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
Guest: Town Administrator, Evan Brassard
Open the Meeting: The meeting was called to order at 3:30 p.m. Joe will be delayed and join the meeting shortly.
OLD/NEW BUSINESS
Water Service at 58 Stafford Road ~ after repairing multiple leaks on the of 900’ of 1” plastic line that services 58 Stafford Road and the recent repair of 2/1/15, Craig contacted Town Administrator Evan Brassard and has requested his presence at today’s meeting to discuss liabilities and costs associated with the line installed in 1975. The plastic pipe used in the installation was some of the first plastic used for water service and not quite up to the task. It is now brittle and past its useful life. The Water Department at that time basically extended the water main with materials outside of the department’s standards now we are left with the problem. Craig sees two possible options. The first would be to replace the line which would require police detail, mini excavator,
skid steer, truck, sand for backfill and the necessary parts. Craig estimates the timeframe to be 3-5 days with a total cost of $12,000. Option two would be to install a private well on the property but that would require willingness by the homeowner to (A) allow it and (B) split the cost. Evan pointed out that there could be a significant liability issue regarding that option. The Water & Sewer Department would first have to employ Town Council to draft a legal agreement that would hold us harmless and enable the installation. However, even with the agreement the department could still be held accountable if in the future the well failed or experienced any sort of problem. The Commission agreed the only sound course of action would be to replace the line. Craig then discussed the different replacement options which are conventional trenching or directional boring (waiting on price estimate). Craig then explained the line broke again on
2/7/15 and at that time instructed Tom to shut off the service. Craig then contacted E.J. Prescott and picked up 1000’ of ¾ plastic tubing so we could install a temporary water service to the house at 58 Stafford Rd. The materials were taken to the location and work began but then the State Street water main break call came in which demanded our immediate attention. Craig, Tom, Tony and Randy Emerson returned at 10:30 am Sunday and laid the ¾ plastic tubing above the ground and covered with it snow for insulation. A connection was made at the fire hydrant nearby and the resident was back in service by 1:00 pm and he should have adequate service until the spring. Marty will relay to the Fire Department that the hydrant is out of service. Craig will also get pricing on multiple sizes of tubing so the Commission can evaluate the cost/benefit. Craig and the Commission thanked Evan for his feedback and time.
Hospital Road Pump Rehab Project ~ USDA accepted our application and wishes to partner with us on the proposed project; funding would consist of a $600,000 3% loan with a $200,000 grant; the official letter is expected shortly. Design is ongoing; Craig spoke with the electrical engineer to discuss some specifics; lighting on the wet well side; the bubbler wet well level system and also had a conference call with T&H and Flygt Pumps to discuss the proposed pump set up. Flygt provided information on two different size pumps (1000 gpm and 2000 gpm) and three different configuration options. Design considerations include operating conditions, pump and motor efficiency, running frequency and chopping efficiency. The two 2,000 gpm pumps provide full redundancy at peak hourly flows up to
approximately 2,000 gpm, two pumps allow for back up and allow one pump to be taken offline for maintenance or repair; the best chopping efficiency is achieved running a smaller pump fully loaded vs. running a larger pump at a lesser load. Further review and consultation with T&H is required before a final decision is made. Craig spoke with National Grid to learn about the procedure required for service disconnect and installation of temporary service. T&H suggested an allowance for the electrician to set up the temporary service be included; we will pay for the temp electricity directly through National Grid. Craig submitted design specs for the proposed new fuel tank to the Fire Chief for preliminary review; it will be bolted to a raised reinforced concrete base located just outside the building.
FY2016 Budget ~ the budget is set and as previously discussed, rate analysis indicates rate adjustments are inevitable; estimated revenue is down, there are approximately 70 vacant homes, water experienced a $27,000 loss in revenue; the Commission agreed it is not financially wise to continue to transfer from free cash without depositing funds back. The water rate has not received an increase since April 2013, a conservative sewer rate increase was made April 2014 following a sewer rate decrease April 2013, next year further adjustment will be necessary when we begin paying back the USDA loan. Also of note, is that Palmer is planning similar refurbishment projects at PS 1 & 2, and we pay a higher portion of costs at those stations. The Commission reviewed the rate analysis for water and sewer,
discussion will continue at the next meeting.
Sewer Jetter ~ the Mongoose Jetter arrived, however there was some damage caused by shipping and weather (hydraulic hoses and fuel return line leak). The Sales Representative has the unit and will supervise repairs.
PLC Programming ~ programming is moving forward, the Bunyan Road Station was just finished today, programming will continue Thursday and Friday, at $2,000 a day, Craig hopes all will be done Friday.
Bunyan Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) ~ since December Craig has been working back and forth getting numbers and options regarding repair or replacement. Square D’s first proposal to replace the entire enclosure and drive is unacceptable ($11,000), Craig contacted the representative expressing his disbelief that they no long support the 10 year old unit, and questioned why we would continue doing business with Square D. A second proposal is expected shortly. In the meantime, AMP Electric looked into the cost for repairs; worse case is $4,500 to repair the unit.
Department Activity
Snow Clearing ~ efforts are being made to push the snow around at the stations, the loader was required at Bethany and probably will be needed at Bunyan. Hydrant clearing is ongoing, the Fire Department helps with that task quite a bit.
Office Tasks ~ Dale has been working diligently on budgets, rates and compiling and monitoring new requirements for hoisting licenses, training hours, certifications, physicals, water licenses and state ethics training to ensure there is no lapse requirements. Craig will work on the Town Report due in February and the Annual Statistical Report in March.
Water / Sewer Repairs ~ a water main break occurred Saturday, February 7th on State Street, believed to be caused from the granite slabs under the main shifting, common this time of year due to frost. The town backhoe was not big enough, Craig contacted Mark Kline at OJS and he arrived on scene with the rubber tire excavator. Lighting was provided by the fire department rescue truck. The material we removed that night could not be reused. Jeff Chaffee stopped by and contacted Donald Chaffee who opened up Palmer Paving and provided us with gravel. Repairs are complete, patching will take place in the spring and the hydrant in the vicinity of the break may also be replaced at that time. Craig was very appreciative of the assistance provided by Donald, OJS and the Fire
Department.
Gratitude ~ Marty expressed his appreciation for our employee’s dedication and willingness to work the way they do in the miserable weather. Both Tom and Tony have been working many long hours lately plowing and sanding for the Highway Dept. in addition to completing their responsibilities here. Marty pointed out that OT at the W&S Department is never a good thing; it always means extremely hard work in very unfavorable conditions at the worst possible time.
Accept the Meeting Minutes: Paul mad a motion to accept the October 22, November 5, November 19, 2014 and the January 21, 2015 meeting minutes. Joe seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
NEXT MEETING: The next meeting has been set for Wednesday, February 25, 2014 at 3:30p.m.
ADJOURN: A motion was made by Joe and seconded by Paul to adjourn at 5:00 p.m. Motion passed unanimously.
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Marshall L. Harris, Clerk
cc: Selectmen
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