Warren selectmen settle water issue

By Cristy Bertini

Turley Publications Correspondent

WARREN – “Nothing has been done for four years, and it’s not right,” Sherman Messinger said to the board of selectmen.

Messinger was referring to a problem in which water builds up on Hines Avenue at the corner of Commins Pond Road.

“We have the new highway superintendent and I’ve been in arguments with him already and it’s not right because this isn’t something he’s created, it’s something he’s inherited. A decision needs to be made by the board of selectmen regarding this problem,” Messinger said.

Messinger presented a report from an engineer who was in charge of the Commins Pond project in 2006. The report states “that asphalt curbing was placed on the north side of the road, intending to reduce erosion along the side of the road. Water is now trapped and puddled at the intersection at Commins Pond Road and is creating a nuisance and a potential ice hazard.”

The engineer gave two solutions to the problem- either hire a contractor to re-design or fix the road or take out the curbing.

“I think a bad decision was made when they laid that curbing down,” Messinger said.

Highway Superintendent Tom Boudreau said that he has done some research on the issue. “My understanding is that the Hines Ave. project was done with no blueprints. I couldn’t find any blueprints.”

Boudreau also offered two solutions- to either take out approximately 40 feet of the curbing, or fill in where the puddle is with asphalt to try to divert the water onto Commins Pond Road. He said the problem with that is that it will just create another water problem further down the road.

Selectman David Delanski said “I don’t want to play with 40 feet (of curbing). Take it all out. If it wasn’t on the blueprint, if it wasn’t on the spec, it shouldn’t have been there.”

Delanski made the motion to have the highway dept. remove all curbing on Hines Ave. that was not in the original specs for the job. The selectmen voted unanimously to do so.

Main St. parking and construction complaints

Residents have contacted selectmen with complaints regarding parking on Main St. during the construction project. The selectmen have noticed certain cars parked in the same spot all day long. The selectmen voted to enforce a 30 parking limit along the library side of Main St.

Danger Zone Saloon owner Doug Danger asked the selectmen how long the construction project is going to last. He said it is affecting his business. “My loss per day is pretty high,” he said.

The selectmen said it was supposed to last until August.

Danger told the selectmen that the construction company is leaving unsafe conditions when they leave the site at the end of the day. “They cover up the newly poured cement with 2 x 4’s instead of a sheet of plywood. They are leaving metal bars sticking out of the ground, without covering them.”

The Main St. construction is a $1.6 million project to make the Main St. stores handicap accessible. Lenard Engineering is the firm handling the project.

Resident Kenneth Frazier agreed with Danger. “It’s very difficult to get into the stores. They leave debris on the sidewalk. It’s like walking in the woods.”

The selectmen said they would speak to the engineer from Lenard and address the issues immediately.