Brentwood board outlines targeted inspection approach, escrow use for SFC Engineering site reviews

Board members and staff spent an extended portion of the meeting setting policy expectations for SFC Engineering's site inspections of developments, balancing the need for oversight with reasonable inspection frequency and cost recovery.

Town engineer Tara Aalina and land-use administrator Mark Kennedy recommended that inspections focus on features that could become municipal liabilities—roads, driveway work within the right of way, sewer and water crossings under roadways, drainage swales, and stormwater-management structures. "I want to make sure that those that are under the roadway are pressure tested because someday they may be ours," Kennedy said.

Members discussed using a pre-construction meeting to agree on inspection milestones and a two-week look-ahead schedule from contractors so SFC can target visits to threshold activities such as pressure testing or culvert installation. The group agreed erosion controls should be checked after storm events and that inspections should be purposeful rather than routine without a specific issue to evaluate.

The board also reviewed escrow and bonding practices. Staff said an escrow account commonly starts at $3,000 and engineering bills are paid from that account; applicants are required to replenish escrow funds or face a stop-work order. "If it won't cover it, we'll have to ask them to provide more money," staff said. The board stressed that engineering firms perform inspections for the town and that costs should be managed through town-administered escrow accounts rather than direct payments from developers.

The board asked staff and SFC Engineering to develop a checklist and a clearer process for inspection frequency, threshold triggers for visits, billing practices and the pre-construction meeting outcomes so applicants know expectations up front.