LYNNFIELD — Residents of Edward Avenue, Tophet Road, and Cortland Lane expressed their frustrations regarding the roads’ conditions to members of the Select Board and town officials at the board’s meeting on Monday night.
Fred Boling called Cortland Lane, a road that he and his neighbors take to get to their street, “awful” and “embarrassing,” and said that Tophet Road is in “terrible condition.”
“I’ve lived for 47 years at this location, and I can’t remember ever in 47 years the road in front of my house being replaced,” Boling said. “If there’s a worse road in Lynnfield than Cortland, I’d like to see it.”
Robert Sharrio expressed his frustration at what he called a lack of transparency regarding road improvements. Stephanie Couey said that the most common complaint she has heard from people is that there is very little to no communication.
“A little over a year ago we got really excited because we were on the list (of streets planned for improvements),” Couey said. “May of last year I think, I came home one day, it was stripped up like, ‘This was actually happening,’ then nothing happened.”
Sharrio and Couey both said they contacted the offices of Lynnfield Center Water District Superintendent John Scenna and Director of Public Works John Tomasz offices to ask for more information on road repairs because both departments are involved with road work. Neither Sharrio nor Couey were satisfied with the responses they received.
Scenna responded to Couey and claimed that the Water District has put out several notices.
At the meeting, Scenna presented the list of roads and neighborhoods that are slated for improvements this year. The list includes the Walnut Street and Summer Street intersection, Edgemere Road, Bluejay Road, Heath Circle, Liberty Lane, parts of Lowell Street, and the Summer Street and Salem Street intersection. The Apple Hill neighborhood repair program is also part of the list.
Scenna also said that 2024 has seen a 20% increase in road costs from 2020, due to the impact of COVID-19 on the economy, the price of oil and labor, and the fact that the budget for road work this year is the highest the town has ever seen. The budget is made up of $550,000 in municipal contributions, $412,336 in Chapter 90 funds, $237,872 in other state funds, and $499,000 in special grants.
“This year in 2024, this is the highest spending on record in the community when it comes to full roadway work, special grants, Chapter 90, and the town’s allotment,” Scenna said.
