Shall the Town of Hampton vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $246,500 for the purpose of replacing the Eaton Park Culvert and the associated Arch Pipe Culvert crossing under Park Avenue to Kid’s Kingdom Parking Lot as the existing Eaton Park culvert is deteriorated and safety improvements into Kid’s Kingdom need to be made; and for the replacement of a major existing 24″ drainage culvert under Park Avenue with two culverts to provide adequate flow for the drainage received from the area of High Street, Towle Avenue, Academy Avenue, Tuck Field, Park Avenue, and Winnacunnet Road, as the current culverts are undersized and deteriorated, causing drainage obstructions and reduced flows and cannot be constructed as a larger sized culvert without interfering with an adjacent sewer main. The sum shall be used for the engineering, design, permitting, and construction of the culverts. This shall be a non-lapsing appropriation per RSA32:7, VI and shall not lapse until the culverts are installed or by March 1, 2022, whichever is sooner?
What it means: The existing Eaton Park Culvert is undersized and deteriorated, causing drainage obstructions and reduced rate of water flow. It is not feasible to replace one larger culvert without interfering with an adjacent sewer main. Thus, two culverts are being proposed. The project will entail construction of a new larger drainage manhole (DMH), a new catch basin (CB) and a reconstructed head wall. The cost for this, and the associated Arch Pipe Culvert will be $246,500.
Those in favor say: This drainage project will alleviate flooding within Tuck Field Parking lot, improve safety for the roadway into King’s Kingdom Parking Area and will improve water flow in a large adjacent area. The improvements to King’s Kingdom that were approved by voters on last year’s Warrant cannot be completed until these culvert issues along Park Avenue are resolved. Additionally, a representative from the Mosquito Control Commission stated that the drainage issue is contributing to a larger-than-normal mosquito population in the area, and that will hopefully also be resolved with this project.
Those against say: No one spoke against this article at theDeliberativeSession.
Fiscal impact: The $246,500 cost in 2019 will create an additional tax cost for the average Hampton home valued at $405,000 of $29.78. (Take your property value divided by 1000 and multiply by .073 to get your specific tax impact.) This decision affects the current year only.