Commissioners Present: Chairman Joseph C Prior, 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 Steve to accept the April 24, 2013 meeting minutes, motion seconded by Joe. Motion passed unanimously.
OLD/NEW BUSINESS
Town Meeting ~ All Water & Sewer articles passed. The new cutter cartridge is on order ($15,000), the tank washing contract has been signed ($9,000) typically this is done every 5-6 years, however due to the tornado impact from debris, humidity and mold etc. it is now necessary, the additional easement clearing will be scheduled late summer early fall, and Amethyst has been contacted to schedule the I&I work.
Mechanic Street ~ waiting for material submittals, the project is not commencing until July so timing should not be an issue. Dale and Craig are learning the payment reimbursement process of FEMA.
Portable Generator ~ the Kohler unit has been repaired; a faulty voltage regulator board and main controller had to be replaced. No luck regarding storage options, the Highway Barn is just a bit too small. In passing Doug suggested Craig look into the possibility of us working with Park & Rec (P&R) and adding to their barn when it’s rebuilt down on Veterans Field. Craig spoke with Planner Dan Laroach and Town Administrator Gretchen Neggers, who believe that location will be temporary and P&R barn may be moved to alternate location, which would waste our investment. Craig called the DEP regarding a storage building in Zone 1 or 2, it would likely have to be out of the 400 ft. radius because of the diesel, they would need more details to determine its approvability.
There should be some funds remaining in this account, Craig will do more research as it is better for the investment. Dave Beaudoin installed an outdoor outlet for the generator battery charger and block heater purposes. He is also looking into what would be needed for our building to use the 150kw generator. Craig plans to have the tool box, cover and fenders poly sprayed (rhino sprayed) for durability, a fire extinguisher has also been procured.
Department Activity ~
Palmer Road Pump Replacement ~ the well pump was assembled 5/1 and pump tested 5/3, the first bacteria test on 5/6 was okay, it was back on line 5/8 and re-tested, there have been no issues. It is pumping 490-500 gpm which is 200 more than before (specific capacity is now 11.2 gpm/ft, a little better than the 10.7 gpm/ft when it was cleaned in 2006).
Margaret Street Private Water Service ~ the opinion received from Bacon & Wilson was no surprise, as expected it is similar to the Fenton Road situation, the homeowners own it. Craig has been working with one resident who has a small leak; unfortunately a certified notice may have to be sent specifying a date that repairs must be completed if she continues to delay the repair. The attorney suggested sending a letter to the residents similar to the one sent to Fenton Road.
DSL Connection ~ the office connection was extremely slow and causing problems, Verizon later determined it was line related but also replaced our 7 year old DSL modem which in turn required a visit from CMD to reconfigure our set up.
Utility Truck ~ the 2012 Chevy was brought to Central Chevrolet to have the Body Control Module reprogramed so the LED lights on the utility body would operate correctly. If it were purchased from the factory with a utility body vs. a truck bed which was removed, it would have come programmed this way. Everything is fine now.
Ely Water Tank ~ LaGrant Electric installed a transfer switch at the tank to allow easy-safe-secure connection of the small generator during power outages.
Telephone Provider ~ the town has switched its Centrex system to Verizon for everyone’s phone line needs; this should result in a significant savings. The town has a Centrex system which allows only the last three digits of departments numbers to be dialed to reach other town departments, however the alarm panels had to be reprogrammed for the ‘9’ prefix.
Bunyan Well Level Probes ~ the probes are finally are on their way to full functionality; ever since the well cleaning we have experienced problems with one probe. A bench testing procedure was followed, results were not good, therefore it was sent back to the factory for a full evaluation, which determined it was bad (water intrusion). Craig decided to purchase two new ones to avoid future age issues. The other was pulled and cleaned up to keep for back up. LCS will come out and recalibrate PLC and then we should be done.
New Town Office Building ~ Craig met with the Architect and Engineer. The Fire Chief has requested an additional fire hydrant on the premises to augment the new buildings fire sprinkler system. Craig explained the need for 12” valves to isolate the building and prevent loss of water. In the event of a disaster or major break North or South of the area the Emergency Operation Center would still have water. The existing water and sewer lines have been cut and capped in preparation of demolition.
Water Supply ~ Craig met with Jim Amman from Palmer Water District to discuss the proposed emergency connection at the State Avenue Bridge. Originally we planned to hang a water line off the bridge. However, the Mass Highway bridge replacement project continues to be put off and we don’t want to attempt hanging pipe on a bridge that needs to be replaced. Jim consulted with an Engineer, who after looking at the shape of the bridge suggested directional boring underneath the river with a sleeve. If this were to happen, a policy for billing would be required. The Commission opted to hold off on such discussions until after the election.
Water / Sewer Repairs ~ leaks were repaired at 210 Palmer Road, 35 Wales Road and a 2” service was replaced from main to property line at 91 Bethany. Tomorrow services at 10, 12 and 7 Bethany will be replaced; this will require Bethany Road to be closed to through traffic from State Street to Stewart Avenue between the hours of 7:30 am and 3pm.
Demands ~ typically these are done in June on outstanding balances of $5.00 and over, DOR prefers demands be sent within 15 days of the last quarter due date, having them issued in June also helps with the Final Notice and Lien to Real Estate process. The outstanding totals are $76,989.96 Sewer and $76,285.92 Water, plus interest. There appears to be two accounts that require posting adjustments, and actions against bankruptcy codes needs to be reviewed prior to demands being issued. Dale will work with the Town Collector.
NEXT MEETING: The next meeting will be set in the near future in order for tonight’s meeting minutes to be accepted prior to the end of Steve’s term.
ADJOURN: A motion was made by Steve and seconded by Joe to adjourn at 7:30 p.m. Motion passed unanimously.
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Steve Lobik, Clerk
cc: Selectmen
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