Members Present: Chairman Douglas R. North, Vice Chairman Stephen C. Lobik, 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: Postponed until prepared.
OLD/NEW BUSINESS:
Department Activity ~
Updates Regarding Tornado Damage ~ The Water & Sewer Department (MW&S Dept.) roof is still in need of repair, John Morrell is waiting for another contractor quote (both roofs will be repaired at the same time). MIIA contracted Service Master to inspect the attic and insulation and determine if there could be a mold issue. Service Master pulled the wet insulation from the attic and above the furnace area and set up dehumidifiers and an air conditioning unit to remove the remaining moisture. The equipment was plugged into a bay outlet but on Monday the breaker popped which shut down the office and its computers, which happened to be when Dale was working on the billing. A service call was placed to CMD to address a computer issue as a result of the loss of power. Eventually the
roof will get repaired.
The Police Department temp trailer sewer connection dropped and disconnected itself. We believe it may have been caused by the inability to compact the soil under the trailer. Craig contacted Bierman Plumbing to assist in repairs. When the cleanout plug was pulled it was backed up (could be from dirt). The MW&S Dept. opened up the line with the jetter, and the Fire Dept. flowed 1,000 gallons of water down the pipe, working fine. The plumbers also clamped the sewer line to the trailer to prevent future separations. The ultra low flow toilets that came with the trailer unit, which could have caused the backup, will be changed out to pressure assisted toilets.
AshBritt and Northern Tree Service began clearing the Paradise Lake Cross Country Sewer Easement of downed trees on the 8th. FEMA representative Dave Clark contacted Craig on Monday the 11th to see the easement, and was pleased with the work and progress. He requested a copy of the easements and background maintenance history. Craig researched the easement information and Don Frydryk obtained the related document copies from the Registry of Deeds.
The MW&S Dept. continues to handle things as they come, DIG Safes, shut offs, trailers, capping lines etc., we continue to accommodate requests the best we can as we pride ourselves with being a responsive customer service department.
Billing ~ Again the unexplained occurred when the EZ Route Export File which Dale has to e-mail to Ti-Sales for date correction prior to Importing reads into VADAR, eventually Dale was able to resolve the issues and continue the billing process. Money has been appropriated to update the 1998-1999 Meter Reading Software, when this is done it may also be the time to upgrade the computers which are also experiencing issues of their own. In the past Craig has requested our data be backed up to the Town server, at one time they wanted to put a backup server upstairs at the MW&S Dept. The Commission suggested we hire a company to perform this secure service for a monthly fee. Currently Craig backs up the pictures, maps and scan copies onto a thumb drive and backs up at home.
Chlorination ~ Overall things are still working great; Craig addressed a little plumbing leak. Bacteria samples for July were perfect.
Water Line Repairs ~ Cutting and capping of services continues, new measurements and drawings are done for each.
Road Projects ~Once things are squared away with addressing tornado related services, preparations for Margret Street will commence.
Water & Sewer Personnel ~ Randy has decided to leave the W&SD and transfer to the open position at the Highway Dept. which will require less demands on his free time. The 24/7 nature of our job and the weekend station coverage responsibility is extremely inconvenient most times. We frequently work through lunch or break and work after hours while finishing projects or responding to calls. At the Highway Dept., unless its winter, most times you are out on time and rarely work weekends. There are many responsibilities working with drinking water, health standards, and DEP requirements; unless you work in the field you can’t understand what we do and what it takes to do it on a daily basis. We are also held personally responsible with our certifications at risk. People
don’t realize or care that the workers who were on duty during the Spencer incident were stripped of their certifications and can no longer work in the water field. It is understandable why Randy would prefer to leave. Randy is a good person, a hard worker and the Highway Dept. is fortunate to have him.
The W&S Dept. Job posting comes down Friday, July 15th, Jan Demaio from the Cemetery Dept. has signed for the position. Although he can start Monday, in fairness to Paul at the Cemetery he will start the following week so that Paul has time to find a replacement.
Tower View ~ The Department received a letter from the owner who would like to have the water turned on to the fire protection system at 288 Main Street. This line was shut off on 1/18/2010 because of a burst pipe on the system, which was the second occurrence of this type while under the present ownership. A letter was sent to the owner on 3/10/2010 stating we would not turn water back on until all issues were addressed and a backflow preventer and meter were installed. The owner has repaired two leaking valves on the exterior of the building recently but it is unknown if the other leaks have been repaired. There still is no plan in place yet for the winter freezing issue. In his letter the owner proposes a twice year hydrant flushing program at the site. After much discussion
the Commission decided the owner’s proposal does not address the concerns the Commission expressed in their letter of 3/10/2010. Craig will call and advise them we cannot allow the fire sprinkler service to be reactivated in its present state.
No need to go into Executive Session.
NEXT MEETING: The next meeting has been set for Tuesday, July 26th at 6:30 p.m.
ADJOURN: A motion was made by Steve and seconded by Joe to adjourn at 8:10p.m. Motion passed unanimously.
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Joseph M. Prior, Clerk
cc: Selectmen
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