Members Present: Chairman Douglas R. North, V.Chairman Marshall L. Harris, Clerk Stephen C. Lobik
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 Marty and seconded by Steve to accept the meeting minutes of August 24, 2005. Motion passed unanimously.
OLD BUSINESS:
Bunyan Road Well Improvements ~ Update:
The wells are running great, and it appears the Town’s insurance will cover the lightening damage, once the deductible is met. Another set back was experienced last week with regards to the Conservation Restrictions (CR’s) which have been signed by the landowners for the Zone 1 at Bunyan Road (at last Springs Town Meeting), signed by the Selectmen and forwarded to the DEP, who signed and then forwarded them to the State Office of Environmental Affairs (SOEA) for their approval. Craig inquired with Catherine Skiba from the DEP who in turn followed up with the SOEA, who won’t approve the CR’s. They tell us our CRs are an older format and not what they prefer now and the SOEA is concerned with future legal action. The DEP admitted it is their fault and that the
form should have been approved before we received it, they have issued a Conditional approval for the wells at Bunyan until the end of September, as Monson has substantially met the requirements of the permit with the only outstanding issue for the compliance being the execution of the CR on the Zone I. Once the CR has been executed and registered final approval will be given. Craig expressed his dissatisfaction with the situation after working so diligently this past year on what was believed to be the most current CR model available which the landowners finally signed. Catherine called the SOEA and explained the circumstances and had Irene Del-Bono from the State Office call Craig directly to discuss what could be done. Craig asked her what they were going to do with the other Towns who used the same model we did, and if they planned on going back to them. Her response was no, so Craig asked to then be put in the same category as them, as it would
make more sense to stay with what we have signed than go through the whole process again. Irene will contact her Legal Department and advise Craig of the outcome.
Ed Pelland has the alarm system at Bunyan functioning properly.
Hospital Road Reconstruction: The project is moving along, the drainage is being done at the same time as the new water main is being installed. New water main in now installed from the west side of the tracks to the end of the project; Craig expects Palmer Paving to complete the job in halves and perform two pressure tests. The old main gets in the way in some spots, just last Thursday they broke our main in the afternoon. Palmer Paving is moving slow.
Quaboag Heights: Craig spoke to Gary Weiner of Ecotech Environmental Associates regarding the sewer comments from the last meeting. More investigating is required in regard to the manhole they will cut into.
Sewer Meter: Rick Nash from New England Environmental Equipment came out, Craig informed Marty he was right, his machine would not work properly with VFD’s we operate at Hospital Road. Rick did look at Craig’s calculations and verified that it looks like we have been slightly over registering. Our style of meter uses ultrasonic sound waves and is the common choice for our application; however certain parameters need to be known to calibrate the meter correctly. Craig has also received literature on another style of meter that uses magnetic waves. Regardless, Craig will contact Ray Ferland on the status of our meter that he took back for repair. Craig did inform the Commission the factory is going to repair the unit, even though it is 6 years old as one of its features
which allow it to be updated from a lap top is not working, nonetheless Craig is suspicious of why the factory is fixing the unit at no cost to us.
Upper Palmer Rd/Macomber Rd: Leo Cortina came in to see Craig with John Arooth to show him his latest plans. Craig explained to him he needs to go before the Planning Board with his plans to be told what the Town considers acceptable. Discussion took place on several scenarios; however it is still unknown how many lots he is looking at. Marty suggested waiting until he gets his stuff together before coming to see us, or deciding where the tank will be.
Lead & Copper: Sampling is taking place this week; to date 15 out of 20 were returned. Craig has coordinated getting people to participate, and expects to have all paperwork by the end of the week to the lab to have results by the end of the month.
NEW BUSINESS:
Service Termination Notice Charge: Craig explained his idea to enact a Service Termination Notice Charge to allow the Collectors office more leverage while making one final attempt to collect outstanding water and sewer debts. People know the procedure now and ignore their calls, and once all possible avenues have been exhausted; it is time to proceed according to Chapter 165, Sections 11 through 11E, of the Massachusetts General laws, which includes certified letters specifying a shut off date, and amounts due. A shut off posting is prepared and posted on the customer’s door prior to the actual shut off date. On the shut off day, service is terminated on those accounts with amounts outstanding. We haven’t had to shut off anyone in a very long time. People
usually pay before that happens but we still have expended a considerable amount of time and money following the required procedure. By enacting this Service Termination Notice Charge when the Collectors Office notifies each customer if they do not pay all past due water and sewer charges they will have no choice but to turn their name over to the Water & Sewer Department for termination procedure and the additional charge. Hopefully they will see the light and pay their account then. If not, we will then automatically charge them this additional $25.00 to recoup the cost of the termination procedure. The charge will be billed at the time the certified letters are sent and we hope it will reduce the number of outstanding accounts. The Commission agreed this was justifiable and worth trying.
Marty made a motion to enact the Service Termination Notice Charge of $25.00, Steve seconded the motion, motion passed unanimously.
OTHER BUSINESS:
FY2005 Shut Off Notices: At this time, all possible avenues have been exhausted and it is time to proceed according the Mass General Laws. Currently there are approximately 10 outstanding accounts that will be addressed accordingly.
Cancellation of 56 K Point to Point Early Termination Fee: Craig advised the Commission Verizon will be charging an early termination and cancellation fee, as services have been expired prior to the end of the Service Contract. The contract was signed in October of 2001 for a minimum period of 84 consecutive months, which at that time was thought to be the way to go. However, with the advancements of technology, that is no longer the case which is the reason for switching to Verizon DSL, which is believed to better serve the departments needs.
NEXT MEETING:
A motion was made by Marty and seconded by Steve to set the next meeting for Wednesday, September 28, 2005. Motion passed unanimously.
ADJOURN:
A motion was made by Steve and seconded by Marty to adjourn at 7:35 p.m. Motion passed unanimously.
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Stephen C. Lobik,
Clerk
cc: Selectmen
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