To fix the surface of the roads in Marion’s Village, engineers from the firm CDM say town officials need to start with what is underneath.

Project Manager for CDM, Shawn Syde says it will take about eight years and $27.4 million to improve not only the surface of the roads but also the underground drainage system that costs the town an additional $90,000 per year due to infiltration into the waste water system.

“The goal is to have the streets paved and to have improved roadways but to do that we have to look at what’s going on underground,” Syde said.

Clean water, Syde said, is flowing into the sewer systems instead of the proper drainage system due to the decline of the 100-year-old pipes running underneath Front Street and adjacent roads.

This is costing the town more money every year because for the labor needed to keep the waste water plant running.

“You don’t want to dig up the roads just to repair pipes,” Syde said. “You want to build new foundations for the roads to be able to stand the test of time.”

CDM’s proposal for Marion is a four-phase plan spread out over the course of 8 years, which is designed to even out the cost of the repairs for property taxpayers.

Each phase of the plan will take an estimated two years to complete sewer, drainage and water system improvements, as well as for roads and sidewalks.

CDM engineers have divided the Village into four sections with each section, or phase, expected to take two years for all of the improvements.

Though the decision to approve the plan proposed by CDM will have to wait for the May Town Meeting vote, Syde presented the proposal to the Board of Selectmen Tuesday night in the first of a series of meetings with the town’s various boards and committees.

If approved, Syde said the project will begin this year with the area of Hiller Street, which has a cost of $13 million.

Phase two will include the area of Main Street and Pleasant Street with an estimated cost of $5 million, all of Front Street will cost roughly $5.9 million and the cost for Spring Street will be $3.4 million.

The estimated costs for the improvements are high to include contingency plans for both the maximum foreseeable costs as well as those that should arise over the duration of the project said engineer Robert Otoski.

“Work needs to be done with the community to fine-tune these plans,” Otoski said. “We have a 35 percent contingency cost included in the $27 million estimate to account for any potential costs.”

Syde suggested that the town look towards grants for funding of the project. Marion has received a $18 million loan from the State Revolving Fund – a program for water quality improvement projects.

During Tuesday’s meeting, the Selectmen voiced concerns with the costs for the project.

“I think we all agreed to segment the construction in the Village so the people are not interrupted during the summer season, but now you’re talking additive costs and a longer project,” said Selectmen Chairman John Henry.

Selectman Roger Blanchette agreed and stressed the importance of having all of the costs reviewed before moving forward.

“I think this is a huge project and it is long overdue,” Blanchette said. “But I think if we are going to do it we should do it right.”

Syde said that construction will not be taking place during the summer months so as not to disrupt the considerable traffic in Village during this time.

As for the costs, Syde said CDM will have a more comprehensive breakdown of the project at Thursday’s meeting with the Finance Committee.

Syde said the center of town is the most appropriate place to start Marion road repairs as the Village has the oldest drainage system in town.

After these repairs are completed, Syde said the engineers can turn their attention to resolving town-wide drainage and road problems should the town choose to adopt the eight-year plan proposed by CDM.