2018 Update #19
Steady Progress Downtown
It’s been four weeks now since work began in earnest downtown. Enough time, I think, to pass on some preliminary observations about how things are going.
For starters, the detailed plan that was developed and vetted over the past many months is providing clear direction on what needs to take place. We had a minor setback with equipment last week but the overall story has been steady progress, day in and day out. Things are getting done according to plan. Much the same as we saw when I daily reported out the events of last summer.
It’s largely a veteran group that’s been assembled for this project. Some players are new and there are relationships to be built. But there is experience, knowledge, and leadership where it counts. We are seeing that in the way that this team manages decision-making and adjusts to any unexpected development in the field.
Kubricky is renting the basement of the Gas House (that stone building that sits at the bottom of Printer’s Alley) as a field office. As tenants of the Marble Works, they’ll be in a good position to get to know our community at ground level.
The Week In Review
Last week I said it was going to be about drilling this week and that proved to be the case.
Maine Drilling & Blasting continued moving its large line drill around the perimeter of the launch pit that will serve as the centerpiece of the new drainage system downtown. You may remember that the first order of business is to drill 130 “relief holes,” each of which is 38-feet deep, around the pit’s perimeter to help manage the vibrational impact of blasting. By end of day Thursday, more than 100 of these holes had been drilled.
ECI stayed busy in Printer’s Alley, creating space to operate for the crane that will be needed to hoist equipment in and out of the launch pit as it is excavated down to 38 feet.
And Now a Word from Our Sponsor
That headline was designed to get your attention so that I can plug an upcoming event that will benefit one of the standout organizations of Vermont, our own HOPE.
Middlebury’s Department of Public Works is celebrating National Public Works Week by sponsoring a food drive to benefit HOPE next Friday, May 25. You can get all the details here. Please consider donating if you can.
Looking Ahead
Next week, we’ll see still more drilling as Maine D&B completes the perimeter holes and then starts drilling smaller-diameter holes within that perimeter in preparation for the first round of blasting. A test blast is tentatively scheduled for early June. I’ll have more details on what that involves as we get closer.
Also in early June we’ll see work get underway in Triangle Park. More on that, too, at a later date.
As has been the case, all sidewalks remain open, and no road closures are planned. The pedestrian pathway connecting Main Street to Marble Works through Printer’s Alley remains open. Please do pay attention to the flaggers as you walk through the area. And start getting ready for Middlebury’s Memorial Day Parade!
That’s all for today. See you downtown.
Please keep your comments and questions coming. Send me an email at jgish@townofmiddlebury.org and I’ll try to cover it in my next update.