By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — Two votes.
That was what it took for the Department of Public Works’ $12,850,000 road improvement program to pass Fall Town Meeting in a 194-95 vote on Nov. 13. After barely clearing the two-thirds majority threshold required for debt exclusion projects, a townwide vote on the road improvement program as well as the $18.3 million Lynnfield Public Library renovation project will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 6.
“It passes with a percentage of 67.12 percent, or two votes,” said Town Moderator Steve Walsh.
DPW Director John Scenna said Article 6 “seeks to expand roadway improvements throughout the town for the next decade.”
Scenna recalled that the town has used the Beta Group since 2016 in order to evaluate the town’s roadway network every three years. He said the engineering firm developed a 10-year road improvement program, totaling $23,458,212.43.
As part of the plan, Scenna said the Beta Group is recommending that the town invest $2 million for road construction annually. In addition to appropriating $300,000 in the capital budget and using $415,000 in Chapter 90 road construction funds awarded by the state each fiscal year, he said the firm recommended that the town request voters to approve a 10-year capital debt exclusion that will appropriate $1,285,000 annually for 10 years.
Scenna said the town’s annual Chapter 90 appropriation has not changed in a number of years.
“Our roadways are being rebuilt more with town funds and grants than with Chapter 90 funds,” said Scenna.
Scenna said the Beta Group uses a zero to 100 score in order to rank the condition of the town’s streets from worst to best.
“The good news is that a third of our roads are good,” said Scenna. “The bad news is a third are poor. Our roadway network is failing. If we only rely on Chapter 90 funding, our network will continue to fail. If we are able to still fund a portion of our roadway program through community capital funds, we just stay the course. If we are able to increase our roadway program to a level of $2 million a year for a period of 10 years, our roadway ranking will go from the bottom of what Beta sees in communities to the top of the range where Beta sees in communities. Lynnfield is at the bottom of that range.”
If voters approve the DPW’s 10-year road improvement program during the Jan. 6 debt exclusion vote, Scenna said the program will cost $258 annually for the average household for a decade.
“It will allow us the possibility of procuring contracts specific to Lynnfield that will not be shared with other communities,” said Scenna. “We will continue to update our pavement management system.”
Conservation Commission member Erin Hohmann asked if the town has applied for construction grants from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
Scenna said the DPW and the Planning and Conservation Department have been “aggressively” applying for state grants in order to make infrastructure improvements. He said MassDOT has awarded the town a $499,000 Complete Streets grant that will be used to overhaul the Summer and Salem streets intersection.
“We have the ability to apply for more Complete Streets grants in 2025, which we intend to do,” said Scenna. “There are other programs that we will continue to look at. We are not coming to you without looking at every possible avenue that we have.”
Windsor Road resident George Bloom said he felt that the town was “being squeezed” by the state due to the commonwealth not keeping Chapter 90 appropriations “up to par.”
Homestead Road resident David Bjorkman said there are homes in town that have been renovated and/or razed and rebuilt. He said construction vehicles have “destroyed the roads.”
“Why are we not chasing down those contractors to tell them to pay for what they have made a mess of?” asked Bjorkman.
Charing Cross resident Bob Prosperi said he is concerned about the tax impact of the DPW’s road improvement program.
“Is there a compromise?” asked Prosperi. “Is there a way of not spending all of this money and spending some of it? In my opinion, if we are going to vote for that $13 million over 10 years, I am personally going to vote no.”
Longbow Circle resident Michael Carakatsane asked, “why is the state getting away with funding Chapter 90 at a roughly constant level?”
“I think I know the answer,” said Carakatsane. “They got themselves into financial trouble with The Big Dig, and they never want to acknowledge that they overspent on that particular project. The other thing we have seen in town is the gas company has been ripping our roads apart. Do we have standards about how they replace things?”
Scenna said the DPW is “aggressive as possible” with ensuring utility companies make road improvements after undertaking projects.
Patrice Lane resident Patricia Campbell, who has historically aired concerns about the condition of the town’s streets and sidewalks, said she opposed Article 6.
“Here we go, another override: $258 a year for 10 years,” said Campbell. “I want the roads identified. I want to see the 10-year plan. Show us when the main roads will be done because they have been giving priority to side roads. The previous consultants didn’t consider that all of us travel on the main roads. Show us the 10-year plan.”
Walnut Street resident Kris Kasuli said the portion of the street that runs from the MarketStreet Lynnfield intersection to the Saugus line is “in supreme disrepair.”
“I have had two cars crash into my driveway because the sidewalk is literally one millimeter,” said Kasuli. “Would you all go out to your mailbox when cars are whizzing by you at 60 miles per hour and, on top of that, have your children possibly be out there? We have no protection whatsoever. You guys say that the police monitor speeding, but that coupled with the lack of infrastructure puts my family at a big risk.”
Scenna agreed with Kasuli that his section of Walnut Street is in poor condition. He said Beta Group’s report is on the DPW website.
“It has been on there for months,” said Scenna. “You can look up your street alphabetically or by segment. If this were to pass, that is a section that does need work.”
Townsend Road resident Mark Driscoll asked why the Finance Committee voted not to recommend Article 6.
“The Finance Committee appreciates the work that has been going into this project,” said Finance Committee Chair Tom Kayola. “We think it is a comprehensive plan and we understand that the roads are always going to be in a state of disrepair. The town is currently going through a capital improvement plan that should be finalized in the coming weeks. We feel that this project along with the other needs of a capital nature need to be laid out in a comprehensive plan so we can prioritize correctly and understand how much capital and deferred maintenance exists out there in our community so we can put this together in a comprehensive plan.”
Apple Hill Lane resident Steve Grasso commended the Select Board for bringing a road construction program to Fall Town Meeting. He criticized the Select Board last June for not developing a plan.
“We just got Cortland Lane paved and I thank the town for that,” said Grasso. “I live on a corner that was paved, but the other half of the street wasn’t because of funding issues. The whole Apple Hill neighborhood is a disgrace. I wholeheartedly back this plan. I thank you for putting this together. In fact, it is actually underfunded.”
While Candlewood Road resident Paul Briggs said he “supports spending some more money on roads,” he said the Finance Committee’s recommendation “resonates with me.”
“My issue is we come to these meetings year-after-year, and each of these projects is tackled in its own microcosm,” said Briggs. “We are not talking about the tradeoffs. You need a comprehensive plan in order to do this well.”
Briggs said Candlewood Road was recently repaved, but he noticed there are “cracks in the road and in the sidewalks.”
“If we are going to spend this money, how are we going to monitor the construction that is done and the quality of work that is done to ensure we get every dime that we pay for and the quality that we deserve in town?” asked Briggs.
An irate Campbell demanded to know when Essex Street, Lowell Street, Main Street and Summer Street will be repaved.
“When are they going to be done under this plan?” asked Campbell.
Scenna said, “You have heard more than once every road in Lynnfield is part of the plan.”
“Every year, we will select roads and will propose them,” said Scenna.