Town center project could begin in fall 2024
BILLERICA >> The timeline for the planned renovations of the town center is becoming clearer as Town Manager John Curran said he expects construction to begin in 2024 if the project is approved by the Select Board and at Town Meeting.
Curran said during the May 22 Select Board meeting that he hopes to have the final design for consideration by the Select Board this August. If it is approved at Town Meeting, either in the fall or next spring, Curran said it would go out to bid in June 2024, with construction tentatively slated to begin that September.
If all goes well, Curran said it would be about a two-year project with completion estimated in the summer of 2026.
Curran said he also estimates that the town center project will require about $20 million in funding. He is hoping for a $3 million federal earmark, $5 million from Massworks and to be able to utilize free cash and Chapter 90 funds over the course of the project.
“We should be able to do it without really impacting the tax rate,” Curran told the Select Board.
The project will impact the area around the green in the town center, including parts of Boston Road, Andover Road, Cummings Street, Blanchard Avenue and River Street, including lane reductions in some spots and additional lanes in others.
A similar proposal to renovate the town center was brought forward in 2012 and was approved by Town Meeting members that fall. Just a few weeks later, voters overwhelmingly rejected the project in a special election. Curran said in March that 11 years later, Billerica residents have warmed up again to the idea of the town center being renovated. Some town officials still have concerns about the project, however.
Select Board member
Michael Rosa said during the May 22 meeting that he feels the potential $20 million price tag gains the town “very, very little,” in terms of traffic flow.
“In some cases, we are going backwards,” said Rosa. “When you look at their 2032 analysis, we go further backwards.”
Rosa was also concerned about the proposed parking arrangements along the section of Boston Road by the center, in which the existing angled parking may be replaced with parallel parking. He also felt uneasy about using Chapter 90 funds in such a concentrated part of town.
Select Board member John Burrows echoed those concerns, saying he didn’t see “the value for our buck” in the plan.
Curran noted that the plan is a “working document” and the funding sources would become more definite as it continues to be worked on.
“The point is, I just wanted the board to know that I am trying to find a way to do this with the least amount of [tax] impact possible,” said Curran.
Select Board member Andrew Deslaurier said the town center, as it exists right now, “does not work.”
“This design we are contemplating tonight looks to ameliorate not only to affect traffic times but to increase interest in actually spending time in the center, which no one wants to
do right now,” said Deslaurier. “The center is a glorified traffic island that people avoid other than election years to hold a sign and wave at people not looking at it.”
Select Board member Kim Conway said the project would help to make Billerica a place people from out of town want to visit.
“I think we could be a desirable place to come with this addition,” said Conway.
The town center project will be the main subject of the June 13 neighborhood meeting at Town Hall, Curran said, where a presentation on the project will be made and residents can ask questions and voice concerns about the project. Other neighborhood meetings are also scheduled for June 12 at the Hajjar School, June 14 at Peggy Hannon Rizza Park and June 15 at the Pinehurst Fire Station, all of which will be in a hybrid format and will begin at 6:30 p.m.