Town Council - Public Works Committee

MEMBERS Braintree Town Council Charles Ryan, Chairman Lawrence Mackin, Vice Chairman Committee On The Department of Public Works Julia Flaherty, member One JFK Memorial Drive Braintree, Massachusetts 02184 February 23, 2021 MINUTES A meeting of the Committee on the Department of Public Works was held in Remote via Zoom webinar, on Tuesday, February 23, 2021 at 6:30p.m. Councilor Charles Ryan, Chairman was in the Chair. Clerk of the Council, Susan Cimino conducted the roll call. Due to remote participation all votes are taken by roll call vote. Present: Charles Ryan, Chairman Lawrence Mackin, Vice-Chairman Julia Flaherty, member Also Present: James Arsenault, DPW Director John Thompson, Assistant DPW Director/Town Engineer Mary Mulroney, National Grid Representative Dennis McCaffrey, National Grid Joe Carroll, National Grid Elsworth Andrew, National Grid Manager of Construction Bill Eddy, National Grid APPROVAL OF MINUTES • October 20, 2020 Motion made by Councilor Mackin to approve Minutes of October 20, 202 Motion: by Councilor Mackin to Approve Minutes of October 20, 2020 Second: by Councilor Flaherty Vote: For (3 – Flaherty, Mackin, Ryan), Against (0), Absent (0), Abstain (0) OLD BUSINESS • None February 23, 2021 Department of Public Works Page 1 of 4 NEW BUSINESS • 21 001 National Grid Petition: Pearl Street Continuation of Order 17 042 or take up any action relative thereto Joe Carroll stated we did install 3600 feet of 4 inch gas main to replace a 3 inch line existing right now. It is aging. There are some leaks right now. In 2018 Braintree repaved that roadway. We want to transfer the existing services on Pearl Street to transfer to the new main and retire the old main that has some leaks on it. We have about 30 services left to connect. I spoke with Councilor Boericke, District 5 Councilor about Communication in that area. She asked additional streets added to the abutter notification. BELD will also be notified. We will meet with DPW department and the Braintree Police Department. This work will take about 4-6 weeks. We will let it settle and come back in late summer to do final curb to curb on that roadway. If anyone wants to connect that is not a gas customer they need to let us know before paving. We will notify people of that as well. Chairman Ryan stated you were doing this work in 2017. We told National Grid we were doing the street over in 2018. Jim Arsenault stated there was a strike by National Grid at the time and they were notified. John Thompson read his DPW recommendations and National Grid agreed to all staff recommendations. Councilor Flaherty asked what would happen if you did not do this work. Joe Carroll, National Grid explained it is a safety issue. With the new main we are trying to eliminate any new leaks so we don’t have to go up and down the street and dig it up for an emergency. Bill Eddy, National Grid stated there are a couple grade 2 leaks out there. Motion was read by Councilor Mackin. MOTION: The DPW has reviewed National Grid’s request to continue work on Pearl Street, as previously petitioned under order 17-042. The gas company is proposing to finish the project which was never fully completed due to the lockout. In 2017, National Grid installed a new 4-inch plastic gas main in Pearl Street but never made the final connections to activate it. The remaining proposed work includes the digging of approximately 30 service trenches to transfer existing gas customers to the new gas main, and 4 connection pits to tie the new gas main to existing gas mains at the project limits to activate it. BELD: Please note, BELD has an 115,000 volt oil filled transmission line located on Pearl Street. BELD Engineering should be notified in advance of any excavation to be performed in close proximity to this line. BELD will provide onsite support and safety personnel at no cost to the project. BELD also has a 13,800 volt underground system on the road. This is a concrete encased duct bank to be identified through the Dig safe process. February 23, 2021 Department of Public Works Page 2 of 4 DPW: Pearl Street was totally reconstructed by the Town in 2018, including sidewalks with granite curbing, following completion of the Town’s watermain replacement project. As such, the roadway is under the moratorium which was enacted by the Council in 2015. For longitudinal trenches the moratorium is 10 years, and for transverse trenches, the moratorium is 5 years. However, given that National Grid’s gas main replacement project is not yet completed, and that the old gas main is still active and cannot be abandoned until additional work is completed. I recommend the petition for this road opening be granted given the following conditions can be met: National Grid shall be responsible for the complete restoration of Pearl Street and adjacent streets within the entire work limits to restore all disturbed areas to preconstruction conditions, including the following specific requirements: - National Grid shall perform a pre-construction video-survey documenting the existing conditions of roadways, sidewalks, curbing, striping, and any private property areas that may be affected by the work. - Certified letters shall be sent to all abutting residents notifying them of the reason for the project, describing the total restoration requirements, and providing contact information for questions. The letters shall also provide residents the opportunity to connect to gas during the project and make residents aware of the strict moratorium requirements should they choose not to connect at this time. - At the Town’s request, National Grid shall host a remote public meeting to make residents aware of the proposed work and allow residents to ask questions and voice concerns - National Grid shall perform a curb-to-curb resurfacing of Pearl Street, from Liberty Street to the Monatiquot River crossing (west of #234 Pearl St.), by way of a 2-inch mill and overlay, using MassDOT super-pave asphalt mix and QA/QC specifications. - National Grid shall resurface all sidewalks within the project limits and replace any granite curbing or concrete wheelchair ramps that are damaged during the work - All thermoplastic pavement markings shall be replaced in-kind immediately following the final paving We also recommend that the following requirement be added to the permit, if it is to be granted: “Neither National Grid nor any contractor is authorized to close any street or to close a direction of travel to facilitate their work without authorization from the Director of the Department of Public Works or the Highway Superintendent. The Chief of Police can also authorize a closure for a police or fire emergency. Construction zone traffic safety issues are to be addressed by using appropriate traffic control signs and devices and the use of police officers for traffic control to safely guide traffic through the work zone. If a closure is authorized by the DPW, it shall not be implemented until signs and police officers (where needed) are properly in place in conformity with the written plan prepared by the contractor’s engineer and approved by the DPW and Police Department.” Motion: by Councilor Mackin to Approve Order 21 001 Second: by Councilor Flaherty Vote: For (3 – Flaherty, Mackin, Ryan), Against (0), Absent (0), Abstain (0) February 23, 2021 Department of Public Works Page 3 of 4 It was unanimously voted to adjourn the meeting at 6:49p.m. Respectfully submitted, Susan M. Cimino Clerk of the Council Documents provided for Meeting • 21 001 National Grid Petition: Pearl Street Continuation of Order 17 042 or take up any action relative thereto February 23, 2021 Department of Public Works Page 4 of 4