Shall the Town of Hampton vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $850,000 for the purpose of replacing the Locke Road vitrified clay sewer line and the surface and closed drainage systems that services part of the street followed by the paving of the entire roadway, said costs to include survey and engineering. Reconstruction of the roadway may include traffic calming structures or other improvements to assist in controlling the speed of vehicles. The application of new pavement will occur in the year following the installation of the sewer and drainage replacement systems to allow for the proper settlement of the excavated roadbed. This will be a non-lapsing appropriation per RSA 32:7, VI and shall not lapse until the work is completed or by March 31, 2024, whichever is sooner? (Majority vote required)
What it means: This expenditure is required in order to replace the pipes and drainage systems under Locke Road and to subsequently pave over the top of the repaired infrastructure.
Those in favor say: Locke Road is in poor condition, and has been on the CIP list for some time. Sewer lines are clay and weak or broken joints allow groundwater to run through the sewer system. DPW Director stated that we use about 350 Million gallons of water each year, 98% of which should be expected to flow through the Wastewater Treatment Plan. But in reality, over 900 Million gallons are being treated at the plant. This is because groundwater is infiltrating though cracked or broken pipes or pipe joints. That unnecessary processing is taking capacity away from our legitimate need for the treatment of wastewater, and if not addressed, will require further expansion of the Wastewater Treatment Plant in the future at a great expense to taxpayers.
Those against say: One speaker expressed skepticism about whether the pipe needed to be replaced, and was seeking images of the pipes to be assured that the fix is really needed.
Fiscal impact: If Article 20 is approved, it will create an additional one-time tax cost of $90.40 for a Hampton home valued at $400,000. Take your property value divided by 1000 times .0226 to get your cost.