Princeton board weighs CIP, $1M in water funding and how to spend $218,000 left from lift‑station work

Princeton’s Board of Commissioners received a detailed Capital Improvement Plan April 6 and heard staff describe near‑term projects for water, sewer and streets alongside a multi‑year schedule for parks and public works.

The presentation by the town’s planner (Miss Marsh) described the CIP as a “living document” to be used during the coming budget cycle and at next year’s planning retreat. “As soon as you adopt this, which you don't need to adopt it tonight, you need to adopt it in in um with your budget,” she said, explaining that items listed in the FY26–27 column are intended to be prioritized for the coming fiscal year.

Staff told the board the town has roughly $1 million in funding approved for radio‑read water meters and related water projects. Miss Marsh said the board could adopt a resolution to apply for additional state water funding, but noted the application deadline: “If you meet again in April and want to do it, you can adopt a resolution to apply for water funding and we can put in application, but it has to be in by April the 30th.”

On the sewer side, staff described an amendment under review for the wastewater treatment plant that changes the planned technology and shifts the project schedule slightly. Separately, the town has about $218,000 left from construction of the Princeton Church lift station; staff offered choices for reusing those dollars on sewer‑related equipment. The options include reimbursement for a sampling device, purchase of a bypass pump, a service truck, a backhoe or one or more generators at lift stations. Miss Marsh summarized the tradeoffs and asked the board whether it preferred to reimburse the sampler, buy equipment, or a combination of items.

Members and staff discussed the repair‑versus‑replace question for existing equipment. Estimates shared in the meeting put a backhoe repair at roughly $20,000, while a new machine would cost “about $120,000 to $150,000” depending on options. Staff also presented preliminary generator quotes (multiple units with similar pricing) and said some figures were estimates while others were firm quotes.

Procedurally, staff recommended preparing an amendment to the consultant contract to assist with securing approvals and purchasing items; the firm’s fee would be $6,550, leaving about $211,640 available for equipment. The board directed staff to assemble formal quotes and pursue procurement steps, with final buy decisions to follow once bids and assessments are in hand.

What’s next: the board approved moving forward with grant applications where appropriate and asked staff to return with final cost quotes and a recommendation on which pieces of equipment to request from the state or to purchase with available funds.