Public works director Scott Sharpier outlines proposed culvert and sidewalk repairs

Scott Sharpier, the public works director, told the town meeting that a proposed capital-article request would finance repairs to drainage culverts and deteriorated sidewalks.

Sharpier said the town has roughly 75 culverts in varied conditions and described a failing corrugated metal pipe at Church Street that led to a temporary roadway patch after the pipe deteriorated. "The corrugated metal pipe you see below me deteriorated and failed, resulting in a roadway patch that lasted for a year," Sharpier said.

He said the town plans to use cured-in-place pipe — a fiberglass lining installed without open-cut excavation — to rehabilitate failing culverts. "It's cured-in-place pipe. It's new technology. It's better for the environment and it saves the community money," Sharpier said, adding the lining does not reduce flow capacity and is structurally sound.

Sharpier also noted the town maintains more than 32 miles of sidewalks and pointed to a severely deteriorated section on Church Street where runoff has eroded the sidewalk's backside. He said the area is unsafe and not ADA compliant, and that the capital article would fund spot repairs like the Church Street example or longer standalone sidewalk projects.

The presentation framed the capital article as a preventive investment to avoid recurring temporary patches and to address accessibility and safety concerns. The capital article is listed for consideration at the upcoming town meeting; Sharpier spoke to that item but did not report a vote in the remarks recorded here.