What do a pit and a jellyfish have in common? Find out by reading ‘The Big Pit on State Street.’

by Cassandra Hemenway, for the Montpelier Bridge

If you’ve been aware of the big construction project on State Street in Montpelier but still don’t totally understand it, fear not. Shannon Bates, owner of Enna (a gelateria and eatery) also on State Street, has developed a cheerful children’s book (for adults, too) that succinctly explains the project, and has fun doing it. After this quick read you’ll understand why there’s a giant hole in State Street and what all that noise is about.

“The Big Pit on State Street,” a self-published collaboration among Bates, the city of Montpelier, and local artist Barbara Saxe, is a colorful pocket-size booklet that breaks down the state-required stormwater separation project into eight steps. It includes photos, illustrations, a character named “Jelly Gelato,” and a couple of coloring pages.

You’ll learn that this project is about more than simply swapping out water pipes. Hebert Construction, contracted by the city of Montpelier, is installing a “swirl separator” to filter out trash, pesticides, pet waste and more from rainwater. The water then runs through “jellyfish filters,” which, according to the book, “remove oil, fine particles, as well as phosphorus, nitrogen, metals, and hydrocarbons.”

“Prior to this, nothing was filtering,” DPW Deputy Director Zach Blodgett told The Bridge. 

And in case you didn’t know, “Step 5” of the project involves ramming 207 feet of three-foot-diameter pipe underground to Main Street, then installing seven new catch basins to collect stormwater. (Blodgett verified that the information in the book is accurate, except for one detail that changed after the booklet came out: the book said the project involved 220 feet of pipe, but it ended up being 13 feet fewer than that.)

The project started because Bates’ “gelato crowd” — the younger customers — have been fascinated by the big machines in the “pit” just outside Enna’s front door, she said. Bates at first wanted to create a guide to identify all the equipment and describe the project for kids.

“And then I noticed a lot of adults were coming in and asking, ‘What’s going on?’” Bates said, adding that “… it was creating some stress in the community.”

Bates did a deep dive into the project, researching online and talking extensively to Justin LaPerle, an engineer with the Montpelier Department of Public Works and site inspector for the project. After (ahem) digging into the matter, she said, “I realized how important it was and that we’re going to end up with water filtration, and we’re getting some new storm water drainage that will certainly help us in future … events.”

During a busy lunch hour at her shop in late May, Bates also told The Bridge, “I just felt like maybe this would help people understand what was going on and (help them) just feel a little bit better about the disruption to our community. Because it made me feel better.”

Copies of “The Big Pit on State Street” can be picked up for free at Enna at 14 State Street in Montpelier.

State Street Construction Expected to Finish by End of June

Just in time for Montpelier’s July 3 Independence Day celebration, the City of Montpelier expects to be “completely finished” with the State Street stormwater separation project between Main and Elm Streets by the end of June, according to Department of Public Works Deputy Director Zach Blodgett.

Delays included finding a large number of stacked logs 12 to 16 feet underground, exactly where the pipe was supposed to go, Blodgett said. The logs  appear to have been set in a manner that suggested they had been used to build up the road bed, he noted, but also said that nobody was able to tell exactly why they were there.

How old were the trees buried under Montpelier?

“Very old,” Blodgett said. “We were eventually able to clear and go underneath it.”

Finalizing the project doesn’t just happen underground. Blodgett said completion includes paving the street, new sidewalks, resetting the curb, finishing up the storm work “and pretty much having our July festivities (ready to go).”

This spring’s construction is the first phase in a larger East State Street overhaul, according to Blodgett. The $7.2 million East State Street project involves replacing stormwater and water mains from Main Street to College Street, totally repaving and replacing sidewalks as well.

Based on direction from the City Council at its May 28 meeting, Blodgett said “We are going to final design based on the conversations we had with council … we are proceeding with the design process. We’ll be bidding out and hopefully construction (starts) in 2026.”