Selectmen move ahead on River Road study and Housing Trust lease

SHARON — Continuing momentum to find a solution for the significant erosion along a stretch of River Road, the Sharon Board of Selectmen discussed the need for a comprehensive engineering assessment at their regular meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 9.

First Selectman Casey Flanagan reported that Cardinal Engineering has performed an initial assessment and recommends the next step of taking field borings to determine the presence of stabilizing ledge beneath the surface. Cardinal estimates that borings on the east side of the road, the Housatonic River side, would cost $21,000 to complete, but they also recommend similar borings on the west side of the road for an additional $7,500.

If the stabilization is to be done on the east side that is eroding away, plans could call for a retaining wall structure, but if underlying ledge can be found on the west side of the road, away from the river, then the road could be shifted a bit to the west. A stumbling block to that plan is that boring work would need to occur on a patch of private property, a vacant lot, where the town has been unable to locate the property owner for access permission.

Flanagan recommended pursuing the study on both sides of the road, expecting that the town will continue efforts to reach the property owner.

An option to lease the Community Center property for one year to the Sharon Housing Trust was approved by the selectmen, who sent the proposed contract on to the Board of Finance for review.

Flanagan explained that the lease option would afford the housing trust a year to develop estimated costs of renovation to the building if it is to be converted into four affordable housing apartments.

Seeking to clarify how the town enters into contracts in general, the Board of Finance has moved to study the process of how contracts are awarded.

Finance board vice-chair Jessica Fowler had created a list of questions inviting responses from the selectmen.

“We want to support you with a better understanding of the town’s contracts,” Fowler said, indicating that the finance board wants clarification on existing town contracts, suggesting a future joint meeting between the Board of Finance and the selectmen to cement that understanding.

Flanagan sought a definition of “large impact” contracts. “Different contracts carry different impacts,” he said, citing a yearly fuel contract as opposed to something like Town Hall upgrades.

“It’s all impactful,” Fowler said, suggesting that the discussion begin with the selectmen’s replies to the list of questions.

“It’s about transparency,” Selectman John Brett said, praising the effort.

“This is sensible,” agreed Selectwoman Lynn Kearcher, who expressed concern that a new process might become cumbersome and create a bottleneck.