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: Acceptance of the March 22, 2006 minutes was postponed until the next meeting.
OLD BUSINESS:
Palmer Road Well: Craig has been working on the cleaning and redeveloping budget (including contingencies). Craig spoke with Don Tata from Tata and Howard (T&H) with regards to spending money on a new pump now if 3 years down the road it is going to be swapped out. Don suggested doing the DEP Pump Test while at the site to save money. T&H put together cost estimates; the Commission reviewed and agreed the pump is expensive as it is $40,000 for the pump alone. Craig confirmed the new pumps at Bunyan were $30,000 each. It was agreed at this point it did not look feasible to do the pump test. The Commission agreed cleaning and disinfecting of the existing pump should be sufficient and it should not need to be disassembled; which could increase the risk of having
something break. The Commission would like to see a breakdown of the Pump Test charges as the estimate seems high. Craig will compare to what was done at Bunyan. Discussion took place on the article request to have a $55,000 transferred from the Water Enterprise Fund to be applied to contingencies related to this project.
Quaboag Heights ~ Update: Trenching for the Sewer Main has started, however the process has significantly slowed down because of the large amount boulders and rocks. They have consulted with a Blasting Contractor and now have decided to pursue that course of action. They have revised the utility layout to minimize the blasting area and we are now waiting for Dave Loring’s comments.
Source Water Protection Plan (SWPP) Schedule: Final copies of the documents are available and will be distributed to the Commissioners. Craig will also be posting it on our web site.
Macomber Road Sanitary Sewer Plan Review ~ Dave Loring at Tighe & Bond (T&B) put together a proposal for the Commission’s approval to review and evaluate the sewer extension plans.
Hospital Road Reconstruction: Craig finally received a revised profile of the road. They are proposing to add a maximum of 3ft. to the road profile at the lowest point. In the revised area that would make the water main between 7ft and 10ft deep. It is impossible to fully evaluate the submittal without seeing the proposed water and drainage system modifications in addition to the road profile. Craig sent a letter to Guertin Elkerton & Associates (GE&A) stating these comments and describing his displeasure with the proposal. It is unclear what the outcome will be. Discussion took place on the article request being submitted to have $21,696.96 transferred from the Water Enterprise Fund to further reduce the borrowing amount of the W&S Departments share of costs on
this project.
State Avenue Bridge Project: MassHighway has instructed Dennis Baker of Ammann-Whitney (A-W), the engineering consultant hired by MassHighway to design the State Ave. Bridge, to prepare a cost estimate to install a water main across the bridge during the project. Craig obtained the cost estimate from Dennis and it totaled $26,000. The Commission agreed this is an opportunity that cannot be missed. To do this after the bridge construction would cost well over $100,000. The Commission expects the costs for this project to be split with Palmer but feel it is in our best interest to plan conservatively and submit an article request to have $30,000.00 appropriated from Water Enterprise Free Cash to a Water Capital Account for the State Avenue Bridge Project. Craig will follow up with
Jim Amman from Palmer.
The Commission discussed the rewards of taking advantages of opportunities when they arise to better the system. Craig informed the Commission the drop in pumping the last quarter since Hospital Road was redone.
NEW BUSINESS:
Articles for Special and Annual Town Meeting: Article requests were reviewed one last time prior to their submittal to the Board of Selectmen.
FY2006 4th Quarter Billing: Tom and Craig read meters and Dale executed the billing process through the modified connection in a weeks time; a large improvement in speed. Bills will be mailed April 13, due May 12.
Hydrant and Water Main Flushing: Hydrant flushing has begun and will continue throughout April during the day and evening hours. Notification has appeared in the paper, our web site, at the Town Offices and a message has been recorded on the office answering machine. The web site has the anticipated flushing schedule and location posted and is updated daily. Jeff Chaffee will be working with Tom during evening hours in Dave’s absence.
NEXT MEETING: The next meeting has been set for Wednesday, April 26, 2006.
ADJOURN: Meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.
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Douglas R. North, Chairman
cc: Selectmen
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