Hartford Ave. sewer project, water meter changes planned

While residents of the Greenville Avenue section of town have dealt with a sewer and water line extension project, work to extend sewer lines further west up Hartford Avenue will soon begin.

According to Jamie Samons, public affairs manager with the Narragansett Bay Commission (NBC) the organization advertised a sewer line extension project for Hartford Avenue in April and opened bids for the work on May 30. The low bidder was D’Ambra Construction at about $1.65 million. The proposal will be considered at the organization’s June 20 meeting.

“That will take sewer service up into that potential industrial area along Hartford Avenue,” said Samons, who added that the sewer extension would add 5,400 linear feet of piping under Hartford Avenue to Bellfield Drive. “Hopefully, it’s a relatively easy construction and will probably be a 12- to 18-month project.”

If everything goes according to schedule at the June NBC meeting, construction of the sewer system could begin this fall. Unlike the Greenville Avenue project, public water service is already available in the area.

“We have approximately 156 acres of commercial developable property on both sides of Hartford Avenue in that area. We also have a church that doesn’t have access to sewers,” said Mayor Joseph Polisena. “That’s our future, right off the highway with no issues with traffic, but no one is going to come there unless there’s both sewer and water.”

According to Polisena, changes were made with the Rhode Island Department of Transportation to postpone their plans to repave sections of Hartford Avenue, a project that was slated to begin this year, until 2018 after the sewer work is completed.

“That’s the next important area for development in our town. I truly believe we could use a hotel, and I’d like to see a mixed use for those available properties along Route 6, like a little village of stores or condominiums for those 55 and older,” said Polisena.

The mayor added that the town hopes to use a bond to pay for the project and, once hookups begin, principal and interest will be paid back.

“My prediction is, not to use an old cliché, but if you build it, they will come,” said Polisena. “This won’t be on the ratepayer’s back and it won’t be on the taxpayer’s back who are not serviced by Johnston.”

New water meters

In addition to sewer extensions, those connected to the town’s water system will see additional future changes. According to Polisena, the system’s water meters are outdated, and to read them the town has to physically see those meters by knocking on residents’ doors to gain access to the devices.

“I know for a fact that people are stealing water. If I did some work, I could prove it. We’ll go to someone’s house and they’ll give us a hard time to go in. We’ll read their meter, and we’ll see that they have an in-ground pool and sprinklers, and their water bill for six months is $210,” said the mayor. “What they’ll do is disconnect the meter, and they attached the pipes together so they’re not getting charged. They run the risk of contaminating the system by doing that, which is a big headache.”

The new meters, along with a new quarterly billing system, will soon take effect. The devices will now be able to be read remotely and will contain an alarm that prevents tampering. The new system will allow the town to analyze all the devices over a seven- to 10-day period, as opposed to five to six months with the current system. Ample notice will be given to residents for the installation of the devices.

“It’s a felony to mess with municipal water, and I will prosecute them until I turn blue if we catch them,” said Polisena. “This is going to modernize our system, and it’s long overdue.”

Total cost of the replacement is approximately $500,000 for meters and installation, which will be paid back by the town’s more than 1,800 ratepayers over a two-year timeframe. Old meters will be given to the Department of Public Works, which will scrap the old brass devices to recoup some revenue. Work will be completed by Millennium Water, the company responsible for maintenance and service of the town’s water system. 

“I’m trying to distribute the costs fair and equitably for everybody,” said Polisena.