Millstone Work Ahead Of Schedule; Stony Brook Mill Reopens

BREWSTER – Construction crews have been hard at work these last few months making progress on two major town projects: Millstone Road improvements and Stony Brook Mill retaining wall and fish passage updates. Last week, town officials provided a progress report with updated plans as the summer season looms. 

CC Construction, the company contracted for the project, began work in early November. The project goals were ambitious: install an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalk along the length of the road, create a consistent shoulder for cyclists and improve drainage. 

In January, as drainage installation began, traffic detours were used to divert drivers to Underpass Road as an alternative route. In addition to adding stormwater treatment, crews began moving utility poles in preparation for sidewalk installation. 

As of last week, officials reported that stormwater infrastructure installation should be completed this week. Grading also began on the road edges, which will prepare the area for curb and sidewalk installation.

Before the summer kicks off, the road surface is expected to be milled and repaved. Depending on the curvature of the road, certain areas of the road shoulder will have to be widened during sidewalk installation. 

Final paving and sidewalk work is scheduled to be finished next fall, with the completion of the final project tracking for winter 2025. 

At the March 24 select board meeting, Town Manager Peter Lombardi said crews are ahead of schedule. Officials do not anticipate any more full road closures as the project continues. 

The project at Stony Brook Mill was a two-part undertaking involving reconstructing the retaining wall located at Headrace Pond before it collapsed and redesigning a number of weirs in the fishway to improve the passageway for migrating herring. 

The project as a whole began in 2020 when the town received a design and engineering grant. From there, a construction grant was awarded in 2022, and the project blueprint was presented to the select board in 2023. Physical work on the property started in the fall of 2024. 

On March 22, the north side of Stony Brook Mill reopened to the public in time for the herring arrival. Four new fish passage weirs were installed and repairs to the retaining wall were completed. According to a project update on the town’s website, the site has been temporarily restored for the 2025 season, but work will begin again in the fall. The improvements to the fish weirs are about 50 percent complete. Some areas are still fenced off to let new vegetation grow during the summer months. 

While making repairs in February, construction crews unearthed a historic wooden sluiceway at the upper Headrace Pond on the south side. Construction was suspended as the property is on the National Registry Of Historic Places. The town is working with the Massachusetts Historical Commission to document the find and preserve any artifacts, including the weir. This portion of the mill will remain closed to the public for the foreseeable future. Officials anticipate crews will be able to begin construction again in late May. Currently, they still need to fix the retaining wall and complete passageway work at the pond. 

If things go according to plan, officials say the south side portion will reopen by early July. Parking for the site is limited.