Construction equipment fills Congress Street in Rumford on Thursday. Town Manager Linda-Jean Briggs said Thursday that the goal is, at a minimum, for crews to complete replacement of water and sewer lines on the downtown street by the end of the year. (Bruce Farrin/Rumford Falls Times)

RUMFORD — It’s beginning to look like the $5.9 million project to replace water and sewer lines on The Island, the downtown business district, could continue into next year.

Town Manager Linda-Jean Briggs said Thursday that Sargent Corp. of Old Town has “more than doubled their crew in an effort to ensure us that, at a minimum, Congress Street will be completed by the end of this year.”

“Due to some unforeseen, as well as some unplanned-for issues, there have been some delays so there may need to be a demobilization and remobilization in the spring to do some finish paving on the outer streets,” she said.

Briggs, speaking Thursday to members of EnvisionRumford, a community economic development group, said that at a minimum, a thin coat of asphalt will be put down so the project won’t impact snowplowing on The Island.

“The crew out here still has a goal of finishing the entire project by the end of this year and they will do so, weather permitting,” she said.

Briggs said there are also “some cost overruns that we’re working through and I’m not prepared to give you a number because those numbers are not known.”

She added, “I wanted to give you the full report. There’s still some things that I can’t share, and I hope that you respect and honor that.”

Briggs warned: “I beg you not to fall for some of the nonsense that happens to go on certain pages of Facebook. They’re not accurate. They’re not good for the community.”

bfarrin@sunmedia.com