By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — The Town Council this week approved six public works-related funding articles for the May 5 Annual Town Meeting.
A seventh article to fund the proposed $2,152,966 FY2026 capital budget was tabled until the April 14 Town Council meeting at the request of Capital Planning Committee Chairman Phil Renzi.
Renzi explained that the capital budget included a two-way radio system for the School Department at a cost of $125,000. However, the School Department went ahead and funded the radios from one of its own accounts without informing the the Capital Planning Committee. Renzi said that the Capital Planning Committee would like to meet one more time to adjust its budget and possibly use that $125,000 to fund another capital need in town.
The Town Council voted to table the Capital budget to its April 14 meeting.
The remaining articles approved this week for the Town Meeting warrant were all related to the Public Works Department.
The Town Council approved the routine and seldom used $1 for for eminent domain purposes.
The next article will seek $2,456,958 for the FY2026 Refuse and Recycling budget.
DPW Business Manager Ann Waitt explained that this budget was level funded. She noted that Wakefield trash tonnage had gone down from 75,000 tons to 72,000 tons and the disposal rate had also dropped. She added that more waste was also being diverted via recycling and other programs.
The next article related to a request for $395,300 the design and permitting of a new shed for the storage of salt used to treat icy roads. DPW Director Joseph Conway explained the present 1970s-era shed located at the Nahant Street Yard Waste Facility needs to be replaced. Once the design and permitting are done, Conway said that he would have a better idea of the total cost of the new shed.
Another article for the spring Town Meeting involves a request for $2,600,000 to replace and relocate the fuel island that provides fuel for town-owned vehicles. The current fuel island is located in the DPW yard on North Avenue.
The proposed new fuel island would be located in the Nahant Street Yard Waste Facility just past the guard shack. The budget includes the removal of the old tanks on North Avenue.
In response to a question from Town Councilor Jonathan Chines, Conway said that a town-owned fueling facility is 30 percent cheaper than having town vehicles fueled at a commercial gas station.
Capping a contaminated site off Butler Avenue at a cost of $1,300,000 was the subject of another proposed Town Meeting article.
The final Town Meeting article was related to easement relocations on Grafton Street and Butler Avenue.
Town Engineer William Renault explained that the town tries to identify other problems that can be addressed on streets that are scheduled to be repaved. The easement relocation on Grafton Street relates to a drainage reconfiguration, Renault said. On Butler Avenue the easement would be reconfigured to align with an existing setback.
The Town Council approved placement of all of the articles on the Town Meeting warrant, with the exception of the capital budget, which will be discussed at the April 14 meeting.