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HomeMy WebLinkAboutVine Brook Drainage Committee report, 1937 June 8, 1937 Board of Selectmen Town of Lexington Gentlemen We submit herewith in duplicate report of the Vine Brook Drainage Committee appointed in accordance with vote passed at special Town Meeting held on September 21, 1936,- the appointment of the Committee by the 'Moderator having been completed by notifi- cation received from the Town Clerk on November 6, 1936,- the Committee being constituted as follows,- Edwin P. Worthen J. Henry Duffy • Roy A. Ferguson Robert H. Eldridge W.H.Ballard, Chairman • June 8, 1937 • Board of Selectmen Town of Lexington e.. Lexington, Mass. Gentlemen: The Vine Brook Drainage Committee created by a vote passed at a special town meeting on September 21, 1936 submits herewith to the Town of Lexington through you their report in accordance with the authorization of their appointment, viz: "Voted: That the Moderator appoint a Committee of five Town Meeting Members representative of all sections of the Town to study and investigate the Vine Brook Drainage situation, • and to make recommendation to the Town at the Annual Town Meeting in 1937 as to the advisability of undertaking con- struction work to improve Vine Brook Drainage". Lexington for many years has endeavored to reach a decision as to when and how it should improve the surface drainage conditions in the central and easterly portion of the Town known as the Vine Brook area. The Town in 1912 employed McClintock & Woodfall, engineers, to advise them as to the drainage of the Vine Brook area. Their report described the area and conditions in detail and in- cluded plans of the improvements which they felt would meet the needs of the Town. In 1927 the Planning Board announced that they had made "an extended study of the drainage situation and future development of the Vine Brook basin south of Mass. Avenue" and in 1928 the Town appropriated $1500. for Planning Board study and plans for Vine Brook Drainage. Metcalf & Eddy, engineers, were employed and completed a report under date of September 29, 1928 which report was published and sub- mitted to the voters of the Town by the Planning Board and Board of Selectmen under date of May 6, 1930. This report gave consideration only to the North . and South Branches and main channel above Hayes Lane. A committee of fifteen -2- was appointed on June 9, 1930 and made their report to the Town on March 23, 1931. This report appears on page 63 of the 1931 Town report. This committee included in their studies the section of the main channel from Hayes Lane to North Street and Butterfields Pond. In 1931 Metcalf & Eddy were authorized to prepare pre- liminary designs for this section of the Brook, In 1936 Metcalf & Eddy prepared a drainage report covering all of the five drainage areas in the Town and also prepared estimates of the cost of construction of main channel of Vine Brook in accordance with profiles prepared in the 1928 and 1931 reports. In 1936 the engineering department of the Town prepared a survey of areas ad- jacent to the Brook channel between Hayes Lane and Butterfields Pond, and did some. field work in connection with the same. The same Town Meeting which appointed this committee to study the Vine Brook question also appropriated $3,000. toward the cost of construction of culverts on Vine Brook at East Street and Bowsers Road on recommendation of the Selectmen that they proceed with this work in co-operation with the Work ProgressAdministra- tion authorities',it being estimated that the project would require $8,500. of Federal funds and $6,000. of Town funds. No work has been done at these points. We are informed by the .Selectmen that early in the fall of 1936 they filed with. the Federal authorities preliminary request for a Public Works Administration project in respect to the portion of Vine Brook adjacent to Massachusetts Avenue. No action has been taken by the Federal authorities on this preliminary application. Vine Brook has its source in the North Branch in the Lexington Reservoir area, and in the South Branch in the meadows on Marrett Road toward Follen Road, These Branches meet south of Vine Brook Road and flow in a general easterly direction under Vine Brook Road and Massachusetts Avenue, the Boston & Maine right of way, Sherman and Sheridan Streets, largely through a residential area, to Hayes Lane. -3 From this point the brook flows through meadow and farming area with street crossings at Bowser's Lane, East and North Streets to Butterfields Pond and under Lowell Street at the Lexington-Burlington line. Then the brook con- tinues at a lower level through the Burlington meadows, crossing Lexington Street recrossing Lowell Street in Burlington, and continuing on through Bedford where it joins the Shawsheen River. ' The Vine Brook district has an area of about 1840 acres or nearly, three square miles. • The citizens are justified in feeling that any plans recommended or any work undertaken should be based on sound engineering advice°and approach as nearly a permanent solution as is possible. • Your committee is convinced, therefore, that any study of this project must include not only the main channel of Vine Brook, but the North and South Branches, the reconstruction of the culvert at North Street, the possible future needs for a storage reservoir at Butterfields Pond, the probable future relocation and con- struction of Lowell Street as a part of the proposed Lowell Turnpike, and the change in conditions that may occur after completion of this project in respect to the flowage of Vine Brook through the adjoining Town of Burlington. We submit our recommendations in the following order,- #1 - Land Taking. #2 - Construction. - Flood storage - Butterfields Pond. -i-p4 - North and South Branches. • #5 - Betterments and Assessments. #6 - Estimated cost of #1 and #2. #7 - Financial facts. #8 - Future benefits. Metcalf & Eddy, The Selectmen, The Planning Board, and all previous Committees, have, wisely, in their reports, considered the improvement of the Vine Brook Area -4 . both as a drainage problem and in its relation to and effect upon other and resulting conditions. This project will provide a location for a new law-level sewer southerly from Hayes Lane. It will also provide an opportunity, when needed, to lay out new streets and install water mains and extend surface drainage facilities. Vine Brook must not only be protected but there must be opportunity for full access to it at all times . In farming areas temporary • low dams may be placed in the channel to prevent the water table from falling too low during the growing season. Convinced from our studies that the Metcalf & Eddy reports are sound, and emphatic in our opinion that the Town should secure to its self every advantage that may accrue when this work is undertaken our first, recommendation is in reference to land takings. #1 - Land Taking. We recommend that the Town acquire by purchase or eminent domain for surface and sanitary drainage purposes the land necessary to deepen, widen, straighten and relocate the main channel of Vine Brook and its North and South Branches, change its location from its present channel, construct closed conduits in place of open channels, and change the direction, volume and rapidity of the flow of the said Brook and its Branches and of any surface or underground water flowing into it. We recommend land takings or purchases have a width of 150' through the meadow and farm areas from North Street to Hayes Lane; a width of 25' for conduit use from Hayes Lane to the Town Hall property on Massachusetts Avenue; a width of 60' from Massachusetts Avenue to the North Branchand along the North Branch to Waltham St.; and a width of 150' from Vine Brook Road over the relocated North and South Branches to Marrett Road. #2 - Construction. The latest study of Vine Brook, made by the engineers, provides for an open channel from North Street to near the foot of Sheridan Street-. In places - -5- through flat land - this channel will be 35 feet wide. Here, as elsewhere', land takings should bear relation to the width of the brook. From the foot of Sheridan Street to Vine Brook Road the original reconnaendation was a 72 inch closed conduit laid some eight feet below the bottom of the present brook at Massachusetts Avenue. This we recommend be changed to a 78 inch conduit to be extended southerly from Vine Brook Road some 150 feet to the present junction of the North and South Branches, also from the foot of Sheridan Street to Hayes Lane as there are a number of houses backing up and fairly close to the brook in this area. The closed 78" conduit will be laid with tight joints. There will be catch-basin connections at all highways and such additional catch basins as may be necessary for surface water in land below street levels. As to the capacity of this conduit, we are advised by the Superintendent of Public Works that "the main channel of Vine Brook was designed by Metcalf & Eddy to take care of the run- off from a two year frequency storm after the tributary area (south of Mass. Ave.) shall have become developed with 25% of impervious surfaces". (roads, roofs, sidewalks drives etc.) Well developed areas near the centre have about 27% impervious surfaces. And "the main channel has been designed with a capacity sufficient, to carry away all the water which would be represented by a depth of 7.2 inches over the entire drainage areas within 24 hours". We recommend that the Town provide funds and authorize the Selectmen to com- plete the necessary borings, surveys, plans and specifications so that they may report to the Town in detail as to the estimated costs of the work recommended 'from North Street to the junction of the North and South Branches, and such sup- plementary work as may be needed on the North and South Branches to Waltham St. and Winthrop Road. -6w 3 - Flood Storage - Butterfieldis Pond. Consideration of this item has not previously been presented to the citizens. Your committee recommend that it is advisable this be given careful engineering study. We recommend that the Engineering Department, at the direction of the Selectmen, consider utilizing Butterfieldts Pond as a flood-control Basin, having in mind its relation to the section of Vine Brook from the Town Line down stream to Lexington Street in Burlington. This study should include such changes in Lowell Street at Butterfieldts Pond as may develop as a part of the Lowell Turnpike project re- commended by the Mass. Highway Department. #4 - North and South Branches. Under #2 we recommended the Town secure the necessary engineering data which would permit construction of the entire main channel as far as the junction of the North and South Branches 150* south of Vine Brook Road. Your committee does not undertake to say how or when or if ever the development of the area south of Mass. Avenue, as contemplated by the Planning Board in the' 1930 Report, will require consideration. It is our opinion that the construction work on the main channel will, for the present, provide adequate drainage for the area served by the North and South Branches. We recommend that the Town secure (#1) such land by purchase or eminent domain as will give the Town complete control of the land required for the existing North and South Branches and proposed future channel locations throughout this area. That, in connection with and as a part of the construction work on the main channel the present South Branch be lowered to the new level at the junction point and tapered in level to Winthrop Road. That the North Branch be similarily lowered to Waltham Street. That if and when the owners of a substantial amount of land in these areas south of Mass. Avenue shall petition the Town for any part or all of the drainage -7- • work contemplated by the Metcalf & Eddy Report such construction work and improvements be undertaken in accordance with an agreement and plan approved by the land owners and the Town. Following completion of recommendations 1 and 2, we recommend the improvement of part or all of the North and South Branches, to be undertaken on petition of the owners having a substantial frontage on the land acquired by the Town for future drainage purposes, such improvement to be in accordance with an agreement and plan to be approved by the land owners and the Town. #5 - Betterments and Assessments. We do not recommend separate assessment of betterments for the work which we LtAkelm ‘-`i'uuc4'l . lL have recommended as immediately desirable.^since land will be acquired on both sides of the stream and the consequent improvement in value will be taken into consideration in determining appropriate compensation. #6 - Estimated costs. Your committee was not provided with any funds. le were therefore limited in our work mainly to a consideration of the problems on the basis of studies al- ready made. From these studies and reports we estimate the work that we have re- commended as immediately desirable under #1 - #2 - #3 will cost from $200,000 to $250,000. Of necessity this estimate is not based upon present day costs. A closer figure can only be obtained when engineering work has been completed and detailed plans and specifications prepared. #7 - Financial Facts. We are informed that to secure the funds for this project the sum of $5500 will in 1937 (should the work be undertaken this year) have to be transferred from available funds or in 1938 or later years be appropriated and assessed; that the Town may borrow for not more than. thirty years the balance of the funds required. The bonded debt of the Town in 1931 was $922,500. On Dec. 31, 1937 it will be $373,500 if no further permanent loans are authorized before that time. The Townts borrowing capacity inside the debt limit will, under the same conditions, be -8W $505,000 on Dec. 31, 1937. The reduction in the Town debt between 1931 and 1937 and the corresponding increase in the borrowing capacity inside the debt limit of $505,000 as of Dec. 31, 1937 will indicate that the Town is now in far better financial condition to give this project favorable consideration than they were on. May 6, 1930, the date on which the Selectmen and the Planning Board pub- lished and distributed the first Metcalf & Eddy report to the Town. - Future Benefits. Completion of the improvements to Vine Brook will maintain present land values throughout the drainage area and will create and induce the use for desirable residential purposes large areas not suitable for such use at the present time. This, in turn, will increase the assessable values of land and buildings in this area, thus providing a substantial contribution toward principal of maturing bonds and interest. Early in this report we referred to the fact that the Selectmen had made \'-` application to the authorities that certain sections of the work on Vine Brook be considered as Federal projects. In the opinion of your Committee the Massachusetts Avenue section, which consists of laying a 78" pipe 81 lower than the bed of Vine Brook, and the installation of a low-level sewer, under 4 streets and the B. & lvT. R. R. is such as to require skilled help as well as able supervision. We believe a better, quicker, and possibly a less expensive job will result if this section is done under competitive contract. The construction of the open ditch from North Street to Hayes Lane is a very different proposition and could be undertaken by Town labor or as a Federal project. In considering whether the Town should undertake this project at the present time and whether all or what part of the work should be done, we have had continuous help and co-operation on the part of the Selectmen and of John W. Raymond, Jr., Superintendent of Public Works and the Engineering Department. Mr. Raymond was employed by and represented Metcalf & Eddy in their survey and report to the -9- Planning Board and Selectmen dated September 29, 1928. In so far as we can estimate the needs and growth of Lexington for the next thirty years the changes and improvements to this portion of the main channel of Vine Brook outlined herein will be ample for all surface drainage needs. The completion of the work will result in direct and indirect benefits not only to the immediate areas concerned but to the Town as a whole. We believe the work of deepening, widening, straightening and relocating • Vine Brook should be done and without further unnecessary postponement. We are unanimous in recommending that the Town proceed at once substantially as set forth herein. Vine Brook Drainage Committee G47t6 79 ;ei'fL44r i ' a 67:61,4 • -10-