CHESHIRE, Mass. — The Board of Selectmen squared away paperwork needed to go out to bid for the Sand Mill Road Bridge repair project and work is likely to start in the spring.
The board signed paperwork Tuesday that will be sent to the state Department of Transportation's Chapter 90 division to approve spending and the reimbursement for the project, estimated to cost between $150,000 and $250,000.
"Everything appears to be in line and we will be all set," Town Administrator Mark Webber said.
Earlier this month, the Selectmen were prepared to go out to bid as soon as possible but found the engineer never brought the project before the Conservation Commission and it was unknown if MassDOT Chapter 90 division had approved the final project estimate.
Because of this, officials decided to push the bid date out so they could gather some information.
After contacting MassDOT, Webber found that the engineers from Foresight Land Services did receive approval from the bridge division but not Chapter 90. Chapter 90 approval is needed to go out to bid.
Webber said the engineer has already published the legal notice to go out to bid and those who take out bid papers will receive an addendum when the project receives Chapter 90 approval.
"The engineer has already published the legal ad and they will now issue an addendum to all bidders who take out bid documents which would extend the bid date to a date to be determined," Webber said.
The bids were due on Dec. 15 at 2 p.m.
Selectwoman Carol Francesconi said they will also receive an addendum with any changes the Conservation Commission makes to the project because the commission has yet to hear from the engineers at all.
Francesconi said she felt the engineers should have known to do this.
"This bridge project has been doomed from day one and …it will be spring before we get the bid out never mind fixing it," she said. "The engineer does not have a stellar record with us right now so I am sure there is going to be some kind of mess going forward."
The small, two-lane bridge on the country road has been closed since early 2015 because of structural issues. That's forced some residents to make a four-mile detour just to get to their homes — and now they're facing a second winter with the bridge closed.
In other business, Selectman Paul Astorino shared some concerns he had over the 4-by-8-foot painting of the Cheshire Mammoth Cheese gifted to the town by local artist Leonard Stomski.
The canvas painting, now hanging upstairs, depicts the sending off of the Mammoth Cheese for the inauguration of Thomas Jefferson more than 200 years ago.
Astorino said the painting is only held up by hooks and is afraid it will be damaged.
"It is a canvas painting with no backing and that scares the hell out of me," Astorino said. "Someone just has to lean up against it and then we have a hole in it."
Webber said it was very difficult to hang the painting and they were afraid to damage it.
Astorino suggested having a carpenter look at the painting and perhaps install some sort of backing or see if the artist had any input.
"I wonder if they had this much trouble getting the cheese to Washington?" Selectman Robert Ciskowski asked.
Webber also announced that the ad for hiring a Department of Public Works superintendent has been published. He said the deadline for applications is Dec. 27 but the position will stay open until filled.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this article named a firm not connected to the bridge repair. iBerkshires regrets the error.
