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| State will cover an added $25,000 cost overruns for Milford Trail |
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July 29, 2005 - Earlier this month, Milford Selectmen were told that the town could be on the hook to cover $25,000 in cost overruns for the Upper Charles Trail project. However, Senator Richard T. Moore (D-Uxbridge), at a recent meeting with state transportation officials and Selectman William Buckley sponsored by Moore and Rep. Marie J. Parente (D-Milford) in Parente’s State House office, the senator asked if the state highway department would cover the additional cost. This week, State Transportation Secretary John Cogliano notified Senator Moore that the state, not Milford taxpayers, would cover an additional $25,000 for anticipated project overruns. “I am delighted that Secretary Cogliano has been so helpful in helping to make this project fit within our local budget constraints,” Moore stated. The costs for the $1.4 million state and town-funded project have grown by $225,000 this summer. The state is responsible for overruns up to 10% of the $1.4 million construction cost after which the town is responsible for any additional overruns. Senator Moore’s request to Secretary Cogliano has resulted in the state assuming at least some of the additional expense of these overruns. The final project cost is still being refined as the construction continues. The project has grown over the amount originally budgeted, Upper Charles Trail Committee Chairman Reno DeLuzio informed selectmen on July 12, primarily because the amount of reusable fill needed to level the route was underestimated. Railroad tracks were also unexpectedly found underground along the railroad bed and had to be removed. In order to off-set the Town’s share of the $25,000 overrun, the selectmen followed DeLuzio's advice, and voted to eliminate $67,000 in interior landscaping. While the trail will still be lined with grass, DeLuzio said that many of the plants and shrubs originally proposed along the route would have to be eliminated unless final project numbers improved. The trail's three major entry points, at the Commuter Parking Lot across from Sacred Heart Church, at the Dunkin' Donuts on Main Street and at Louisa Lake would keep their landscaping as designed. Subsequently, the Selectmen also followed DeLuzio’s recommendation to modify the fencing plan thereby further off-setting the overrun cost by another $25,000. It may be possible to restore the project planting to the original design if the state is willing to assume some or all of the cost overruns that are due to unforeseen circumstances. Construction of the 3-mile trail through Milford began in May and is expected to end next spring. When complete, it will allow for biking, jogging, and in-line skating from the Sacred Heart Church Commuter Parking Lot to Deer Street just north of the I-495/Route 85 Overpass. Milford's Upper Charles Trail still needs Town Meeting approval for the Town’s share of funding for the second phase, which will link the trail to the Hopkinton town line and the Holliston Town Line. In all, the 27-mile Upper Charles Trail will link Milford with Holliston, Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham and Sherborn. |
