Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Truro are remote. Go to truro-ma.gov and click on the meeting you want to watch. The agenda includes instructions on how to join.
Thursday, July 14
- Finance Committee, 8:30 a.m.
- Economic Development Committee, 9:30 a.m.
- Housing Authority, 4:15 p.m.
Tuesday, July 19
- Local Comprehensive Planning Committee, 10 a.m.
- Board of Health, 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 20
- Cemetery Commission, 9 a.m.
- Planning Board, 5 p.m.
- Commission on Disabilities, 5 p.m., Truro library
- Walsh Property Community Planning Committee, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 21
- Climate Action Committee, 10:30 a.m.
Conversation Starter
Old County Detour Update
The culvert that conveys Eagle Neck Creek from one side of Old County Road to the other, between Phats Valley Road and Abby Lane, has been under construction since November and is still not done.
That portion of Old County Road remains closed, and cars are still being detoured onto Route 6 despite the fact that construction, by the MIG Corp. of Acton, was expected to conclude in May. Eversource needed to remove utility poles and power lines to accommodate the height of the cranes needed for the construction. The company arrived two months later than scheduled, causing the delay, Dept. of Public Works Director Jarrod Cabral told the Independent by email.
The road will reopen to traffic following the completion of the project, which is now projected to be the week of July 25, he stated.
The culvert replacement is part of a larger project to restore the salt marsh connected to the Pamet River system, where tidal flow has historically been hindered by Old County Road and a railroad berm, Cabral said. The previous culvert under Old County Road was only eight inches in diameter, and the decreased flow has harmed the upstream marsh.
The new culvert, with an 8-foot-by-8-foot square shape, will increase tidal flow so the salt marsh vegetation can bounce back to the more resilient, diverse composition that existed prior to the construction of Old County Road.
The project will do more than restore the marsh. Eagle Neck Creek is surrounded by private residences, and the healthier salt marsh will make the area “more resilient to sea level rise and climate change,” wrote Cabral. —Nora Markey