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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-09-24-HATS-min Hanscom Are Towns Committee Meeting Minutes September 24, 2019 Attending. HATS Selectmen Jonathan Dwyer, Lincoln, chair, Linda Escobedo, Concord, Mike Rosenberg, Bed- ford Other HATS members Steve Gladsone, Lincoln Planning Board, Mark Siegenthaler, Bedford Planning Board. Others. Jessica Casserly, Hanscom Air Force Base public information, Anthony Gallagher, Massport community relations; L. Miara, Lincoln; Kate McEneaney, Concord Planning Board; Mark Hayden and Mark Fedele, construction engineers, and Brian Fallon, design manager, district office, Massachuetts Department of Transportation. The transportation engineers reported on the status of a number of projects in the region • Middlesex Turnpike (Phase 3), Bedford and Billerica. Mr. Hayden said the project runs from the corner of Plank Street northerly almost to Nutting Lake. The work is 39 percent finished; completion is expected in 2023. Total cost of the Middlesex Turnpike project is $35 million.Getting utilities to move poles is an impedi- ment, he reported, and seems to be a problem on every job. • Route 2 from Alewife Brook Parkway to the Arlington-Lexington line Mr Hayden said this $14 million project to upgrade lighting is in the procurement stage,with work scheduled to begin in October The current lighting has reached the end of its life span. • Route 2 resurfacing from the Spring Street interchange through Lexington, Belmont, Arlington and Cambridge. Mr. Fedele said the $7.2 million project did not involve milling; paving has been finished and strip- ing is next. He said the project, which involved a new consistency of asphalt, was executed faster than expected. • Route 2 resurfacing from Crosby Corner in Concord westerly to Acton Mr Hayden said this "mill and fill"work is scheduled to be completed in August 2020 Work will move from west to east, so the area around the Concord Rotary can be finished sooner. There will be some realignment at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue to slow traffic; the parking area for MCI-Concord is there. Wheelchair access will be installed. • Bruce Freman Rail Trail (Phase 2C), Concord. Mr. Fedele said the work is done and it came out great. Select Board Member Escobedo said that"people are thrilled."Mr. Fallon said the next phase,with a price tag of$107 million, will include a bridge over Route 2 and an animal crossing Bids will be opened in January • Route 2A, Lexington, replacement of the overpass at Route 128 Mr Fallon said there will be a shared use path on one side. Roundabouts are planned where ramps intersect. The project is at 25 percent design but is not on the Transportation Improvement Plan. • Route 2A resurfacing and related work, Route 128 westerly to Crosby Corner. The engineers said plans are to mill and replace two inches of pavement.They have been meeting with representatives of Minute Man National Historical Park, Hanscom Air Force Base and Massachusetts Port Authority This is a maintenance project, there are no plans for major changes, although there will be an effort to identify improvements for cycl- ists and pedestrians. Current plans are conceptual, work is projected for 2024. In answer to a question from Se- lectman Rosenberg, it was noted that the schedule could be accelerated to avoid affecting the 250th anniversary of the start of the Amercan Revolution in 2025. Asked by Selectman Dwyer about pavement marking, Mr. Fal- lon said they will look for opportunities but there will not be widening. • Minuteman Rail Trail extension, Bedford, from South Rd to the Concord town line, including a shared- use path on Railroad Avenue and Route 62 underpass. There wll be a design public hearing soon on the $7.6 milion project, which is on the 2022 TIP. • Route 126, Lincoln, railroad bridge replacement. The $5.9 million includes reconstruction of a multi- use path, the engineers said. The bridge needs to be raised by three feet to accommodate double-deck trains. The project will be advertised in January 2021 • Route 2, Concord Rotary replacement with an interchange The work, estimated at $103 9 million, is in preliminary design and not on any upcoming transportation plan. • Route 2, Concord,bridge over the Sudbury River. The $9.2 million project is not included on a TIP. The bridge is structurally deficient, the engineers said. • Route 2, Concord, reconstruction and widening of Route 2 to three through lanes from the railroad bridge easterly to Sandy Pond Road This is an early conceptual design project Selectman Dwyer asked how towns can best coordinate with Mass DOT about projects' impact on local condi- tions. Mr. Fallon noted that the department contacts all utility owners in advance. He acknowledged Selectman Dwyer's concern about recessed striping and said there are effots to correct that. Asked by Selectman Dwyer about the impact of pre-treatment for snow and ice removal on the new asphalt, he said it doesn't affect roads but could affect bridges Municipal hiuhithts Select Board Member Escobedo said a reuse planning committee has started work addressing the 44-acre Su- perfund site near the Acton line Plans call for federal cleanup to residential standard, which will take another four to six years Also, the town has received a grant from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council concerning a proposed overlay district in the Thoreau Street area. She said the town is considering ways to better manage tour buses. Selectman Rosenberg reported that Bedford's special town meeting on Nov. 4 will consider a number of pro- posed charter changes, including renaming selectmen to select board Another article will amend local zoning to allow separate structures as accessory dwelling units Selectman Dwyer said Lincoln was awarded a $132,000 Complete Streets grant for a path that connects the resident commuter lot and pocket park through Codman Farm to its roadside path. He also reported that the new Hanscom elementary school is open. The town has adopted a composting program. He also noted that Lincoln is now providing more information on projects,part of an effort to foster volunteer involvement and participation. Hanscom Air Force Base, Hanscom Field Ms. Casserly also acknowledged the elementary school opening. It is connected to the new middle school, which opened on base in 2016, she said. The base recently hosted the highest enlisted non-commissioned officer of the Air Force. Select Board Member Escobedo asked about a recent Hanscom AFB notice seeking 190 addi- tional personnel Ms Casserly said this may be related to mission growth, she will research the details Mr Gal- lagher said the Massport Community Advisory Committee's annual meeting is scheduled for Oct 10 Future meeting topics BJ Dunn, superintendent of Minute Man National Historical Park, is scheduled for Oct. 24. Col. Chad Ellsworth, commander of the 66th Air Base Group at Hanscom AFB, is scheduled for Nov 21 Selectman Dwyer said he will conact the Eastern Middlesex Mosquoto Control office for a future meeting presentation The minutes of the meeing of June 27, 2019 were approved as amended, 3-0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:51 p.m.