NAHANT — The Massachusetts Clean Water Board of Trustees issued the town an approximately $1.2 million low-interest loan for its water and sewer repair and replacement project.
At Special Town Meeting in 2021, residents voted to authorize the borrowing of up to $3 million to upgrade the town’s wastewater-collection system to be more reliable and energy-efficient. The sewer-system repair and replacement work aims to prevent sanitary sewer overflows and reduce inflow infiltration to the sewer system.
At a Board of Selectmen meeting Wednesday night, Town Administrator Tony Barletta said the Massachusetts State Revolving Fund loan, which was approved at a 2% interest rate, will go toward the town’s efforts to upgrade the Lowlands Pump Station on Ward Road, replace the aged force mains at Willow Road and the causeway, and repair the town’s sewer-collection system.
Barletta said the town completed the repair of its Lynnway force main last year, allowing it to shift focus to the second phase of its sewer-repair project — the Lowlands Pump Station.
“With these two contracts, we’re moving right along on what was previously approved at the Special Town Meeting a couple of years ago,” Barletta said.
Last week, the town hired Waterline Industries, based in New Hampshire, to upgrade the pump station for roughly $5.9 million. Barletta said the town estimated the project’s total cost will fall somewhere between $5.5 and $6 million.
Barletta said he is pleased that the project is currently on budget.
“We got a good price, right there in the middle. Our engineers are extremely happy with the company that won the bid,” Barletta said. “They said they came to all these voluntary pre-construction meetings, they went and toured our facility, and they asked some good questions. They’ve worked with them a million times and are very pleased with that company.”
After an eight-month design and planning period, Barletta said construction is expected to begin at the end of next summer and continue until the end of 2024 or beginning of 2025.
“It’s much needed and I’m glad things are coming together quite well,” Board of Selectmen Chair Mark Cullinan said.
