Milton water tower project nearing bid phase

Milton officials are close to going out to bid for one of the town’s biggest projects: a 500,000-gallon water tower to be located on town-owned land on Federal Street next to the Rails to Trails.

Design work on the tower is just about complete, but Town Manager Kristy Rogers said the timetable for going out to bid is still fluid.

“Bidding around the holidays is difficult. If we are not out to bid in the next couple weeks, we’ll wait until January,” she said.

The tower would be about 130 feet high and 56 feet in diameter, similar in height to the town’s two existing water towers. Town officials say it will provide additional storage to meet daily demand and serve as a backup if the town’s two other towers are out of service for maintenance or repair. 

Town voters, by a 513-92 margin, approved borrowing $3.8 million for the project at a January 2024 referendum. 

That referendum also saw the approval of borrowing for two other projects. The first is a $1.78 million water main replacement project that would replace 3,900 linear feet of existing mains underneath Carey, Walnut, Magnolia, Reed and Mill streets. The project would include replacing valves, abandoning the existing main and repaving the roadway. At Walnut and Mill streets, the town would upgrade to an 8-inch main, while at Carey Street, the upgrade would be from a 2-inch main to a 6-inch main.

The second project is a $579,000 rehabilitation of the Chandler Street water treatment facility. The project would include upgrading the plant’s electric system, generator, chemical feeds and testing equipment, and leveling the concrete floor. 

At town council’s Nov. 4 meeting, Rogers said the water main project’s design plans are nearly 90% completed, and the town anticipates going to bid soon. Design plans for the Chandler Street project are not yet completed. 

All three projects were funded through loans granted by the state Water Infrastructure Advisory Council. Terms of the loans are for 20 years at a 2% interest rate, with interest-only payments during construction.