Elementary School Building Committee members on Tuesday spoke about recent conversations with neighbors regarding what Vertex managing director Jeff D’Amico called “hiccups” near the Charleswood School project site.

ESBC chair Jon Graziano said it seemed like an appropriate time to make board members aware of abutters’ concerns. Graziano noted Vertex representatives and ESBC member Mike Shepard largely are the ones responding to incidents that occurred over the past few weeks.

Graziano said feedback from abutters increased following Verizon’s moving of utility poles. He said Verizon’s work was completed, and now largely it is a matter of Eversource getting its lines onto the poles.

Verizon’s work presented a couple of challenges, Graziano said.

First, he explained, the ESBC has no control over the scheduling of Verizon’s work or how much advance notice was given about it.

“We did not get much notice. … We’re kind of at their mercy as to when they come out,” Graziano said. He acknowledged that neighbors’ concerns about not being notified are justified as the poles are moved close to driveways and affect them “in other disruptive ways.”

As a result, Graziano said, Shepard got a schedule from Verizon and communicated that to neighbors.

Pole placement damages sewer line

Next, the chairman spoke about what he called “a major incident.” It involved a “mixup” with dig safe markings following a snowfall. While placing a pole, Verizon damaged a sewer line, leaving a resident without use of the sewer system for part of a day.

Graziano noted Verizon got a crew out quickly to fix the problem. The neighbor “rightly requested” documentation from the company as to what happened.

“We will continue to push for that documentation” on the resident’s behalf, Graziano added, “for future insurance needs should they arise.”

D’Amico noted Verizon has moved all but two poles at the Marathon School driveway. He said there is a lingering dispute between Verizon and Eversource over who owns those poles that needs to be “sorted through.”

Better communication with neighbors planned

D’Amico said a good course of action is to set up a weekly email communication with neighbors as the roadwork begins in a couple of months.

The communication would let them know what work is coming up and what they may expect.

“It preemptively addresses anxiety. It is not going to resolve anger or annoyance,” D’Amico said. “I think it will go a long way and be helpful for the process.”

Communication will be better when it involves Hayden Rowe Street roadwork under the ESBC’s control, Graziano said. For example, he said, neighbors with plans to have work done on their homes will need to know what to tell trucks about getting in and out of their driveways.

Giving the abutters as much information as possible is key, agreed Shepard.

“We’re bound to have complaints,” he said. “We should try our best to get ahead of [them] so no one can say we did not do our best.”

Water discoloration raises questions

A couple of neighbors complained about water discoloration, Graziano reported. He said that the source of the problem likely was from work on the town’s water system.

D’Amico explained the discoloration occurs when the valve on the water line is first opened and “it comes like a tidal wave,” with all the sediment from the bottom getting churned up. He said the town’s Department of Public Works made a statement addressing the situation and indicating it should not be an ongoing issue.

New development resident concerned about trees

Finally, Graziano said he had heard from a new homeowner from the Newbury Glen development off Blueberry Lane, who is concerned about the number of trees left on the lot following clearing.

He noted the development lots were not being built until after the Charleswood School plans had been designed, finalized, filed and approved, and the area was cleared along the stated lines in the plans.

He said there is some screening going in along Newbury Glen and full screening at the parking lot (for headlights) but those new abutters “will absolutely be able to see the school.”

Graziano said there are no plans to redesign landscaping around the area.

In other business, the ESBC voted to authorize Vertex to hire a resident engineer from lowest bidder Pare Engineering to oversee Hayden Rowe Street roadwork. The cost is “not to exceed” $101,563.