Selectboard authorizes temporary fix after inspection finds collapsed pipe under Route 107

The Selectboard authorized a temporary repair to a damaged sewer supply line that serves the town building after a June 10 camera inspection found the pipe under Route 107 partially collapsed, reducing flow to about half capacity.

The inspection, conducted by town staff with representatives of Basdc Septic Inspection, found two of three distribution boxes (D-boxes) functioning and confirmed that the leach bed itself was still accepting effluent. Jared, who participated in the field inspection, said, "the system is in fact actually functioning to the best of its ability," but that a damaged main line under the roadway must be repaired for full function.

Why it matters: the damaged line limits wastewater flow from the building and affects long-term system reliability. Staff described two steps: authorize a temporary, in‑house repair to backfill and restore disrupted pipe sections so the system will operate safely in the short term, and solicit engineering plans that will determine permitting, whether boring under the road or excavating and re‑routing the line, followed by an RFP for the permanent replacement.

Board members discussed logistics raised in the inspection: the need to locate a missing third distribution box, significant tree removal to access buried infrastructure, and the possibility of constructing an access maintenance road down the hillside so trucks and pumping equipment can reach the leach field. Staff said the leach field itself remains serviceable and that the proposed temporary repair would allow continued operation while engineers produce formal plans and cost estimates.

Next steps: the board instructed staff to have the road agent perform the temporary repair and to press the engineering firm to produce drawings and a permitting path. If the engineers recommend a new alignment or a bore under Route 107, the town will pursue an RFP for the full replacement; tree removal and right‑of‑way or easement issues may be required depending on the chosen route.