CLARKSBURG, Mass. — After nearly three years of waiting, the Gates Avenue bridge may finally be fixed.

The Select Board on Wednesday night awarded the bid to replace the failing span to Clayton D. Davenport Construction for $346,722.

It was the fifth time the project had been out to bid because state Department of Environmental Protection had mandated the old boiler sitting in the brook be replaced by a pricey open-bottom culvert. The cost of the project ballooned to nearly four times the initial cost.

Last month, the town was informed that Town Administrator Carl McKinney's constant lobbying of state officials over the requirement had paid of - not only was the open-bottom culvert gone, but the town could solicit new bids from those companies in the last round as an emergency measure.

The lowest from the October bidding was Virgilio Construction at $439,000, more than $50,000 over the town's available funds. This time, however, Davenport came up with the lowest bid, while officials said Virgilio went up.

"I really don't understand why Virgilio came in higher when the culverts are lower," said Select Board Chairman Jeffrey Levanos. "I actually thought that ... I mean $348,000 is something we can afford ... but I thought it was going to be less than that. I expected a much bigger drop in price."

Open-bottom culverts have been priced at $250,000 to $275,000; McKinney said the concrete elliptical culvert that can be used are around $20,000.

Board members speculated that the higher price was because it was very late in the season. McKinney said the project could get under way as soon as he could contact Davenport.

There has been concern that the residents of Gates Avenue — a short dead-end road — would be trapped if the deteriorating bridge collapsed.

McKinney also reported that the town's other road project this year — the reconstruction of West Cross Road — will have to be evaluated in the spring because the road dips over four of the nine culverts passing under it. The problem became apparent after the finish layer of pavement was applied.

The town's engineers are working with contractor Virgilio Construction to determine the problem, which could be not enough compaction or compression of the culverts.

The road also wasn't properly lined to include the bike lane to Clarksburg School that students began working on several years ago. McKinney said final payments from the state MassWorks grant will not be made until the project is properly completed.

"That is not the product that we asked for," he said. "It will be addressed in the spring."

In other business:

• The Select Board began the process of entering the state's Green Communities program by approving one of the five criteria. The board voted to enact the fuel-efficient vehicle policy and use it for consideration on eligible vehicles in the future.

Other criteria includes green building codes, by-right siting and expedited permitting for alternative energy production, and developing an energy reduction plan of 20 percent.

McKinney said an energy assessment of town buildings would be done through a $10,000 grant from National Grid, which would also provide the data needed to set an energy-use base line. Since the school will be included in the assessment, he thought it may save time and money for the feasibility study also being done on the school.

• The board authorized the chairman, Levanos, to sign documents with the Massachusetts School Building Authority regarding the Clarksburg School project and its feasibility study. Levanos, also chairman of the School Committee, said the authorization will save time in getting paperwork done. The MSBA required authorization from the board.

• McKinney reiterated that the town's winter parking ban was in effect. No vehicles may park overnight on town roads from Dec. 1 to April 30, 2016, between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. There is no parking at anytime on town roads during a snow emergency. Vehicles in violation will be ticketed and towed at the owner's expense.

• The board entered into executive session to discuss a legal issue related to zoning.
 

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