NEWBURYPORT — Prone to flooding when conditions are right, Market Square could be a bit drier in the future if the City Council approves a $655,525 request from the mayor to replace a waterfront culvert.
Mayor Sean Reardon requested the City Council spend $655,525 from the city’s free cash account to replace the waterfront culvert during Tuesday night’s meeting. The City Council voted to send the transfer request to the Budget and Finance subcommittee minutes late.r
Chief of Staff Andrew Levine said the funding is designed to stop the flooding that occurs in Market Square.
“We have had a number of businesses let us know that they have had some flooding issues. We had a lot of rain and we have some bad drainage there,” he said.
Planning Director Andy Port also said flooding is not an unusual experience in Market Square.
“Those are old pipes and old culverts, so we need to get that water out to the river, faster,” he said.
Port added the money, if approved, would go to install a 5 to 6-foot-wide pipe between Market Square and the Merrimack River.
“This will allow the water to be conveyed quickly to the river, instead of pooling in Market Square for a day or two. This has also had an adverse effect on a number of businesses that have had to replace wood floors and things like that,” he said.
Reardon, according to his chief of staff, hopes to get the work done before the Market Landing Park construction and expansion project begins next spring.
The $11 million project is expected to convert a number of the city’s waterfront parking lots into additional park space, flanking the east and west sides of the 4.6-acre site.
“We want to do this before the park is built on top, otherwise we are just wasting taxpayer dollars by digging it up twice,” Port said.
The mayor also asked the City Council to transfer $40,000 from the Waterfront Park paid parking fund and $20,000 from the harbormaster retained earnings fund to the Market Landing Park construction and expansion project for temporary electrical service to the waterfront boardwalk and docks during construction.
The temporary electrical service project would also be bolstered by $20,000 from the Waterfront Trust for $80,000 total.
Port said the city wants to make sure that the Market Landing Park construction and expansion project does not affect the popular summer season.
“We want to make sure that there is still pedestrian lighting for the boardwalk, the park spaces and some electrical for the docks. So this is the best way to do that,” he said.
The measure was also referred to the Budget and Finance subcommittee by the City Council.
Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Newburyport for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.
Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Newburyport for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.
