Could Town Build New Highway Garage at Current Site?

Could the town build a new highway garage at the current site on Old River Road?

Technically there are two potential options for rebuilding in the FEMA-designated floodplain but they are anything but practical, an engineer told the Permanent Municipal Building Committee Tuesday night.

The town is looking for property to build a new garage and plans to approach the owner of 5 Cherry Brook Road to look into that site, as detailed in this story.

Since some have raised the issue of rebuilding at the current site, Jeff Alberti, an engineer from Weston & Sampson told building committee members Tuesday that he talked to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection about the possibility.

One option would be to raise the entire site above "base flood plain elevation," including the access road, he said. Due to the abutting property that would also likely require access from River Road (Route 179), he said.

“That’s really not a feasible option,” Alberti said.

In addition to the fill that would be required and other issues, the town would have to compensate for the loss of floodplain by finding another property in the same “hydraulic reach” and create new floodplain area. 

The second choice would be to build at the current level with “wet” and “dry” floodproofing measures.  

That would involve a myriad of additional materials and building techniques and if the dry proofed areas were bigger than the existing facility, the town would have to find more “compensatory storage” to create a new floodplain area, according to the report. 

Under the scenario, the salt shed would have to be moved to another site or raised above floodplain, a move that would require even more "compensatory storage.” 

Alberti said his firm does not recommend such as route either, partially due to the Public Works Role as a first responder that would not want to be in a floodplain.

Neither option appealed to committee members, who agreed it didn't make sense to go to the expense and effort, only to remain in a floodplain. 

“You could easily spend as much additional here as buying a new place,” Dave Madigan said.

If there were “no option anywhere, ever, it would be something to look at,” added Karen Berry.