Obstacles to Berlin airport project eased
Toolbox
By David Delcore TIMES ARGUS STAFF - Published: November 4, 2009
BERLIN – There are still some details to be worked out and permits to be amended, but the selectboard appears willing to reverse its earlier position banning trucks from hauling 150,000 cubic yards of fill excavated from E.F. Knapp Airport along the town-owned portion of Airport Road.
The work is part of an extensive taxiway and apron construction project at the Berlin airport. The issue of what will happen to the extensive fill material and what roads will carry the heavy dump truck traffic has sparked concerns in both Berlin and neighboring Barre.
Confronted with Pike Industries' proposal to reclaim and repave the 4.5-mile stretch of town highway located between Scott Hill Road and the Barre Town line, board members indicated a willingness to entertain the idea, provided Pike put the specifics of its proposal in writing.
Among other things board members want to know when the hauling will start next spring, how long it is expected to last, and how soon Pike will make good on its promise to reclaim the already-deteriorated road that would be subjected to a tremendous pounding if the new route is approved. Board members are also interested in how deep Pike plans to excavate the road during the reclamation project and the particulars of the repaving plan.
One unsettled issue that surfaced during Monday night's discussion involves whether the contractor hired to do the hauling for the federally funded airport upgrade would consider extending the reclamation project all the way to the entrance of Scott Hill Road. That would add perhaps 300 feet of paving to the work Pike has offered to perform at no cost to the town in order to allay concerns that surfaced in neighboring Barre when officials there learned that the permitted truck route runs right through the heart of their downtown.
Road Foreman Richard Tetreault said he wasn't concerned about Barre, but he was worried that the recently floated proposal stopped a few hundred feet short of where it should in his estimation.
"I wouldn't accept this unless you guys go past that entrance," he said of the Scott Hill Road intersection. "The 10-wheelers turning there is one of the biggest problems … pivoting on that pavement."
Although Pike representatives Jay Perkins and Mark Peloquin said the section of road in question was rebuilt by the state not long ago and would not be adversely affected by the truck trips, they agreed to look into the possibility of extending the post-hauling paving project.
With Berlin's blessing, Peloquin said Pike can pursue an amendment to its Act 250 land-use permit revising the truck route and enabling it to haul most of the fill from the airport to a site at the Bond Auto warehouse on Prospect Street Extension in nearby Barre Town.
"There are still some hurdles even if you folks approve it," he added.
Assuming Pike can address issues associated with wetlands on the Bond property and obtain the necessary permit amendment, the fill will be used as the base for a new community recreation field for Barre Town.
The compromise got a thumbs-up from a state Agency of Transportation official, who said it addressed Barre's concerns involving truck traffic through its downtown, has been endorsed by Barre Town, and would provide Berlin with a no-cost upgrade to a deteriorated stretch of road.
"We support Pike's proposal I can tell you that," Scott Fortney told the selectboard. "It seems like a good deal to me."
Fortney's observation came on a night when Perkins and Peloquin were quizzed about why an alternative that would have minimized the use of Airport Road – essentially hauling the fill across the street to land owned by developer Henry LaGue – was not pursued.
Though he did not name LaGue, Perkins said an "opportunistic" attempt to "take advantage of a permit situation" prompted Pike to look elsewhere.
"There was a tipping fee associated with dumping the fill there (LaGue's land)," he explained. "We would rather spend our money hauling it just a little bit further doing a repair job for the town and creating at … least the foundation for a ball field … than get into a quarter of a million dollars worth of tipping fees."
Still, Perkins acknowledged the Bond auto site was a significantly shorter trip than the one that would have involved driving through downtown Barre and up to Websterville.
"That's what creates the savings so that we can make the investment in the road," Perkins said.
Perkins agreed to provide the board with the information it requested before it meets in two weeks.
The board is expected to make a decision at that time.
In another road-related matter, board members were told that the federally funded reconstruction of Paine Turnpike from the four corners to the Montpelier city line is progressing on scheduled.
Town Administrator Jeff Schulz said state officials are confident construction money will be approved at the federal level by the Dec. 1 deadline and the town should be able to award a construction contract by Jan. 1 as required.
Schulz said the project will go out to bid in the next couple of weeks and if all goes as planned the road will be repaved early next summer.
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