Members Present: Vice Chairman Douglas R. North, Clerk Joseph M. Prior
Superintendent: Craig W. Jalbert
Secretary: Dale Barnes-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 Joe to accept the April 7, 2010 meeting minutes. Motion passed unanimously.
OLD BUSINESS:
Town Meeting ~ Monday, May 10, 2010 ~ Based on what Craig learned at the Department Head meeting this morning, it is believed the school budget will be a hot topic at Town Meeting due to the reductions in State Aid to education. Craig also learned FINCOM will be recommending that all contractual increases and step raises be honored. FINCOM met Monday the 26th, and although their Agenda did not include a review of article requests, it seems that they did. Questions were raised about reroofing the Hospital Road Pump Station, Craig sent them a letter along with copies of the three quotes obtained ($5,900, $6,600 and $6,800).
Chlorination Equipment ~ The equipment for Bethany Road has been ordered and is expected to ship by the end of the month.
Sewer Inflow & Infiltration (I&I) Remediation ~ Three quotes were received for the sewer easement access road construction, Tom Gregiore $21,910, OJS $23,190 and L&D $48,295; Tom Gregiore will awarded the job.
Margaret Street Sewer Brook Crossing ~ Shawn Clark of Northern Construction visited the site the day before work was scheduled and after studying the job conditions and speaking with Craig, it was decided we would hold off on the work until summer vacaction. This will enable the brook flow to decrease and also allow Northern to stockpile old granite curbing from other jobs for use in our project. The old curb will be placed before and after the concrete encasement of the pipe to armor and protect it from high stream flows.
PVPC/Park Avenue ~ The 50% Design Review Meeting for the Park Avenue Improvements Project will be held on Friday - April 30th at 9:30 AM.
Department Activity ~
Hydrant Flushing ~ The hydrant flushing program was completed today. Doug could not believe the color of some of the water, Craig explained it is worse at dead ends where stagnate water runs black for 45-60 seconds. Now the focus will turn towards addressing issues that surfaced during flushing.
FY2010 4th Quarter Water & Sewer Bills ~ were mailed with the rate increase notification and the 2009 Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).
NEW BUSINESS:
Hydrant Backflow/Meter for Palmer Road ~ The existing backflow device has failed due to heavy use and improper sizing. This hydrant is used for tanker fill ups; Harris Milk typically purchases $11,000 of water a year. The backflow device is necessary as it prevents contamination if pressure is lost. When looking for alternatives, Craig found a RPZ unit which has a meter built into it. Currently the honor system is used, the drivers mark loads taken on a calendar; others fill on an appointment basis. The particular unit Craig had in mind costs $3,000 and is designed to handle the high flow and provide accurate metering. The Commission agreed this would be a worthwhile investment and could be used in other situations.
NEXT MEETING: The next meeting has been set for Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at 7:30 a.m.
ADJOURN: A motion was made by Doug and seconded by Joe to adjourn from open session to go into executive session at 7:25 p.m.
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Joseph M. Prior, Clerk
cc: Selectmen
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