Milton council approves water improvement plan

Milton Town Council unanimously approved a seven-year water capital improvement plan June 7, plotting out the town’s next series of infrastructure upgrades.

The town’s water committee identified nine projects to take on over the next one to seven years. Town Manager Kristy Rogers said how projects are prioritized will depend on what the committee recommends to town council. The town will be able to jump into a project fairly soon, after receiving $1.6 million in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. Rogers said that funding has a narrow scope of what the town can use it on, but one area is water, sewer or broadband infrastructure upgrades. She said town council will hold a workshop  in July or August to explore potential funding uses. 

Three of the projects on the list are either close to completion or close to getting underway. 

The town has already installed a new drinking water well near Shipbuilder’s Village, and an accompanying water treatment facility is close to going online. The town is also set to begin construction of water main upgrades on Atlantic Avenue, Chestnut Street and Atlantic Street out to Cave Neck Road. Funding for this project was provided by a $1.67 million state loan, which will be 100 percent forgiven once construction is complete. Rogers said the contractor is awaiting approval of a schedule, but once that happens, construction is expected to last six months. 

Among the other projects are a planned upgrade of the existing water treatment plant on Chandler Street, in the shadow of the downtown water tower. This project will see the facility get upgraded electric, a new generator, testing equipment, chemical feeds and a new concrete floor. 

This project has been on the water committee’s radar for some time, but Public Works Director Greg Wingo has said he wanted to hold off on it until the Shipbuilder’s treatment facility was online, as the Chandler Street facility would be upgraded with similar technology. 

In late 2019, the town closed on a deal to purchase 4 acres of land on Federal Street adjacent to the new Rails to Trails. The land was intended to be used for water infrastructure upgrades, and two of those upgrades made the seven-year plan.

First, the town plans to install a new well and treatment facility on that property with a backup generator. For later, town officials have discussed putting in a new 500,000-gallon water tower. While the only location specifics in the capital plan say it should be on the south end of town, use of the Federal Street property for a new tower has been discussed. 

Finally, the plan calls for water main upgrades on Mill Street, Carey Street and Walnut Street. The Mill Street and Walnut Street upgrades would require road restoration as part of the project. Carey Street is a connector street that runs between Lavinia Street and Lake Drive.