Old Pryor Road water main among new infrastructure projects for Thurmont
Feb. 2—Construction on a new water main on Old Pryor Road began in Thurmont last week. It is one of six infrastructure projects the town hopes to complete over the next few years, according to the town's contracted engineer.
The engineer, Nate Merkel, vice president and Frederick office manager at Arro Consulting, said during a town meeting on Tuesday that the project will replace a water main that's more than 60 years old. He anticipates the replacement project to be completed in March.
It includes installing 1,640 feet of new water line, repaving of Old Pryor Road and upgrading the water main's pressure system, so it can flow in both directions, Merkel said.
The project's approximately $475,000 price tag was funded by a drinking water quality bond — a 20-year low-interest loan — from the Maryland Department of the Environment, according to Thurmont's chief administrative officer, Jim Humerick. The contract was awarded to Pennsylvania-based contractor Guyer Brothers.
"This has been a project that we in the town have talked about for 15 years plus," Mayor John Kinnaird said. "It's good to see it moving forward."
Merkel said the town would soon begin accepting bids for another water infrastructure project to replace aging water and sewer lines along North Church Street and Emmitsburg Road in mid-February.
To abate traffic concerns, Merkel said, the project will be completed in phases and take into account findings from a detailed traffic study. He said it will not interfere with traffic during Colorfest in October because construction will begin afterward.
Funding for the project, along with funding for a new pump station at Radio Lane, will come from the federal American Rescue Plan Act.
The project on North Church Street and Emmitsburg Road is expected to cost $1.5 million. The Radio Lane pump station is expected to cost $800,000.
The Radio Lane pump station will allow for more flexible distribution between water lines, Merkel said, and includes a diesel-powered generator to run the station during power outages.
Merkel also outlined plans to reduce flooding from a stream by Emmitsburg Road that he said is the product of two small culverts overrun by a 57-acre drainage area.
The remedies include enlarging the culverts, widening the nearby stream and creating buffers to control the flow and release of water.
"That way we don't have that instant flush of water coming down," Merkel said. "All these are working in concert with one another because it all starts with handling that flow."
Funding for the flood mitigation plans will come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Hazard Mitigation Assistance program, Merkel said.
The last two projects for which Merkel provided updates were a town softball field and stormwater basins that will be retrofitted to decrease standing water.
Merkel said construction for the softball field will begin in the spring. Its $440,275 cost will be covered by a Maryland Department of Natural Resources grant and ARPA funds.
