Chapter 9-64 Streets

Surface must consist of one application of penetrating oil of not less than 1/3 gallon per square yard and one application of oil for a seal coat of not less than 1/4 gallon per square yard.

The base of the traveled way must be of good quality gravel as follows:

Gravel base shall consist of hard, durable stone and coarse sand practically free from loam and clay, uniformly graded and containing no stone having a dimension greater than six inches, such base layer to be not less than six inches.

Middle gravel layer shall consist of hard, durable stone and coarse sand practically free from loam and clay, uniformly graded and containing no stone having a dimension greater than three inches, such layer to be not less than four inches.

Top layer of gravel base shall consist of crushed bank gravel or equivalent containing no stone having a dimension greater than one inch, in a layer of not less than two inches.

Paved surface must be graded so that the midpoint of paved surface is not less than 2 1/2 inches higher than each edge of paved surface on a traveled way of 22 feet.

[Amended 1988]

Adequate drainage must be provided according to the topography and soil characteristics of the area. Drainage ditches must not be less than two feet from the edge of traveled way and must be directed to the natural flow of water to brook or pond. Any pipe traversing the traveled way must be laid not less than three feet below final grade level at the highest point of the pipe.

All materials used in construction must conform to Massachusetts Department of Public Works as outlined in Standard Specifications for Highways, Bridges and Waterways.

Right-of-way for a public way shall not be less than 33 feet, or two rods.

Provision for utilities installed must be made no less than two feet from the traveled way, so that minimum disturbance of the traveled way is necessitated by utility service.

While no specifications are required, provision should be allowed for parking off the public way, for curbing and for sidewalk.

Minimum standards have been developed with comparable roads in Northborough in mind. They do not meet requirements of the Northborough Planning Board of minimum standards for subdivision roads, nor are they intended to supersede or apply to such subdivision roads in any way.

§ 9-64-030 Naming of streets.

Whereas the responsibility for naming of or renaming of ways open to public use is within the jurisdiction of the Selectmen, the following policy is adopted to prevent confusion of the public in locating streets within the Town of Northborough:

Names selected shall have historic significance re: individuals, historic landmarks or area characteristics.

Names selected shall, so far as practical, avoid similarity to existing names in both spelling and pronunciation.

Use of an existing name with a differing designation, such as street, road or drive, is to be avoided. Henceforth, designations of ways shall be as provided in Subsection C.

(4)

Names, so far as practical, shall be easy to pronounce, with a preference given to short names which may be easy to read on street signs and to spell.

(5)

Prior to naming or renaming of streets, the Board of Selectmen shall submit to the Northborough Historical Commission as complete information as may be available concerning streets to be named or renamed with a request that its recommendations and reasons therefor be submitted to said Board within 30 days.

(6)

In all cases of changing the name of any such way, the Board of Selectmen shall hold a public hearing thereon and notify all persons known to occupy structures on such way, in writing, of the time, date and place of such meeting, together with information as to the portion or portions of ways to be affected by such change, the proposed new name and the reason for the proposed change.

(7)

In the matter of proposed new ways, the Board of Selectmen shall, so far as practical, cooperate with the Planning Board and subdividers in an effort to have streets properly named and designated on plans when recorded.

(8)

Notification of all votes concerning naming of ways shall, in addition to statutory requirements, be given to the following:

All occupants of property abutting such way.

Planning Board.

Town Clerk.

Board of Assessors.

Police Department.

Fire Department.

Highway Department.

Historical Commission.

(i)

Town Engineer.

(j)

Northborough Post Office.

(k)

Department of Public Works, Worcester.

Administration of this policy shall be designated to the Town Administrator.

Terms to be used.

For the convenience of the public, the following terms should be used to designate public ways:

Street: an accepted public way which commences at a public way and runs to another public way, such term to be applied mainly to accepted public ways within a one-mile radius of the present Town Hall.

Drive: an accepted public way which commences at a public way and terminates at a dead end or cul-de-sac.

Circle: an accepted public way which commences at a public way and rejoins itself in the form of a loop or at a point on the street of origin within 100 yards of the point of beginning.

(d)

Avenue: an accepted public way which constitutes a main thoroughfare from one part of town to another.

(e)

Road: an accepted public way which stops at a town line or continues into another town which is not a main thoroughfare, or an accepted public way that lies outside a one-mile radius of the present Town Hall.

(f)

Way: any way open for public use which has not been accepted as a public way.

(g)

Boulevard: a divided accepted public way with landscaped center strip which is not a part of an interstate highway system.

Main highways through the town shall, as far as possible, bear designations consistent with names by which they may be known throughout the area in general, such as Route 1290, Southwest Cutoff, etc.

Terms such as "lane," "alley," "parkway" and other designations are to be avoided except in cases where, by virtue of peculiar conditions or historic significance, such designation appears appropriate.

§ 9-64-040 Street closings.

No street or other public way within the Town of Northborough shall be closed by any person, corporation or other party until a permit for such closing has been granted therefor.

All applications for and permits for the closing of streets shall be subject to the following conditions and regulations:

Applications for such permits shall be made to the Chief of Police or his designate and shall describe the location of the intended closing, the purpose therefor and the person, firm or corporation doing the actual construction or repair work and the name of the person, firm or corporation for whom or which the work is being done, together with complete address and telephone numbers, and shall contain an agreement that the applicant will comply with all regulations and bylaws of the town relating to the work to be done. In the case of a town agency, the department head shall be responsible for the filing of an application in proper form and manner as outlined above.

The fee for such permits will be:

For the original filing of the application and grant of such street closing permit, a fee of $25 shall be paid.

In the event that a street closing is requested for more than one day, an additional $10 for each day the street is to remain closed shall be paid.

All fees are to be paid to the grant of the street closing permit.

No permit for a street closing shall issue until such time as the issuing authority shall determine whether it is in the best interests of the town to issue same. He shall notify, upon receipt of an application for a street closing, the following agencies:

Superintendent of Schools.

Ambulance Committee Chairman.

Water Superintendent.

(d)

Highway Superintendent.

(e)

Fire Chief.

(f)

Board of Selectmen.

(4)

Within seven days of receipt of notice, each of the above-named persons or agencies shall submit written recommendations regarding establishment of alternate and emergency routes, establishment of safety procedures, including but not limited to the erection of suitable signs warning motorists of street closing and adequate directional detour signs and reasonable notice to the area residents affected. The failure of the above-named persons or agencies in submitting written recommendations within seven days after receipt of notice of the intended street closing will mean that the agency to which the notice has been forwarded will not be affected by such street closing and has no recommendations to submit.

(5)

The issuing authority, upon the expiration of the seven-day notice, shall be responsible for the implementation of the recommendations with the cooperation of the agency making same. Upon implementation of the written recommendations, the issuing authority shall issue the permit for the street closing.

(6)

The issuing authority may waive any or all of the above-stated requirements in the event of an emergency and may grant such a permit for street closing if, in his sole discretion, it is in the best interests of the town to do so.

(7)

The issuing authority shall confer with the Selectmen in the event that any of the aboveoutlined procedures cannot be followed and the proper establishment of suitable controls cannot be attained.

(8)

It shall be the responsibility of the applicant or his principal to coordinate the work of all utilities as a condition to the granting of any permit for a street closing.

§ 9-64-050 Snow removal.

Highway Department vehicles will remove snow from the edge of sidewalks located next to the following premises at the conclusion of storms:

Peoples Bank.

Cumberland Farms.

Northborough Package Store.

Shattuck Pharmacy.

CVS Pharmacy.

Lowe’s Market.

Town Hall.

Pizza Shop building.

Library.

South Street to Gale Street.

The reason for removal at these locations is based on a relatively high level of pedestrian traffic from both schoolchildren and shoppers, and in busy areas with curb cuts, where high snow piles block site distance.

Work will be scheduled to the convenience of the Highway Superintendent and, insofar as practicable, to traffic flow.

Areas will not be given immediate attention in the case of minor storms, but will be done when major storms build up snow in critical areas, blocking site distance and prohibiting sidewalk use.

[Added BOS 9-20-1996; amended BOS 8-20-2007]

Mailboxes are installed within the Town right-of-way for the convenience of the homeowner and the safety of the mail deliverer. Because they are installed within the Town right-of-way, they are prone to damage by snow during snow removal operations. In the event that during snow removal operations a mailbox and/or mailbox post is damaged so that mail cannot be delivered, the Town will act as follows:

The mailbox will be reset if the Department of Public Works representative determines it can be reset. If it cannot be reset, the homeowner will be reimbursed as noted below.

The effected resident must submit a written request to the Department of Public Works within 10 business days of the incident. The Department of Public Works representative will then evaluate whether the mailbox and/or mailbox post can be reset. Should it not be possible to reset the mailbox and/or mailbox post, the Town will reimburse the homeowner $15 for the mailbox and $30 for the mailbox post. Replacement of the mailbox and/or mailbox post is the responsibility of the homeowner.

§ 9-64-060 Plowing of private ways.

[Amended 7-8-1991; SM 10-22-1997]

A written application[1] must be made to the Board of Selectmen requesting that the way be plowed.

[1]

Editor’s Note: The application agreement for sanding/salting private streets is on file in the office of the Town Clerk.

A release or waiver of any claim for damages signed by all property owners shall be given prior to any town vehicle entering upon said road.

The road must be paved with final course of Type I.

It must be of sufficient width [minimum 18 feet].

It shall provide an area enough to allow the necessary snow plowing equipment to turn around adequately. This is to be determined by the Department of Public Works Director.

If, as determined by the Department of Public Works Director, the way has deteriorated or if hazardous conditions exist the town may refuse service although all other prerequisites are met.

The available equipment of the Highway Department must be adequate to plow.

All private roads will be plowed at the convenience of the town. Public roads will be maintained as a priority and all private ways will be maintained as time, equipment and materials allow.

Nothing shall be construed from the foregoing provisions to make it mandatory for the Selectmen to plow these roads.

Variances may be granted by the Board from the requirements as contained in the original vote, but these variances must not seriously deviate from the list of conditions.

The winter maintenance agreement must be on file at the Town Hall before plowing and sanding will commence.

Fees for this service are as follows:

Private ways shall be billed at $75 per storm for plowing.