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August
27, 2007
Controversy
on roundabout continues |
By STEPHEN BEALE
Union Leader
Correspondents
GOFFSTOWN -
The town Public Works director last week challenged claims that a roundabout under construction on one of the most heavily traveled roads in town is over budget or behind schedule.
Construction on the Grasmere roundabout began later in 2006 than originally planned as the town recovered from severe flooding in May. By the time the roundabout had been roughed in, the curbing contractors had headed south for the winter, so town workers had to pave the apron so it could be finished this year, according to Carl Quiram, the director of the department.
Work resumed in June. Now, as the end of the summer approaches, the roundabout has yet to be completed and frustration is mounting among residents who thought the project was supposed to be over two months ago.
In June, a news report incorrectly stated that the project would be completed by the end of the month, Quiram said in an interview last week. A cobblestone apron was done by the end of the month but that left the sidewalk, drainage, and reclamation of the pavement on Center Street and Henry Bridge Road, Quiram said.
The pace of the project now very much depends on the schedules of subcontractors as well as the weather, according to Quiram. This week, he said he hopes the remaining curbing will installed.
A private contractor is also slated to tackle the bridge this week, but that phase of the project could be postponed for a few weeks if Public Service of New Hampshire does not move a utility pole that is in the way, Quiram noted.
A number of other odds and ends remain to be done, Quiram said. “We have to raise the manhole and catch basin structures to the new asphalt grade,” Quiram wrote in an e-mail. “The sidewalks would follow. We have a stone wall to replace, driveways to tie into the new road. I would think that we have 3 more weeks if all goes well but it should not be as disruptive to traffic as it has been.”
The cost of the project has been another sticking point for many residents. The Goffstown Residents Association, which now boasts nearly 500 members, has published several unsigned editorials on its Web site this summer rapping the Public Works Department for the apparent delays as well as being over budget for many projects, among them the roundabout.
“There’s no question we have a sizeable number of GRA members who have gripes with the DPW,” said Guy Caron, chairman of the Association. “Certainly, some are legitimate while others are no doubt born of lack of information or misunderstanding.”
In fact, the roundabout has stayed within its budget, Quiram said last week. The overall cost of the project, including the roundabout, bridge, and reconstruction of two roads that feed into the roundabout is still about $420,000. The roundabout itself is estimated to cost roughly $98,000.
Caron said the Goffstown Residents Association cannot “arbitrarily filter” articles, letters, and editorials from its members. The association’s online site, Caron said, is meant to be a sounding board for residents to vent their feelings and positions.
He said he had offered Quiram a chance to publish a weekly column on the site, in an effort to keep the public better informed and quell some of the criticism directed at the department.
But not all residents are upset over the roundabout. Selectman Phil D’Avanza said many of his constituents have told him they are happy with it. Those that are not, he added, usually complain that it makes traffic too slow, which is precisely what it is supposed to do, D’Avanza said.
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