The Hebron Town Council on Thursday received an extended update from the DPW Action and Building committee on the town facility project, including test results for the site’s well and soils, a summary of design unknowns and an outreach plan aimed at preparing residents ahead of a likely referendum in spring.

The committee said geotechnical work included 27 borings across the site; several locations contained engineered fill (some 5–9 feet, three sites up to 10–19 feet), which the design team will review to determine foundation and retaining‑wall requirements. Committee members also described a plan to consolidate two septic systems into one larger leaching field with a pumped tank because soils near the former landfill are unsuitable for separate conventional fields.

Town staff and committee members reported the site’s existing well (drilled in 1982, about 285 feet deep) produced roughly 10,152 gallons per day and that, in recent testing, “all primary and secondary drinking‑water parameters meet EPA and Connecticut Department of Public Health standards,” meaning the water met regulatory drinking‑water limits, presenters said. The committee flagged a regulatory threshold: a site that has 25 or more persons on a typical day for more than 60 days a year may be required to become a public water system, which would trigger state permitting and testing obligations.

Committee members said the civil engineer reviewed worst‑case stormwater runs and concluded the existing retention pond — with modest excavation and filtration improvements — would be adequate to manage runoff for the proposed build area, reducing the need for multiple new retention basins.

On cost and schedule, the committee described an interim schematic estimate with many allowances and contingencies; rather than present a large, less‑competitive total figure, staff proposed submitting a narrower, phased grant application for design and permitting of critical elements and securing a third‑party estimate before any referendum. Town planner Matthew Bordeaux, who presented the trail‑connection proposal that is part of the broader site plan, told the council the committee is “looking at a total project cost of about $230,000” for a reduced, competitive scope; the Recreational Trails Program requires a 20% match for any awarded grant.

The committee pressed the council to help lead early community education — not official advocacy using town resources — so residents have time to understand likely tax impacts and project benefits. Communications subcommittee members said prior successful referendums relied on broad, in‑person outreach to churches, veterans groups and neighborhood organizations and emphasized consistent messages and FAQs distributed across social media and public meetings.

Town Manager Andrew J. Tierney also briefed the council on budget timing, audits and the town’s reserves, saying the administration expects to present more detailed schematic numbers in December and to have sharper figures for the council and the Board of Finance by mid‑March if design development proceeds on schedule.

Next steps: the committee plans to finalize schematic estimates and permit needs, consult Chatham Health District about the public‑water question, present revised numbers to the council and, if approved, ask the council to place the project before voters in a March–April referendum window. The committee asked the council to authorize staff to develop a consistent public education schedule and materials that comply with state restrictions on using town funds for advocacy.