Members Present: Vice Chairman Douglas R. North, Clerk Marshall L. Harris
Superintendent: Craig W. Jalbert
Secretary: Dale Johnson
Open the Meeting: The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m.
Accept the Minutes: A motion was made by Doug and seconded by Marty to accept the March 23, 2005 meeting minutes. Motion passed unanimously.
OLD BUSINESS:
Bunyan Road Well Improvements ~ Update:
The Preconstruction meeting required by the USDA was held today, although USDA did not show due to confusion in the date and time. Bob Watson, Bay State Regional Contractors, Inc., Karen Pighetti, Tata & Howard and David Mercier, Water Works Supply Corp. attended. The electricity demo work will begin shortly; May 15th is the anticipated construction start date. At this time material lead-times seem okay, ground water levels remain high, however they are beginning to normalize. Ken Albano verified the revised Order of Conditions was recorded on 4/11/04 and will forward a time-stamped copy for our records and the General Contractor.
· Maher Cost Overrun: Craig received from T&H the engineering agreement amendment that addresses the previously discussed Maher cost overrun. Craig requested we table further discussion on the topic until he has had a chance to review the document thoroughly.
· Zone I Land: Craig has e-mailed Ken Albano with regards to getting the legal descriptions for the land parcels, and expressed concern about the articles that had to be submitted by April 12th to the Selectmen for the fast approaching Town Meeting, scheduled for May 9. The Conservation Restriction agreement must be signed by all parties before the Town Meeting if that is the landowners’ intent.
Palmer Road PURD Project (Quaboag Heights – PURD): Land clearing has begun. Ted Bukowski has not stopped in yet, nor has Craig heard from the Planning Board on final plans.
· Tighe & Bond (T&B) Revised Proposal for Construction Phase Services: Craig proposed that the Commission sign Dave Loring’s proposal for services and proceed so not to hold things up.
· Meeting with Gary/Ted & Chip: Gary Weiner at Ecotec Environmental Associates, Inc, Ted Bukowski, Chip LaPointe and Craig met Monday, April 11th. Craig spoke about the sewer installation, and pointed out that MassHighway approval is required to have Route 32 closed and work approved prior to proceeding. Gary is going to do planning Board spot inspection. With regards to the easement, Ted agreed to take care of the labor if we took care of the parts. Craig hopes to have enough money within the budget to handle the materials purchase but it will be close, ductile iron has gone up considerably. If not a
transfer may have to take place from the Emergency Reserve. The Grahams have been contacted and approved of the proposal; Craig has requested that Town Council Ken Albano write up the final agreement.
Hospital Road Reconstruction: Bid results are in from MassHighway, we originally received permission to borrow $250,000 at Town Meeting. Based on bid costs our portion of the project should be approximately $185,000 and MassHighway will contribute $105,000. We are in good shape financially and it could improve if MassHighway can coordinate the bridge replacement during the road reconstruction as that would save us from using additional pipe fittings to adapt to the existing brook crossing. No temporary service will be needed; the existing piping system will be left intact until all services are switched over to the new line. Craig mentioned this includes a 12” branch feed near Duffers property for future expansion if needed. Reconstruction is expected to start in
May.
FY2005 4th Quarter Billing: Bills went out on time, along with the D.E.P.’s required yearly Consumer Quality Report.
Ray Lavallee, owner of Rays Mobile Park has called concerning his high water usage, which was 2.5 million gallons this quarter; the average for over the summer is 1 million per quarter. The bill he received this time last year was for approximately 1.5 MG. Admittedly he had leaks, and this bill is 1 million over last years bill, he is aware that he has to pay for the water, however would like an abatement towards the sewer, which for his commercial account is based on water usage. Discussion took place on how this year’s bill of $6,850 compared to last years sewer bill of $4,110, and the number of units he has in his park. The Commission discussed the likelihood that most of the water that went through the meter did not go into the sewer system
because of leaks in his water piping system. He has repaired two recently so an abatement would not be out of the question as long as he agreed to continue to be diligent and make repairs to his piping system. The Commission took into account his sewer usage history and agreed to abate $2,700 off this quarter’s sewer bill and bring it in line with the bill he received last year at this time.
Article Submittal: Craig turned in the article requests for the Annual and Special Town Meeting as agreed upon. Other than the Annual Article Request to approve both the Water and Sewer Enterprise Budgets for the Fiscal year, two Special Articles were requested. One Special Article request was to meet the D.E.P’s requirement to either own or control the 400 foot radius around the new wells at Bunyan Road. Although the precise language is unknown at this point the article must appear on the warrant to get permission to buy or have Town approval for a land taking by eminent domain. The other Special Article request was to see if the Town will vote to transfer a sum of money from the Water Enterprise Fund to go toward the Hospital Road Water Main Replacement Project to reduce the
borrowing amount of the Water Departments share of costs. Though the exact amount was not included, it will have to be decided upon prior to Town Meeting.
Water Capital Plan ~ Bonding: The Commission discussed the 5 Year Plan and the impact loan amounts and payment would have on the budget. It is hoped that some money will be left from Bunyan Road to clean the well at Palmer Road.
Marty made a motion to transfer $100,000 from the Water Enterprise Fund to go towards the Hospital Road Water Main Replacement Capital project; Doug seconded the motion, all in favor. Motion passed unanimously.
Commission Vacancy: Craig announced that former Commissioner Steve Lobik is the only person who has expressed interest in filling the vacancy on the board. The next Selectmen’s meeting is Tuesday, April 26th, Craig will see if we can be included on their agenda that night so we can appoint to the board to fill the term left vacant by Jack.
OTHER BUSINESS:
Thursday, April 14th Bethany Road Water Service Installation: Craig advised the Commission notification would appear in the paper announcing Bethany Road will be closed to through traffic after 9a.m. from the intersection of Chestnut to the start of Brimfield Road for a water service installation (Al Joyce).
Wednesday, April 20th Chestnut Street Sewer Service Installation: Craig advised the Commission notification would appear in the paper announcing that Chestnut Street, from Rte 32 to Bethany Road, will be closed for a Sewer Service Installation Wed, April 20th with a rain date of Thursday, April 21st.
Craig explained that there wasn’t a water entrance fee to sign for this property as the new home will be using an existing water service that has been inactive to this property. Doug would like the Commission to consider a different policy in the future where all new buildings should have to pay an entrance fee, even if an old building is taken down and it is reusing an old service, perhaps at a reduced fee. Craig agreed that if this situation again arises he will consult with the Board before making a decision.
Dates to Remember:
May 7th Bulky Day
May 9th Town Meeting
June 4th Hazardous Materials Day
NEXT MEETING:
A motion was made by Doug and seconded by Marty to tentatively set the next meeting for Tuesday, April 26, 2005. Motion passed unanimously.
ADJOURN:
A motion was made by Marty and seconded by Doug to adjourn at 8:00 p.m. Motion passed unanimously.
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Marshall L. Harris
Clerk
cc: Selectmen
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