WARREN – In what state funding is in essence turning into a two-for-one deal, the town of Warren will address a long-standing roadway and public works concern underneath a School Street Neighborhood project already on the board.

Funding from a state grant will now push forward the town’s improvement project for portions of School and Prospect streets. The grant, $395,500 from the state Department of Housing and Community Development, means planned repaving of the area will be preceded by a construction effort designed to improve water main and drainage issues.

The Warren Board of Selectmen gave final approval after it was presented, accepting the state grant at its meeting on Nov. 10. In its application, the town acknowledges the improvements were envisioned about a dozen years ago to attend to some of the town’s oldest frameworks which had become outdated and, in some cases, no longer “in compliance with current standards”.

Addressing points of “aging infrastructure”, the project is set to replace nearly 900 feet of water main, hundreds of feet more of storm drain piping and temporary trench repair. At the same time, service connections and storm drainage will be replaced along with the installation of two fire hydrants.

The state is expected to review and sign off on the plans to allow for logistics and procurement to move forward within two months’ time.

Town Administrator Jim Ferrera said the town applied for the grant last spring after it was identified by the town’s Community Development Advisory Committee, which also had coordinated the original proposal for the neighborhood improvements. It was submitted as part of the “One Stop for Growth” program, designed to address those pressing needs in Warren, including Prospect Street and coinciding with the Highway Department’s resurfacing project already planned for the area.

Ferrera calls it “a complete project … that will invest in the infrastructure in that area.”

The construction is planned to begin in spring 2023 with hopes for completion by the end of fiscal year 2023.

The $395,000 allotment covers the entire replacement and reconstruction project with the town not laying out any of its own money for the upgrades.

One hundred and fifty thousand dollars of town funding had already been set for the road resurfacing project prior to the awarding of the grant. “

“This will coincide with the replacement of the water main and the drainage issues … this is an opportunity to take care of the other issues that have come about”, Ferrera said. “If we are more proactive instead of reactive with trying to replace some of the aging infrastructure I think that would better position the town moving forward.”

As with most road and street projects, Ferrera said closures and traffic redirection will become a factor during various stages of the work. “There will be some inconvenience with regards to the construction but we hope to have that minimized as much as we can,” He said.

With aging infrastructure a concern for all communities, Ferrara said, “It’s important to identify and address these things … We can’t always because there’s not always a grant around.”