Council authorizes $70,000 in DEP funds for additional stormwater cleaning and inspection

City engineering consultants gave an extended presentation on the condition of the municipal stormwater system and proposed multi-phase improvements, and the council authorized an additional $70,000 of DEP grant funds to continue cleaning and camera inspection work.

The consultant described a prioritized focus area (including Mill Mall, Hyde Brook and Washington Street) and estimated the priority-phase work at roughly $6.2 million. The presentation explained options such as upsizing pipes, adding detention or conveyance capacity, and performing targeted open-swale work rather than full street excavation. The consultant also described the survey, geotechnical and easement work needed to bring projects to bid.

On the immediate funding question, the council approved adding $70,000 from the DEP grant pot to bring Vortex back to complete CCTV inspection and clean lines that were plugged during the first pass. The motion carried by voice vote; the transcript shows council discussion about sources of grant and loan funds (including a $2.2 million DEP allocation, a low-interest 1% loan of roughly $8.6 million, earmarks and other grants) and requests from some members for a written funding summary before larger reallocations are made.

Councilors asked staff to provide clearer written documentation showing which funds are committed, which are loan balances and which are earmarks, and some members said they preferred to postpone broader reallocations until that documentation is available. The approved $70,000 is within the consultant's presentation as a DEP-grant-funded expansion of the study and inspection work.