of the road, they are meant as a traffic calming device to keep people from flying down their newly paved roads. 

Staff cuts and what comes next

During budget season, three supervisory positions were eliminated from the DPW budget: this includes a superintendent, a highway foreman and a parks foreman. The highway foreman position became vacant after retirement and will not be filled. However, Whetton pointed out that these were working positions, meaning someone is going to have to pick up the slack. With that in mind he’s proposing moving the DPW administrative office to the highway garage, and adding a highway laborer to the department’s budget next year. “We need employees,” he said, to enable the department to continue fulfilling the town’s needs. 

He added, “Despite the staffing changes, I believe the department remains in good shape. We continue to work hard, adapt and provide all the essential services.” 

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