With only two items on the agenda for the Planning Board Wednesday April 4, members were given two presentations for plans which were previously OK’d by the Heritage Commission.
The first one was the discussion for a governmental land use for the installation of a three million gallon water tank and associated site improvements at 14 Josephine Drive. The presentation was given by Dave Miller, the Deputy Director of Water Supply Manchester Water Works. The water tank would be exactly the same as the one that is there now, but would hold an additional million gallons of water. The board was assured that the water tank would be in a fenced in area and would only be visible by the neighbors in the area, but still may be in view if you look hard enough in the winter months.
The Heritage Commission previously gave their approval as long as the color and appearance were to remain the same as the existing tank. Members of the Conservation Commission also had a say in this project and wanted to make sure that the tree clearing is reduced as much as possible. The water tank itself is scheduled to be up and running and available to users by the end of this calendar year. It will also be the same height (roughly 40-48 feet) as the two million gallon tank. That tank was built back in the 1980s according to Miller, but is still expected to last another 50 or 60 years before it needs to be replaced completely (any renovations are not part of this plan, however).
There was public concern about the issue of blasting to create the land for the water tank, but assurances were made by Miller that blasting is not part of the plan. If there does need to be blasting involved it would be very small and in a controlled area. “Most likely we will not be doing blasting, because of the proximity of the existing tank.” Miller said. Chairman of the Planning Board Art Rugg, commented that he wanted to make sure everyone is happy while this project is going on and for the people of Manchester Water Works to work with the town of Londonderry to make sure everything runs smoothly and efficiently.