WINDSOR – Improvements to Sutton Drive are coming soon.

Thursday morning, the Windsor Board of Commissioners agreed to move forward with plans to replace a drainage pipe under the street, but postponed the final contract decision until changes are made.

Windsor Mayor Jimmy Hoggard said the town had discussed replacing the pipe in the past and were in the process of doing so when the flooding from Tropical Storm Nicole came.

“It floods there because of rain water and not because of the river,” Mayor Hoggard said. “We had asked William (Coburn, Maintenance Director) to get prices for the work before the flood, but it wouldn’t have mattered with the amount of water we had anyway.”

The mayor said if the road received four or five inches of rain quickly, it would have to be closed.

The problem, according to Windsor Town Administrator Allen Castelloe, is that there are two pipes emptying into one that is the same size.

Commissioner David Overton said the pipe was placed there in 1975.

“The soil there is acidic and the pipe might deteriorate after time,” Commissioner Overton said. “What would be the price of putting a concrete pipe there?”

Castelloe said he had thought the same thing. He added that the cost may be significantly more, but may be worth it in the long run.

“They say the aluminized steel will last 60 years, but I don’t believe it,” Castelloe said.

“I don’t have a problem with the project, but I would like to see what concrete would cost,” Overton said. “It may delay it 30 days, but that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Mayor Pro-Tempore Hoyt Cooper suggested it would be a good idea to find out the exact price.

Mayor Hoggard said the project needed to be completed by spring, but that it was not necessary for it to be done immediately.

Castelloe said he didn’t think the work could be done in the next 30 days anyway and said he would get a price and come back to the board.

Commissioner Bob Brown said he looked at the figures presented and saw a bid of $30,070-plus from Phelps and White and a firm bid of $26,945 from Boyd Copeland.

Castelloe said the “plus” would be if the dirt that was taken up could not be used to fill in the hole when the pipe was replaced.

“I like concrete figures,” Commissioner Joe Alexander said.

Cooper asked, “Does it make any difference if they put the same dirt back in?”

Castelloe said it did not.

The board agreed to table the decision until their next meeting when Castelloe could present information concerning concrete pipes.