SAUGUS — The town is seeking bidders to remove and replace more than 5,000 feet of water main as part of its 2022 Water Main Improvements Project.
The approximately 5,500 linear feet of water mains stretch along Stone Street, Oakwood Avenue, Mt. Ridgeway Road, Atlantic Avenue, Wonderland Avenue, Alice Street, Harvard Avenue, and Kenwood Square. The construction work sought by the town includes both removal and replacement of water mains along those streets, according to Town Manager Scott Crabtree.
Crabtree said the water main replacement program is ongoing, and the project is coordinated in conjunction with Saugus’s street management paving program, part of a capital improvement plan. The town also has a capital improvement plan regarding sewer work.
The Department of Public Works coordinates with National Grid to ensure the work is not scheduled when pre-existing production on gas lines or roadwork is set to happen, according to Crabtree.
The work will entail “furnishing and installing hydrants, water services, valves, fittings; temporary water supply during construction; connections to the existing system; pavement replacement; and all appurtenances and incidental work necessary to complete this contract,” a legal notice containing the invitation to bid reads.
Bidding for the work closes on Nov. 2, at which point bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. Crabtree explained that the town will undergo a public process before awarding the bid.
The repair work would not begin until spring or summer of 2023, Crabtree said.
The water main improvements had previously been approved by both the Finance Committee and Town Meeting, according to Crabtree.
“This was something that the representative Town Meeting members were given the information on this project and have an opportunity to vote and support this, so without Finance Committee and Town Meeting’s support, obviously these projects wouldn’t be funded and be able to move forward,” he said.
Crabtree said he did not have an estimate for the cost of the water main work readily available.
The town is also seeking bidders for a 2022 Pavement Repairs Project, which is similar to the water main work, an annual maintenance performed by the town that is funded in part with Chapter 90 funds from the state. Crabtree said that work is a “planned annual event,” and bids will close on Nov. 2 at 11 a.m.
Charlie McKenna can be reached at [email protected].
