Milton water tower construction begins

Construction crews have begun working to build Milton’s new water tower on Federal Street. 

Town Manager Kristy Rogers said the project is expected to take 18 months to complete.

The 500,000-gallon water tower will 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 other towers are out of service for maintenance or repair. The $3.8 million project was approved by voters at a referendum in January 2024. 

The tower is one of four water infrastructure projects undertaken by the town this summer. Next to the water tower is a new water treatment plant on town-owned land on Federal Street next to the rails to trails. The work, which began in June, involves building an electrical power feed extension, constructing a water treatment building, making driveway improvements and installing a well pump. The project also includes raw water piping to the treatment building, and installing water treatment equipment, chemical feed systems, finished water piping, and electrical power and controls. Building the plant coincided with tapping a new well on the same site. 

The $1.6 million project was funded through a federal grant via the American Rescue Plan Act. The Federal Street project was  identified as a priority by the town’s water committee, and officials have been working on it for several years. Use of ARPA funds is limited, with possible uses including water infrastructure, revenue recovery, broadband, housing or sewer projects. The land at 416 Federal St. was purchased in December 2019 with water infrastructure in mind. 

At the beginning of June, the town undertook replacing all of the town’s water meters, and work on that project is expected to last through September. Town officials say the project will help make the water department much more efficient, with bills getting out much sooner. Contractor Core and Main will also put in a data read collection system on existing town administrative computers and perform annual software maintenance on the system.

The project is being funded with $1.5 million in funds raised by the bond issue as part of the special development district for the Granary at Draper Farm development. The $1 million is part of the first tranche of money from the Granary funds, with the town matching $500,000. 

In July, work began on a $1.78 million water main project to replace 3,900 linear feet of existing mains underneath Carey, Walnut, Magnolia, Reed and Mill streets. Work will include replacing valves, abandoning the existing main and repaving the roadway. At Walnut and Mill streets, the town will upgrade to an 8-inch main, while at Carey Street, the upgrade will be from a 2-inch main to a 6-inch main. Work on the project is expected to last into late fall. As with the water tower, borrowing for this project was approved by voters in January 2024. 

Finally, Maryland-based contractor KMT Mechanical has begun work to rehabilitate the Chandler Street water treatment facility. The project will include upgrading the plant’s electric system, generator, chemical feeds and testing equipment, and leveling the concrete floor. The Chandler Street project was also approved in the 2024 referendum. 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.