By Mary Macedo, Neighb News Correspondent
At its meeting on Monday, 12/2 the Fairhaven Board of Public Works discussed the replacement of the Tinkham Lane well, and an issue with a recent driveway waiver.
First the board discussed the third payment due to Dankris Builders Corporation for the water well being constructed at the Tinkham Lane pump station.
The well is one of several that provide drinking water to the town of Fairhaven. The Tinkham well consistently produces the most water, but has failed several times due to sand accumulation. The board decided to rebuild the well. BPW Superintendent Vincent Furtado told the board that a lot of progress has been made and it should be up and running soon.
The board approved the payment.
In another matter Mr. Furtado explained that the town is in the beginning stages of looking into a software system to monitor all the town’s permits. He said it would help town officials and board members be aware of proposed projects within the town.
Mr. Furtado also updated the board regarding adding stop signs on West Island. He said he contacted GCG Consulting, and had them look at the situation on the island. A traffic study in 2016 showed that traffic on the island did not meet the minimum standards required by the state to warrant a stop sign. However, other criteria are also taken into consideration, including accidents. After several recent accidents on Causeway Road, Mr. Furtado said he hoped GCG would find that stop signs are recommended.
In another matter Mr. Furtado said he has run into an issue with a driveway waiver they approved. He explained that he got a call from a resident/neighbor of the driveway waiver recipient on Goulart Memorial Drive. The neighbor said that the Zoning Board of Appeals had approved the garage with conditions, and that the driveway waiver violates the conditions. In a follow-up phone interview, Mr. Furtado said he had gotten a copy of the minutes from that meeting and the motion that was approved did not include any stipulations on the driveway. Typically, the BPW is responsible for changes to the town layout, such as driveway aprons, and the ZBA would be responsible for issues such as setbacks and lot coverage, etc.
Board member Robert Hobson said that this is one of the reasons he thinks neighbors should be notified when new driveways are being put it on their street.
In another matter Mr. Hobson asked Mr. Furtado if he has talked to the Town Administrator Mark Rees about moving the recycling center to Bridge Street.
Mr. Furtado said he did speak to Mr. Rees and he said as long as it meets Board of Health regulations, they can move it. BPW Chairperson Brian Wotton said that the BPW needs to set up a meeting with the Selectboard and the Board of Health so they can start the process of moving the recycling center as soon as possible.
In another matter Mr. Hobson also said that the board needs to discuss the possibility of the BPW taking over the tree department with the Selectboard and Mr. Rees as well.
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