I hope Amherst Town Meeting members will ask hard questions about the DPW’s request to re-allocate $4 million initially approved in 2011 for upgrades to the Centennial Water Treatment Plant.
There is a report from Tighe and Bond on the town’s website dated November 2010 which looks at the upgrades the plant needs. Given that Town Meeting approved the money in 2011, I’m unsure why this work has not already been done.
The town instead has chosen to hire another consultant to look at the issue. Deferred maintenance can be very costly, as Northampton found out. They are facing a $31 million upgrade to their wastewater plant.
Sarah Serwa
Amherst