The Winchester City Council received an update earlier this month on the multi-million dollar water system upgrades that have been under construction since earlier this summer.
Reg Benton of Benton & Associates provided the update at the September 4th meeting saying all but one water main in the city’s limits was completed, with the lone exception being the one on Cherry Street. The Cherry Street water main was completed the following week.
Winchester Mayor Rex McIntire said that the entire project was well over halfway done financially. He said the Cherry Street, Route 104 main had a bond situation that needed to be straightened out, resulting in the delay. McIntire said that services would be completed within the month. Benton told the council that the majority of the work would be completed in October. McIntire says that though that clean up and grass seeding would have to wait until the Spring to make the project fully complete.
Benton said at the meeting that the project had not had any change order, resulting in the project staying at or below budget. McIntire has stressed patience to the community due to the mess of the work. He says that the patience will pay off with a more reliable water system for everyone.
McIntire and Winchester Utility Superintendent John Simmons praised the contractor on the project Laverdiere Construction for the the work they’ve been doing. Several workers helped city crews with the clean up from the straight-line wind storm that struck the town at the end of August. McIntire says they’ve been a pleasure to work with.
The over $2.5 million utility project has been an undertaking of considerable size, says McIntire, but he believes it will set up the city substantially in the future when it comes to courting business to town and providing quality utilities to the current citizens.