Updates on Public Works Projects

(2/22) Director of Public Works Joseph Birch updated the Burgess and Commissioners on the status of multiple projects in town.

The Green Street project is waiting on bids from Wilson T. Ballard an engineering and consulting firm specializing in the planning and design of public works projects. Last spring a brief investigation of a portion of cracked asphalt about 40 feet from Maple Avenue on Green Street showed a breach to the storm drain underneath. The town hired a company to send a camera into the drain along Green Street from Fulton Street to Maple Avenue to inspect the 50-year-old galvanized pipes and they were found to be severely deteriorated.

The estimates range from a patch to the known breach at $25,482 to a total replacement of everything from the Colony Village to George street for $1,951,982 million which was recommended in a 2020 stormwater study.

The Department of Public Works has been upgrading the town's water meters in the Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) project. The new technology automatically collects data pertaining to consumption, diagnostic and meter status without needing a physical presence to collect it. The data will be used for billing, troubleshooting, and analyzing the meters for town staff as well as customers via a special portal.

DPW Staff are going door to door to talk to residents about upgrading their meters. An estimated 1500 water meters throughout the town will require the upgrade. Glade Manor one and two have just finished their first round totaling 50 meters and Glade Towne will be next followed by Old Town, Westfield, Colony Village and Fountain Rock Manor in no particular order. DPW will be utilizing the town website and Facebook page to communicate the development they are working in.

Recently Commissioner Gary Baker and Town Planner Sean Williams attended a meeting to kick off a feasibility study surrounding the construction of a micro sewer plant. The plant would treat discharge water coming from the water plant. Currently Walkersville pays Frederick County an expensive sewer discharge fee and this project would help in reducing that expense. A few years ago, when the town was awarded ARPA funds the concept of a micro sewer plant was discussed but no action was taken. This was also before the construction of the new water plant. Currently only a feasibility study will be done to determine if the project is needed.

A COVID 19 ethics update is expected to happen in the next few months. The state reviews the ethics chapter in the code and requires municipalities to follow suit. "We’ve done nothing wrong," said Town Manager Sean Williams "This is done every so often." He explained that there will be a few things that will need to be changed to be compliant with state.