The Department of Public Works met with the Capital Planning Committee this week and presented its capital requests for the town’s highway, water, sewer and stormwater drainage needs.
This was the Capital Planning Committee’s second meeting of the budget cycle leading up to Annual Town Meeting next Spring. The committee picked up from Dec. 10th, when the town management presented an overview of $5.26 million in capital budget requests for Fiscal Year 2027.
From the Jan. 8th, 2026 meeting:
$5 Million Highway Garage in FY2028
The DPW’s five-year capital plan includes a $5 million line item for highway garage renovations and improvements in FY2028, which begins on July 1, 2027. This has been moving up on the DPW’s capital plan over the past few years. It was mentioned briefly and noted in the presentation materials, but there was no discussion as it’s not this coming year.
Highway Division
The DPW requested $305,000 for the Highway Division in FY2027, including:
- $100,000 in annual road paving
- $110,000 for a one-ton highway pickup truck replacement
- $50,000 for flail mower trackless attachment
- $45,000 for an asphalt hot box
The DPW director said the local road paving appropriation is combined with state Chapter 90 funds. DPW forecasting shows the town could potentially see a reduction in the local appropriation by 2029, he said.
The $50,000 flail mower attachment helps mow vegetation and right-of-way corridors. Here comes the surprise: a Canadian company makes this equipment and it comes with a tariff fee of almost $6,000. This is the first time we have seen this come up at a town meeting. When committee members asked questions, the DPW director said he didn’t believe there were other compatible options given the needs.
The DPW is also requesting $45,000 for an asphalt hot box to help fill potholes and with excavation. With a hot box, the highway department could work across seasons with more flexibility. The DPW has typically had to discard half its asphalt loads in the winter.
While there were no capital requests for Woodlawn Cemetery, the DPW plans to work with the Community Preservation Committee to explore historic funding opportunities through the Community Preservation Act.
Solid Waste
There is one request here: $80,000 for a solid waste pickup truck with a plow. With a rotting frame, the DPW director said the current model is not expected to pass its next inspection. The truck will be used for the transfer station and as part of the town’s snow plow fleet during the winter.
The truck would be paid for out of the Solid Waste Enterprise fund, which is generated by transfer station fees (vehicle permits and blue bags) and a Town Meeting appropriation from the General Fund.
Stormwater Drainage Fund
In 2024, Special Town Meeting approved Article 4 and established a Stormwater Utility Enterprise Fund, with revenue to be generated through the assessment of a Stormwater Utility Fee. For the first year, the Select Board voted to adopt a $95 stormwater drainage fee at a public hearing last March. Check your mailbox; these bills have recently been sent.
These fees will be collected to pay for stormwater-related capital expenses, instead of having to rely on the General Fund. For FY2027, the DPW made no asks related to stormwater culvert improvements and requested $230,000 for stormwater drainage upgrades.
Storm Drainage and Other Work Near the Groton School Road Bridge
Instead of requesting culvert improvement funds, in FY2027, the DPW will focus on a stormwater culvert project on Groton School Road.
Here is some background: In 2020, the DPW patched the road over the bridge along Groton School Road (Route 111), near the Groton town line. This followed inspections by the DPW and the Nashua River Watershed Association (Source: June 10, 2020 Ayer Select Board meeting video). But this was a temporary fix. In April 2025, Ayer’s Annual Town Meeting approved Article 13 and appropriated $2.6 million for the Groton School Road Culvert project.
In FY2027, the DPW will continue with the design, permitting and bidding for the Groton School Road Culvert project, which was approved as a stormwater drainage capital improvement project.
At this week’s meeting, we learned the DPW also plans to redesign/rehab the collection system leading to the nearby Groton School Road Pump Station in FY2027. This falls under Inflow/Infiltration Repairs, which are funded out of the Wastewater Enterprise Fund. While this isn’t a surprise, we are including this because we have tried to follow work in this area through the capital planning process.
Water and Wastewater
Here are a few of the requests:
Annual Water Main Rehab and Replacement. The DPW requested $550,000 for annual water main rehabilitation and replacement. Most years, the DPW requests $350,000 to $400,000, but after seeing less of a return recently, the DPW wants to be more aggressive in putting down utilities under roads, the director said. This funding will cover 2,100 feet of roadway along Grove Street, Elm Street, Church Street and Forest Street.
Water Security Improvements. There was a line item with an estimated $125,000 for water security improvements in the meeting materials. Safeguarding the town’s water supply and systems would be the goal of these improvements. Because the DPW is still gathering estimates, there was no presentation. Emphasizing the importance of this, the Capital Planning Committee members urged the DPW director to come back with a proposal.
PFAs. There is some good news on PFAs. Ayer has two PFAs treatment plants, one near Grove Pond and one near Spectacle Pond. The DPW withdrew two requests, including a $250,000 Grove Pond AIX Media Replacement and a $175,000 Spectacle Pond GAC Media Replacement. This is because the town has started to receive PFAs-related litigation funds and is required to use these for PFAS-related costs, according to the meeting discussion and slideshow presentation.
As a result, Ayer rate payers will not have to pay for these expenses. Previously, the U.S. Army – which funded construction of the Grove Pond PFAs treatment plant – paid for the replacements there. The town was due to start paying in January 2026.
PFAs contamination was first detected in Ayer’s water in 2016, according to the water department webpage. Later, the contamination was linked to firefighting foam used at the former Fort Devens Army base. The U.S. Army went on to fund construction of the Grove Pond PFAs treatment plant.
Completed in 2020, the Grove Pond facility was the first PFAS treatment plant to operate in Massachusetts, according to Lowell Sun coverage.
PFAs treatment began at Grove Pond in Nov. 2020. While reaching the project finish line was a positive, there have been complications. The PFAs treatment plant significantly reduced the town’s water pumping capacity, which impacted residents and industry, forcing some companies to reduce water consumption at times.
To address this, the town has worked on a project – a Clearwell Storage Tank and Finished Pumping Station, with funding from the U.S. Army. Visit the town’s project webpage for updates.
To write this article, we attended this meeting and referenced the DPW’s Jan. 8th meeting presentation. You can read this presentation on the Town of Ayer’s website and see photos associated with the requests.
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