by Joan Eliyesil ·
Friday, October 25, 2024
Department of Public Works Director Tim Kilhart is leaving Harvard Nov. 1, but he had two final capital requests for fiscal 2026 and some good news to share with the Capital Planning and Investment Committee at its Oct. 17 meeting.
On the request side, Kilhart is asking for $175,000 for a new roadside mower and $200,000 to supplement Chapter 90 funds for road repairs. As for the good news, he applied for and received a $1.5 million grant from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Municipal Pavement Program.
Earlier this year, MassDOT awarded $50 million in funds to improve the condition of municipally owned state numbered routes in 45 towns. Harvard’s Route 110, Still River Road, qualified, and will be repaved when the money becomes available. “My parting gift to the town,” he told CPIC members.
Kilhart said the roadside mower was not due to be replaced until fiscal 2028. What was on the DPW’s capital plan for fiscal 2026 was a new heavy-duty dump truck. But Kilhart told the committee the state is imposing new environmental regulations on heavy-duty trucks that will make it impossible to buy one until at least fiscal 2027. Meanwhile, the roadside mower, used for six months of the year to keep brush from narrowing the roads, is in bad shape.
Kilhart said the mower is breaking down more frequently, repairs are getting expensive, and it was out of service a lot of the time last year while waiting for parts. He said the department is “welding welds of welds” on the mower head, which would cost $35,000 to replace. He added that the internal brakes also need to be replaced, and that they would cost $10,000.
Since purchasing the truck is not an option for next year, Kilhart told the committee he would like to swap the truck with the roadside mower in his capital plan. The price of the mower is about $200,000, but the company that gave Kilhart the quote offered $25,000 trade-in for the existing mower. He told the committee that even if the truck were available, he would still want to swap it with the mower because of its frequent breakdowns.
Kilhart is also asking for $200,000 to supplement the $350,000 of Chapter 90 funds that the town receives from the state each year for road repair. He told the committee Chapter 90 has been level-funded for over 15 years, and the amount the town receives doesn’t keep pace with the cost of materials needed to pave the town’s roads. CPIC has been recommending this supplement annually for the past five years.
The next CPIC meeting is scheduled for Oct. 31, when the Parks and Recreation Commission will present its requests. School requests will be presented at the following CPIC meeting, scheduled for Nov. 7.