Cheshire Misses Out On Funding For Depot and Railroad Streets
CHESHIRE, Mass. – The town was not awarded funds to repair Depot and Railroad Streets.
Town Administrator Mark Webber had some bad news for the Board of Selectmen Tuesday and told them that they did not receive state funding to overhaul Depot and Railroad Streets.
"That is bad news," Chairwoman Carol Francesconi said. "That is disappointing Depot Street is such a mess."
Over the past few years, the town has pursued the state's complete streets program which provides qualifying communities with funding to improve streets, sidewalks, and intersections to better transportation for all travel modes.
In 2016 the town’s application was approved and given a score 98 and Francesconi said she felt mislead by Berkshire Regional Planning, the grant administrators, who made it sound as though the town was a shoo-in.
"I am disappointed I truly am," she said. "I was under the impression that this was a done deal…I just feel as though we were misled."
The town was planning to coincide the project with the installation of a new water line by the Water Department on Depot Street and Town Clerk Christine Emerson asked if the absence of the Complete Streets Funding would cause issues.
Selectman Robert Ciskowski said instead of a total repave, the Water Department would have to do patchwork.
Webber said he would contact the state to see where the town’s application didn’t hit the marks and to see who received the funding instead.
"I know they provide feedback on where you fell short and I will call them," he said.
In other business, the board heard from former Selectman Paul Astorino who asked them to get involved in the Board of Health’s decision to cut the compactor site’s hours by 40 percent.
"My phone rings and I am not a selectman anymore, but people still call me," he said. "I urge you people to get them up here…right now we went to the dump last Saturday and our garbage is going to stink until Friday. The bears in my neighborhood love it."
As of July 1, instead of being open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday the site is only open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday with fewer hours.
Astorino said the 19 hours the site is open may be the correct amount but felt they should be spread out to different days.
"They should have given it a little more thought they could have done something else," he said. "Then people might be able to accept it."
The Selectmen noted that the hours are totally under the Board of Health’s purview but agreed to have a discussion with them.
