Members Present: Chairman Marshall L. Harris, V. Chairman Stephen C. Lobik, Clerk Douglas R. North
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 Steve to accept the Meeting Minutes from April 26, 2006. Motion passed unanimously.
OLD BUSINESS:
Palmer Road Well ~ Cleaning: Craig met with Don Tata from Tata & Howard (T&H) who then in turn spoke with Steve Chrabascz from USDA who confirmed there will be no problem with T&H subbing out the well cleaning contract which will save time and eliminate costs associated with advertising for bids. Maher is the only licensed company to do the well cleaning using the carbon dioxide freeze process therefore it makes sense to let T&H negotiate a price with Maher. T&H will work on the budget/contract amendment. Craig intends to schedule this for the fall as long as USDA doesn’t have any objections.
Water Capital Bonding ~ New Tank Project: T&H is beginning the ground work for the SRF loan application which appears to be the best alternative (2% for 20 years). The priority is an additional tank, after it is constructed we would move toward repainting the Ely Road tank; the costs will need to be discussed. A new tank is estimated at $1.00 per gallon. The 500,000 gallon tank we are envisioning would be roughly $500,000. The cost of piping to the new tank would then need to be estimated. Piping cost will vary depending on distance ($100/ft). Lead primer exists on our tank, therefore its removal process is meticulous; special precautions must be taken to contain the lead particles. T&H had a client who had similar lead removal done from an existing tank,
which cost roughly $200,000. If the SRF loan is obtained, the yearly payment on a $1,000,000 project would be $70,000, which would require a rate increase of $ 0.65 (bringing the rate to $3.90 per 1000 gallons). Payment on a $1,500,000 loan would be a $105,000 and would require an increase of $ 0.95 (bringing the rate to $4.20 per 1000 gallons). In FY 2009 the Thompson Street Loan finishes which will decrease our yearly payments by $18,000.
Discussion took place on the timing of a rate increase as well as if it would be better to do it incrementally or all at once. By making gradual increases, it would prepare the department for the first payment; educating the ratepayers about this project, which would cause the increase, is important. If the loan is not granted, the department will be faced with taking the projects on one step at a time, starting with the tank. T&H will do a cost study for new tank types and refurbishing old vs. scrap/rebuild new.
Quaboag Heights ~ Update: A new contractor, Holden Sand and Gravel has taken over, and so far so good; the project is moving along, sewer pipe is going in.
Hospital Road Reconstruction: On May 5th a meeting was held in which Stan Elkerton from Guertin Elkerton & Associates (GE&A), John Morrell, Town Administrator, Gretchen Neggers, Town Council and Craig discussed GE&A’s proposal to alter the road profile. GE&A did not address the water main depth issue. Stan wants us to send a letter to them outlining what we want so that GE&A can submit it to their insurance company. Don Tata looked at the site and gave a $75,000 estimate to raise the water main in the area of concern, which has been sent to our attorney for use in the negotiations. In addition, the proposed profile change may cause some concern for the homeowners. John Morrell is proposing an alternative country drain set up where the road
stays where it is.
Sewer Easement Clearing: Clearing work is continuing on our sewer easements. Estimate on Tree Removal from State Street to Chestnut Street is $12,000, from J& S, the second estimate from Northern Tree was high at $18,000.
NEW BUSINESS:
Service Termination Notice Charge: The Collectors office has sent out approximately 360 demand notices on overdue accounts. Last year a Service Termination Notice Charge of $25.00 was established to help recoup the cost of the termination procedure which includes generating certified letters specifying a shut off date and amounts due, notifying the Board of Health, followed by individual shut off postings which are prepared and posted on the customer’s door prior to the actual date of termination. Craig would like to increase this charge to $50.00 to give the Collectors office more leverage while making one final attempt to collect outstanding water and sewer debts. People usually pay prior to service termination; however, we still have expended a considerable amount of time and money
following the procedure to that point.
Steve made a motion to raise the $25.00 Service Termination Notice Charge to $50.00 effective immediately, Doug second the motion, motion passed unanimously.
Sewer Crossing Margaret Street: The crossing pipe encasement has been exposed from the flood and requires attention. Craig admits, if it were discovered earlier FEMA could have been contacted. T&H will begin working on a fix, possibly using some of the material from Quaboag Heights.
Water Sampling: Severn Trent Laboratories has notified Craig of a new $120 minimum lab fee, which would impact our water sampling budget. Currently we take 6 monthly bacteria samples at $15 each equals $90. Craig is receiving quotes from new labs at this time; Spectrum Analytical is looking good, and could save us a significant amount next year. They also pick up the samples from our office.
NEXT MEETING: The next meeting has been set for Wednesday, June 7, 2006.
ADJOURN: Meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
___________________________________
Douglas R. North, Clerk
cc: Selectmen
| 
