The refurbishing of the drainage systems at the intersection of Front and Pleasant streets and on Depot Street is complete, DPW Superintendent Joseph Sokul said on Tuesday. Work will begin soon on Main and High streets.
That work is expected to be completed by the end of November, he said. The project will then be shut down until the spring. At that point, the second phase of the project, rebuilding the sidewalks and roadways of those five streets, will begin, he said. A. Perriera Construction of Ludlow is doing the work.
This work is covered by a $443,000 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, said Sokul. The town had been trying to obtain the funds since 2006 and was turned down twice before it was awarded the money last year.
Meanwhile, the town has hired the architectural firm of Drummey, Rosane, Anderson of Newton to begin the design work to upgrade the Ramsdell Library and make the building accessible to the handicapped.
The design phase of the project is covered by a $75,000 Library Access Barrier Removal grant from the state, said Sokul. The architectural firm
The library grant was "very competitive," drawing a total of nine bidders, said Sokul. A design selectmen committee whittled the field down to four finalists before finally awarding the bid to DRA, he said.
"[DRA has] a great deal of experience working on libraries," said Sokul. The firm has done similar work on the North Adams Library.
The firm has already begun preliminary work on the building. At this point, said Sokul, the town is looking at several funding sources for the actual renovation. Previous estimates have been near $2 million, but town officials have held off on estimates until DRA makes a presentation.
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