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Construction Project Updates
Mindess Elementary School Construction
Route 126/ Pond Street Revitalization Project & Downtown Revitalization Project
Crews continue to work on the Route 126/ Pond Street Revitalization Project and on the Downtown Revitalization Project. As traffic is significantly impacted around town, please give yourself extra time to get where you are going, and be patient. Crews are doing the best they can to get you through quickly and safely. Remember, all businesses are open during construction.
Last Update: December 7, 2022
Rt. 126/ Pond Street Construction
What to expect this week:
Drainage work near the Market Basket area is almost complete.
Temporary Paving is happening this week in anticipation of cleaning up as much as possible before winter arrives. Crews will be paving the roundabout on Thursday, December 8th, traffic will be impacted for the day due to this paving. Crews will also be paving at the Pond Plaza. The bike trail and driveways have been completed. The goal is to have striping completed by the end of the year.
Pine Ridge will be installing the rapid flashing beacons at the crosswalks this coming week. They will also be working to install light poles in January.
Northern Construction is wrapping up their work for the winter and will be on break after December 25th.
Last Update: December 1, 2022
Downtown Construction
Striping of Main and Front Streets has been scheduled for next week, 12/5.
Crosswalk installation has not been scheduled yet but a temporary fix will be in place by the end of the week.
Crews will continue work at the railroad tracks. They are creating the path for conduit to run underneath the railroad tracks in order to complete the undergrounding of utilities as part of the project. Prep and digging of that site will be done next week in order for conduit to be placed the week of 12/12. The goal is to have this part of the job completed by Christmas. After that crews will tidy up the site and shut down work for the winter months to begin again in the Spring.
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CURRENT WATER BAN
** Attention **
Currently, the Town of Ashland is in STAGE 2 Outdoor Water Use Restrictions due to the dry weather. Stage 2 restrictions include all of the Stage 1 restrictions. Please see the list of Stage 1 and Stage 2 Outdoor Water Use Restrictions below.
**** Town Bylaw – Chapter 270 ****
Outdoor Water Use Restrictions – Stage 1
a.) | STAGE 1 - Hopkinton Reservoir below 295.85 feet between the days of June 1 through August 31 each year. | |
i. | Unattended watering using municipally-supplied water is prohibited | |
ii. | Car washing: Car or vehicle washing using municipally-supplied water is prohibited. | |
iii. | Washing of structures: Washing of structures including but not limited to buildings, houses, sheds, driveways, sidewalks, decks, fences, or patios using municipally supplied water is prohibited. | |
iv. | Swimming Pools: Filling and topping off of swimming pools larger than 300 gallons, using municipally-supplied water is prohibited. | |
For more information, visit Ashland’s Town Website and go to the following link:
b.) STAGE 2 - Hopkinton reservoir below 295.35 or daily use over 5.90 mg.
i. All Stage 1 Restrictions.
ii. Handheld watering using municipally-supplied water is prohibited
The Town, acting through the Select Board as water commissioners, retains the right to impose additional restrictions with due notice to residents.
There are several exemptions. They are the following:
The water use restrictions adopted under this by-law shall not apply to the specific uses outlined below provided the user meets any applicable eligibility criteria.
a. Commercial agriculture;
b. Water to sustain animal life;
c. Swimming pools located at a medical or rehabilitation facility.
d. Commercial car or vehicle washing facilities;
e. Washing of structures prior to the application of exterior coating such as paint.
f. If required by health and safety regulations.
g. DPW may grant permits to allow unattended watering for a period not to exceed four weeks. The permit shall grant permission to water new lawns daily from 10:00am to 2:00pm. The grounds for such a permit are as follows:
i. New lawns. This shall apply to land parcels with no existing lawn, or land parcels where a minimum of 50% of an existing lawn is to be replaced. These permits may be issued from April 1 through May 31 and September 15 through November 15 yearly.
ii. Title V compliance. This shall apply to land parcels requiring lawn growth for septic system installation or maintenance. These permits may be issued from April 1 through November 15.
h. Handheld watering used for food production during Stage 2 restrictions.
i. Town athletic fields, including those fields under the control of the Ashland Public Schools, in accordance with the Odd/Even unattended Watering schedule, upon application to, and approval by, the Select Board.
[Amended 11-20-2019 STM, Art. 13]
For more information, visit Ashland’s Town Website and go to the following link:
In the news
We appreciate New England Construction Journal visiting Ashland and highlighting the important construction projects happening in our community. The Route 126 Revitalization and the Downtown Revitalization projects are essential developments to continue Ashland's vitality. While both projects still have a couple of years to go before completion, the drastic amount of work to our infrastructure and cosmetic aesthetics will attract new community members and business owners and increase our economic development potential. Thank you to Doug Small, our DPW Director and his team for helping keep these projects on track. And thank you to the residents and businesses once again for your support and patience with these projects.
Read the article, here
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Alternative Routes to Rt. 126/ Pond Street
We understand traveling along Rt. 126 is not always feasible. Here is a map, to illustrate two roads, Cedar Street, and Western Avenue, which run parallel to Rt. 126. These roads can help you reach a destination outside of town. We hope this helps!
Sign up for our e-mailed construction update newsletter
The Route 126/Pond Street revitalization project has begun. The Town of Ashland is working closely with the State to bring you the most up-to-date information in regards to construction. The team meets weekly and is working hard to keep the project on track and you informed. Sign up here
Downtown Construction Updates
This project has begun. The Town of Ashland is working closely strives to provide the most up-to-date information in regards to construction. The team meets weekly and is working hard to keep the project on track and you informed. Sign up here
We will continue to share project updates here, on the Town of Ashland website, in our newsletters (mentioned above), and through our social media channels- Facebook and Instagram @TownofAshlandMA, Twitter @ashlandmass.