State grant funding sought for upgrades to town water mains.

Byline: J.P. Ellery

WARREN - Inadequate water lines in two sections of town are part of what local officials have targeted for upgrade in the 2008 application for up to $800,000 in state Community Development Block Grant funds.

One of the earmarked areas is Bacon Street near the Warren Public Library downtown, according to Christopher J. Dunphy, senior planner-manager for the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission in West Springfield. The commission oversees CDBG projects.

"The water main in that street is awful," he told the Board of Selectmen Tuesday. "The water flow is completely inadequate for potable water and fire protection."

It is the same story in the Crescent and Nelson streets neighborhood off Southbridge Road, Mr. Dunphy said.

"The water main there (on Crescent Street) is in dreadful condition. It could fail at any time," he said.

Improvements in that section, Mr. Dunphy said, would piggyback prior infrastructure upgrades in the nearby Comins Pond Road area.

Throughout Warren, "many of your drainage systems also are extremely old and in need of upgrade," he informed selectmen.

However, infrastructure fixes are not the only focus of the grant application. The plan seeks additional funding for the domestic violence prevention program and downtown streetscape changes, particularly looking at improving the intersection of Routes 19 and 67 in the center of town near Bill's Citgo gas station.

"We just made an award for the Warren downtown project design," Mr. Dunphy said, "which was funded under the fiscal 2007 (CDBG) program, to Lenard Engineering Inc. of Auburn."

"I'm confident we'll see some progress in the downtown improvements," he said. "You can't expect things to happen overnight."

He said this year's upgrade in the Winthrop Terrace area of downtown is just a start. As additional improvements take place, he said, people will realize that when you put all the changes together, the downtown area will have a whole new face.

"These aren't quick fixes," Selectman Marc W. Richard said, "but there's been a tremendous amount of work done in Warren. We see terrific things coming."

Substantial state funding has been poured into the Main and North streets section of West Warren in recent years and the same is true for the Comings Pond Road area, just south of downtown.

Since 1999, Mr. Dunphy said in a follow-up interview yesterday, the town has received more than $5 million in CBDG funds.

About $450,000 is available from a past CDBG grant for improvements to Hobo Gendron Park in West Warren slated to start next spring. The playing fields at that park will be shut down next year during the work, officials said.

The grant application must be submitted by Feb. 15, Mr. Dunphy said, and the town should know by next summer if it has been successful.

Warren also is part of a separate grant seeking endeavor with the neighboring towns of Brookfield, Ware and Hardwick. In that instance, the town hopes for an additional $200,000 in housing rehabilitation funds and adult education money.

"We also are looking to add family support services as a complimentary service to the adult education," Mr. Dunphy said. "It would provide counseling, transportation and day care services for those who want to attend adult education."

The housing rehabilitation money, based on income criteria, is allocated to Warren residents in need of certain home upgrades. Money is provided interest free with no pay back as long as the homeowner retains ownership of the property for at least 15 years.