Community Corner

Board of Directors Approves Funds for Broad Street Renovation, Parkade Demolition

The two projects total about $4.3 million in spending, which will come from an $8 million bond authorization to renovate the Broad Street area of town.

As part of a relatively brief meeting Tuesday, the Board of Directors approved a pair of appropriations totaling $4.3 million that advance development of the Broad Street area of town.

The approvals, and the public hearings preceding them, were largely legislative requirements, as both projects have been planned, publicized and discussed for some time.

The first appropriation, worth $2 million, will go toward a $5 million project to renovate and reconstruct Broad Street itself from Center Street to Middle Turnpike West, which will include road widening, streetscape beautification and the installation of pedestrian sidewalks along the corridor. will fund the remainder of the project.

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The $2.3 million authorization will go to demolish and remediate the dilapidated Broad Street Parkade development.

Funds from both projects will come from an $8 million bond that voters approved through a referendum on November of 2009; the town has already spent .

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Mayor Louis Spadaccini said that he was happy and optimistic to see both projects advancing Tuesday.

“I’m glad to see these matching funds get put in place,” Spadaccini said. “I’m glad to see the appropriation for the demolition process proceed.”

General Manager Scott Shanley said that the town could begin the actual physical demolition of the parkade as early as July, and were only waiting on a mandated permanent from the Environmental Protection Agency needed to remove PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, from the building before they can proceed.

“We expect to be in and actually removing hazardous materials from that building as early as July,” Shanley said. “…I said July just to give us some space, but it could be as early as the end of this month.”

In other news Tuesday, the board reviewed and agreed to streamline an ordinance that allows it to essentially gain access to vacant or blighted properties to cut the grass, which would be charged back to the owners of the property.

The board amended the ordinance, which it enacted last year, by shortening the warning period before the town takes action from 30 days down to 14 days.

“We don’t want to be used as a default lawn care company, that’s not government’s role. What we’re trying to do is tighten it up so we can act a little more expeditiously than in the past,” Shanley said. “…We’re not trying to threaten anybody, but we’ve got a lot of people out there who complain that their neighbors aren’t cutting their lawn.” 


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