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Work Under Way on Clarksburg's East Road Bridge

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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Maxymillian construction has started work on the East Road Bridge. It is expected to be completed next month.
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The long-anticipated reconstruction of the East Road bridge is under way more than a year after it was closed to traffic.

J.H. Maxymillian construction has removed the roadway and earth was being dug out on Thursday from around the failing culvert through which Kenyon Brook empties into the North Branch.

The work is a welcome site for homeowners on upper East Road and Daniels Road, who've had to take the long way around to get to Route 8 (River Road).

The bridge had been targeted for replacement after being damaged several years ago but fell victim to Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011. Undermining of the roadway forced its closure while town officials pursued state and federal help for the $275,000 project.

Not until August, after all appeals for aid was rejected, did the town award the contract using Chapter 90 funds.

Town Administrator Thomas Webb said on Wednesday the work should be extended to replace a sewer line under the brook that had been damaged by a previous storm.

"We've got a gabion in there to protect the sewer line," he said. "We're going to try to get a price from Maxymillian for that, too, because if that's something we can do while they're here, it makes sense."

Selectman Carl McKinney said the gabions — chicken-wired squares filled with rocks — had been put in place because of "the initial assault on the bridge." The cost to repair and protect the line had been $30,000.

"The gabions did their work, during Hurricane Irene," he said. "Although [Irene] did extensive damage to the bridge itself, the gabions did their job and the sewer line is intact."

But that had always been considered a temporary repair, he said, until the bridge was ready to be replaced.

"We don't want to be coming back and revisiting this in a year or two or three or five," said McKinney. "So we'll see where the costs go on that."

The bridge itself is expected to be reopened next month. Work has also started on Gates Avenue, where a culvert was washed out by Irene.

Tags: bridge,   Irene,   road project,   road work,   

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Clarksburg Gets 3 Years of Free Cash Certified

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Town officials have heaved a sigh of relief with the state's certification of free cash for the first time in more than three years.
 
The town's parade of employees through its financial offices the past few years put it behind on closing out its fiscal years between 2021 and 2023. A new treasurer and two part-time accountants have been working the past year in closing the books and filing with the state.
 
The result is the town will have $571,000 in free cash on hand as it begins budget deliberations. However, town meeting last year voted that any free cash be used to replenish the stabilization account
 
Some $231,000 in stabilization was used last year to reduce the tax rate — draining the account. The town's had minimal reserves for the past nine months.
 
Chairman Robert Norcross said he didn't want residents to think the town was suddenly flush with cash. 
 
"We have to keep in mind that we have no money in the stabilization fund and we now have a free cash, so we have now got to replenish that account," he said. "So it's not like we have this money to spend ... most of it will go into the stabilization fund." 
 
The account's been hit several times over the past few fiscal years in place of free cash, which has normally been used for capital spending, to offset the budget and to refill stabilization. Free cash was last used in fiscal 2020.
 
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