Phase 3 Sewer Funding Request Slated For May Town Meeting

ORLEANS – As construction on the second phase of sewering enters its final stages, the town is gearing up for the start of the third phase of work.

In May, an article will go before voters at the annual town meeting seeking approval of construction funding for the third phase, which calls for properties in the area of Arey’s Pond, Lonnie’s Pond, Crystal Lake and Pilgrim Lake to be tied into the town sewer system.

Tim Harrison of the town’s wastewater consultant, AECOM, told the select board Jan. 22 that as of now, the estimated cost of the phase three construction is just under $40 million. That price does not include programs such as the Cape and Islands Water Protection Fund that can provide grants and subsidies to lower the overall cost.

There are 237 properties that will be tied in to town sewer through the phase three work. Plans also outline an alternate area where the town can go out to bid on the cost of servicing an additional 30 properties in the area. Harrison said that would reduce the amount of work that would be required in future phases.

“By doing more in the Namequoit watershed here, we’re able to do less in the rest of the Namequoit watershed,” he said. The board voted unanimously in support of the alternate service area last week.

At last year’s annual town meeting, voters approved spending $960,000 to put together a design for the phase three work. If voters approve the construction funding in May, the project would go out to bid for a contractor in April 2026, with work to begin in June of that year. Substantial completion of phase three is anticipated to come in late 2028, according to a timeline presented to the select board.

Andrea Reed of the select board said that the town and AECOM should stress the broader community benefits that come with sewering as the town moves into the third phase of work.

“There’s a lot of work here, because we are sewering, that is a benefit to the local economy,” she said. “So we’ve got an environmental and an economic impact benefit that we don’t really talk about.”

A phase three informational meeting is scheduled for Feb. 4 at 5:30 p.m. in the Nauset Room of town hall. Residents can learn about the project and its timeline, as well as what they need to do to connect to the sewer system. 

Meanwhile, the second phase of sewering in the area of Meetinghouse Pond continues. Harrison said that as of Dec. 31, 81 percent of gravity mains in the area have been installed, as well as 82 percent of low-pressure mains. Final paving is anticipated in late spring and should be done by late fall, he said.

Work resumed on Main Street in East Orleans earlier this month, and Harrison said that final paving on the busy stretch should be done by June, if the current timetable holds up. Last year, work along Main Street drew concern and criticism from the Orleans Chamber of Commerce and local businesses which complained about the lack of communication related to work in the area and how the work stood to interrupt business.

“Everyone is aware of the desire for Main Street to have its final paving done, and we are pushing everybody to do that,” Harrison said.

Phase two work also will include upgrades to the wastewater treatment facility on Overland Way to mitigate noise issues. That work is expected to be done this winter or spring, Harrison said.

Email Ryan Bray at ryan@capecodchronicle.com