Commissioners Present: Paul C. DeMaio Chairman, Joseph M. Prior Vice Chairman, Marshall L. Harris Clerk
Employees Present: Superintendent: Craig W. Jalbert; Secretary: Dale Barnes-Johnson
Open the Meeting: The meeting was called to order at 3:30 p.m.
Accept the Meeting Minutes: A motion was made by Joe to accept the meeting minutes of September 17, 2014, motion was seconded by Marty. Motion passed unanimously.
OLD/NEW BUSINESS
Hospital Road Pump Station Rehab Project ~ Tata and Howard’s (T&H) detailed cost estimate went up, construction cost estimate went from $487,000 to $568,000. By-pass pumping, motor control center and temporary electrical power with backup has now been included. Engineering went from $39,000 to $82,000, plus $38,000 to add a full time resident observer and some additional design time for the electrical engineer. Contingency (20% of project cost) increased from $97,000 to $113,000; total project cost increased from $623,000 to $800,000. Funding scenarios include the USDA, which offers a 25%-75% grant-loan alternative. Once committed the loan amount is set in stone, if bids come in low, USDA then reduces the grant amount. However, we will include alternates into the spec that
can be added in after bid award to take advantage of the total grant amount. We will also have the option of lowering our payment in the future by applying additional funds from our sewer enterprise fund to the principle amount after the loan is established. Interim borrowing will be handled by the Town. Town meeting approval will be required for the total project amount. To enable us to make the loan payment the proposed sewer rate increase would be $32/Year, $8/Quarter; Operating costs may also affect rates slightly but we won’t know how much until budget season. Craig meets with FINCOM Monday, October 27.
Palmer Water Pollution Control ~ Monday, October 27th Craig and the Commission will meet with Palmer to discuss housekeeping and future capital improvements. Palmer has submitted the FY2014 final invoice, and FY2015 budget. Craig reviewed the FY2014 invoice; everything looked good with the exception of the flow sheet, Craig’s records showed a total of 138.89 MG for the year at Hospital Road vs. 136.20 MG on the flow sheet. Gerry will make the changes to the flow and update the invoice. Craig also questioned a truck purchase on the FY2014 invoice. Understandably new trucks need to get purchased, however only two trucks are allotted to the Joint System for which we pay a portion. Craig plans to discuss this with Gerry and Charlie at the meeting on Monday.
Department Activity
Hydrant Flushing ~ flushing went very well after some initial difficulties with valves near Bethany Road. The wrong valve was closed causing some issues in the Beebe and Crest Rd areas. The mistake was corrected and we proceeded without incident from that point on. Very few complaints were received from Wales Road which is typically affected with dirty water. Someone tampered with a hydrant on Stafford Road, opening the valve wide open which caused a significant pressure drop.
Leak Detection ~ the guys are almost done with this round of leak detection. Every service in the town will have been monitored for leaks. A couple of toilet leaks were detected, and one cracked meter base. Leak detection is critical before wintertime.
Meter Reading ~ meter reading has been completed, this is the lowest billed usage for the July-September timeframe. Vacancies are on the rise, there were 2-3 pages of zero reads; which will be taken into consideration when analyzing rates.
Water / Sewer Repairs ~ 3 curb boxes were excavated and repaired.
110 Main Street ~ the new hydrant, water/oil separator and the sewer connection to the building were completed. Domestic water plumbing was completed in the mechanical room. Manholes need to be finished, and inspected.
Shoring Box ~ Craig informed the Commission about a MIIA Safety Grant opportunity to purchase a shoring box system. The modular aluminum unit weighs approximately 1,000 lbs. and would fit in the back of a pickup truck to be hauled to the job site. The MIIA Grant amount is $5,000.
Mobile Phone Booster ~ cell phone booster was installed in the office and is working fine.
GIS Meeting (Geographic Information System) ~ Assessor Alyce Johns believes what their office has been paying Tighe & Bond (T&B) for GIS services is expensive and has requested a meeting with T&B to discuss the Town’s GIS project status. The W&S Dept. has one contract with T&B for GIS Data Development (digitizing record maps) and a second contract for GIS Webhosting where we can access the data online. The Town owns all the GIS data but T&B owns the website that hosts the data and is responsible for all website maintenance and upgrades. T&B is still in the process of digitizing plans and maps for us and Craig admits he is behind on the checking/verifying stage of the process. Craig has not spoken to the Assessor since the meeting so he cannot comment on whether she
was satisfied with the T&B presentation.
Overhead Doors ~ Craig contacted David Beaudoin regarding electric work for the installation of 2 garage door openers.
NEXT MEETING: The next meeting has been set for Wednesday, November 5, 2014 at 3:30p.m.
ADJOURN: A motion was made by Paul and seconded by Joe to adjourn at 4:30 p.m. Motion passed unanimously.
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Marshall L. Harris, Clerk
cc: Selectmen
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