Melrose DPW Tackling Post-Blizzard Problems

The Melrose Department of Public Works is addressing a couple significant post-blizzard issues, including a water main break near Upham and Rowe Streets.

The Melrose Department of Public Works is tackling a couple significant post-blizzard issues, including a water main break near Upham and Rowe Streets, according to a city press statement. "There is a major water main break at Upham and Rowe (Streets)," reads the statement issued at about 6 p.m. Saturday. "Some DPW staff is being diverted to that water main break." DPW crews could be seen at work on the water main break at roughly 2:30 p.m. Saturday. "National Grid marked the street (with) orange paint. The DPW dug up the street (with) a jack hammer (and) backhoe," said Melrosian Karen Willis in an email to Melrose Patch, who observed the work being done by DPW. "They then jumped in the hole and dug up some more dirt (with) a shovel; …

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Melrose DPW to Begin Search For a New City Engineer Next Week

The Melrose Department of Public Works will begin advertising for the city engineer position next week, according to DPW Director John Scenna.

With the recent announcement that City Engineer Robert Beshara will be retiring in March, the Department of Public Works will begin its search for his replacement starting next week, according to DPW Director John Scenna. "As part of our restructuring over the past year, we knew this would come sooner or later," Scenna confessed. "Bob, as an individual, is going to be very, very difficult to replace. I’ve worked side-by-side with Bob for more than 10 years and his retirement will probably be missed most by me." Mayor Announces Beshara's Plan to Retire In a letter to the Melrose Board of Aldermen, Mayor Rob Dolan informed the board of Beshara's plan to retire.  "...Bob will go down as one of the great DPW directors and engineers in the …

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Mayor: Beshara to Retire After 40 Years as Engineer

After four decades as a professional engineer, City Engineer Robert Beshara will be retiring this year, according to a letter from Mayor Rob Dolan to the Melrose Board of Aldermen.

After four decades as a professional engineer, City Engineer Robert Beshara will be retiring this year, according to a letter from Mayor Rob Dolan to the Melrose Board of Aldermen.  Dolan said that he was informed by Beshara that he will be retiring in March. Beshara previously served as the city's director of public works and currently works as a city engineer. "...Bob will go down as one of the great DPW directors and engineers in the history of Melrose," wrote Dolan. "He took on 100-year-old problems that most thought could never be solved and had resigned themselves to putting up with as part of living in Melrose. He inherited a DPW in which fire protection was a constant question mark. Our infrastructure was rotting, and we were …

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DPW: Trash Pickup 'On Schedule' As Hurricane Sandy Gains Momentum

The Melrose Department of Public Works is on schedule with trash pickup on Monday, and they are monitoring catch basins with Hurricane Sandy picking up steam.

Despite Hurricane Sandy picking up steam, the Melrose Department of Public Works is "on schedule" with trash pickup on Monday, according to DPW Director John Scenna. It's all hands on deck for the DPW, as several dozen employees are working on projects related to Hurricane Sandy, including trash pickups. "...Given the declared state of emergency, our entire department is working today. Our operations, facilities, engineering and administration groups are all in and working on various storm-related preparations and responses," Scenna said, adding that 65 people on staff will be handling issues throughout the city, it’s infrastructure, tree canopy and within school and municipal buildings. "Trash, recycling and yard waste collections from …

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Second Water, Sewer Rate Increases Get Initial OK

An amended version of the proposed increases that would build reserve funds over five years rather than three, while addressing the sewer deficit, received a recommendation from the aldermen's Appropriations Committee.

After another lengthy meeting filled with strident voices from both residents and city officials, and with an amended proposal to soften the impact this coming year, a second round of increased water and sewer rates received an initial OK from the Melrose Board of Aldermen on Monday night. City officials proposed the second round of rate increases—which still require a final vote of the full board—after the first set of increases were approved in June, to address a $158,771 deficit caused by lower than projected consumption in the sewer budget at the close of the fiscal 2012 year, which ended on June 30. Officials also sought to implement a three-year plan to save 10 percent of both the water and sewer budgets in reserve accounts to …

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Steve Meuse

9:46 am on Monday, July 30, 2012

The ones at the common are on almost every morning around 7, rain or shine.   more ›

Residents Speak Out On Proposed Water and Sewer Rate Hikes

The aldermen held a public hearing Monday night on the second rate hikes proposed within the past month.

Several residents chided the city last night about its financial planning and proposal to further increase the water and sewer rates to build reserve funds over the next three years. The Melrose Board of Aldermen held a public hearing Monday on the proposed rate increases, which are on top of increases already approved last month by the aldermen. A $158,771 deficit in the fiscal 2012 sewer enterprise fund would get backfilled by the increased sewer rate, and both increased rates would bring in revenue that the city would place in savings accounts to mitigate any future deficits or increased assessments from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA). The new proposal would increase the residential water rate to $5.85, which on top …

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You Ask, Patch Answers

When Will Lebanon Street Undergo Reconstruction?

The roadway has been targeted for improvements through a state program that the city also used for Main Street improvements within the last decade.

You Ask, Patch Answers is a weekly column for Melrosians who have questions about something they've spotted around the city or wondered about. Submit your question to danield@patch.com. Sean asked, "Back a few weeks ago John Scenna from DPW alluded to the fact that the Lebanon Street Reconstruction Project has been in design since 1995. [Seventeen] years later, the whole road is really starting to deteriorate. How about a story on why it's taking so long, And if/what the plans are to break ground (hopefully in the near future!)?" Scenna, the Department of Public Works director, told Melrose Patch in an email that the city received confirmation this month that they are included in the state's Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and …

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Water, Sewer Rates Could Go Up Again

A deficit in the city's sewer budget, combined with a desire to start saving more to account for potential deficits, means City Hall is proposing to further increase the water and sewer rates for this coming year.

Water and sewer rates for the coming year already approved by the Melrose Board of Aldermen could go higher, as the city aims to address a year-end deficit in the sewer budget and start a three-year savings plan for both the water and sewer budgets. The new proposal would increase the residential water rate to $5.85, which on top of the previously approved rate increase would result in a 11.43 percent increase over this past year's rate, according to a letter from Department of Public Works Director John Scenna to city officials (PDF attached). The commercial water rate would increase to $7.20, an 11.68 percent increase (again accounting for the already approved increases), and the combined sewer rate would increase to $10.02, a 7.17 …

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You Ask, Patch Answers

UPDATE: Schedule for Downtown Streetscape Improvements This Summer?

The Melrose Department of Public Works is currently working on developing a condensed schedule for street and parking lot improvements that aims to minimize the impact on Main Street businesses and customers.

UPDATE, TUESDAY, JULY 10, 9:35 A.M.: As noted in responses in the comments below, the map previously displayed on this article showed a conceptual reconfiguration of the Dill's Court parking lot from a parking study completed last year. It is not indicative of any final plan to reconfigure the lot, merely illustrative of how re-lining the lot could increase the number of spaces and mitigate the somewhat haphazard nature of the lot as-is. On Tuesday morning, DPW Director John Scenna told Melrose Patch that a new design should be drafted by the end of this week by City Engineer Bob Beshara, and that however the final design comes out, all current exits and entrances to the lot will stay in place. To avoid further confusion, Melrose Patch has…

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