Commissioners Present: Vice Chairman Douglas R. North, Clerk Steve Lobik
Employees Present: Superintendent: Craig W. Jalbert; Secretary: Dale Barnes-Johnson
Guests: None
Open the Meeting: The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m.
Accept the Meeting Minutes: A motion was made by Doug to accept the January 15, 2013 and January 29, 2013 meeting minutes, motion seconded by Steve. Motion passed unanimously.
OLD/NEW BUSINESS
Mechanic Street ~ seven bids were opened on February 6, 2013. The apparent low bidder is AJ Virgilio Construction, Inc. out of Ludlow. Prior to the department awarding the bid, Tata & Howard (T&H) will check references to make certain they are qualified to complete the work and then they will make their recommendation. The project was estimated at $75,000, low bid was $56,715.60 which includes full width overlay not just trench pavement.
Bunyan Well Cleaning ~ cleaning and bacteria testing is complete and pumping has resumed. The cleaning report just came in. Well #1 capacity improved to 20.5 gpm/ft and Well #2 improved only slightly to 9.18 gpm/ft. Craig spoke with the well technician often during the cleaning/surging. Craig was concerned we had an iron bacteria issue in Well #2 because of the minor improvement we experienced. Craig exercised an option to try a special acid blend called Pantonite which is proven to have a very positive effect on iron and iron bacteria in wells. Craig wanted to determine if we have an iron bacteria issue in the well like the original well did. Ultimately, the special acid blend had very little effect on the capacity of the well so any drop off we are seeing is natural and
due to the native gravel formation around the well and not iron bacteria related. The total cost which included the extra surging, pump and pitless repairs is $26,029.00; $27,000.00 was transferred earlier at Town Meeting to cover this. In the future we can use standard cleaning methods on a regular basis (5yr) to prolong the life of the well. Craig is now trying to get the well level sensors back on line; he believes we have failed surge protection units and he is trying to get replacements.
Bethany Well Cleaning ~ the next scheduled cleaning (2014) will be cheaper than Bunyan as it is one well vs. two.
Palmer Road Pump ~ the pump has been factory tested and is ready to be installed by Maher.
Budget ~ all the heavy work is done, Craig is scheduled to meet with FINCOM on March 18th, the Sewer Emergency Reserve transfer request has also been submitted (unprecedented amount of repairs to 2005 pickup).
Department Activity ~
Water / Sewer Repairs ~ assisted in a leak repair at 121 Palmer Road (private property)
Flooded Basements ~ 2 (5 Park Ave, 81 Main St.) frozen/broken meters – flooded basements
House Demo ~ 63 Lakeside Drive, Sewer cut and capped, a new house is planned to be rebuilt on lot
110 Main Street ~ removed plumbing items prior to demo
Damaged Hydrant ~1 plow damaged hydrant, repaired
2001 Ford 250 ~ spark plug blew out of the aluminum cylinder head again. Bob Irla recommended Regin’s Auto Repair in Gilbertville as he had a specialized tool which installs a threaded steel sleeve instead of a helicoil to make a permanent long lasting repair. The work is complete and the truck is running fine.
Plow Issues ~ the plows for the 2001 Ford and 2005 Ford both required repairs. DeSantis Garage completed both.
Ladies Room ~ project complete, cubby has been insulated, heat vent opened and room painted.
Chlorine mix system ~ when the chlorine system at Bunyan Rd. was taken apart for cleaning, it was discovered that the manifold was cracked at the base; the replacement seems to be a better casting. When restarted, the check valves in the pump then needed to be changed after sitting; it is now back on line and running.
Local Governance Review Committee – a notice was posted by the Board of Selectmen that “volunteers are needed to review, analyze and possibly recommend changes in local government structure with the intention of creating a streamlined management structure suited to the town and its needs.” Craig has volunteered to serve on the committee.
NEXT MEETING: The next meeting has been set for Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at 6:30 p.m.
ADJOURN: A motion was made by Doug and seconded by Steve to adjourn at 7:30 p.m. Motion passed unanimously.
___________________________________
Steve Lobik, Clerk
cc: Selectmen
| 
