Commissioners Present: Marshall L. Harris Vice Chairman, Joseph M. Prior Clerk
Employees Present: Superintendent: Craig W. Jalbert; Secretary: Dale Barnes-Johnson
Open the Meeting: The meeting was called to order at 3:35 p.m.
Accept the Meeting Minutes: Marty made a motion to accept the meeting minutes March 9, 3016. Joe seconded and it was unanimously voted.
OLD/NEW BUSINESS:
Hospital Road Pump Rehab Project ~ a meeting took place March 17th to sign Pay Request No. 3 and to discuss the upcoming construction schedule. Questions were raised regarding the bypass pumping and how the system will work without the grinder in place. Craig stated that ultimately it is the contractor’s (Barbato’s) responsibility. During the USDA meeting Barbato explained he believes the sampler is not his responsibility. Amanda from T&H is reviewing the spec again to confirm one way or the other. Barbato has begun installing the new electrical conduit at the site. In USDA news, Craig requested further clarification from Jennifer Sharrow at USDA regarding the short lived asset replacement reserve account. The contract requires we deposit an
additional $20,000 annually for a period of five years totaling $100,000. Craig wants to know how long that money must be set aside; five years or the life of the loan. The purpose of the reserve is to make sure the building is viable and functional for the life of the loan; any work such as paint, roof and miscellaneous repairs would be used/replaced from that reserve. Craig recalled earlier thoughts were to use $100,000 from our sewer enterprise account to pay down the loan principal to lower the payment. This may not be possible if the reserve account must be funded. The Commission discussed other options: include the additional $20,000 in the Sewer Debt Service Fee for the first five years, or we could reallocate the $58,500 set aside for our storage building. Craig and Dale are scheduled to meet April 6th to discuss USDA financing matters with Town Accountant Mary Lauria, and Treasurer Cristina Pedro.
FY2017 Budget ~ the Commission discussed the need to officially set the rates as discussed previously.
Water Rate ~No change is required to the current water rate of $4.75/1,000 gallons $29.69 Min/Qtr.
A motion was made by Joe to decrease the Debt Service Fee of $20.00/Qtr to $19.95/Qtr effective April 1, 2016, motion seconded by Marty, motion passed unanimously.
Sewer Rate~ A motion was made by Marty to increase the sewer residential flat rate per swelling unit from $346/Yr., $86.50/Qtr to $350/Yr., $87.50/Qtr effective April 1, 2016, motion seconded by Joe, motion passed unanimously.
Article Requests ~ Article requests are due April 4, 2016, and are as tentatively discussed:
Water Article Requests:
- $25,000 routine Water Retained Earnings transfer
- $3,800 transfer for pavement repairs to entrance at Bunyan Road Station
- $5,500 transfer for pump station control valve modifications and the purchase of a hydrant relieve valve.
- $50,000 transfer to establish a Pipe Crossing Rehab Capital Account for the purposes of engineering and construction costs related to replacing rotted hanger rods and brackets and missing pipe insulation on the water mains that cross over bridges throughout the Town. There are six locations that need maintenance work very soon. Craig contacted John Rahkonen, from Northern Construction to consult with him and get some advice regarding the proposed bridge work. Mr. Rahkonen wants to contact some people he knows at MassDOT to determine what would be required to move forward. Marty commented that he thought it was an excellent idea that Craig contacted Northern Construction as they have extensive experience with all work related to bridges.
Sewer Article Requests:
- $11,000 routine Sewer Retained Earnings transfer
- $5,000 transfer for interest payment on the Interim Financing for the USDA project. The $600,000 loan portion must be spent before we access the $200,000 in grant funds. After the loan portion is spent, USDA will pay off our interim financing and we will close on the loan. This article request is for funds to cover the interim financing interest. The first USDA loan payment will be due FY2018 one year after closing.
Craig will be present at the BOS meeting on April 12th to answer any questions the BOS may have prior to placing articles on the warrant.
Department Activity
Route 32~ milling has commenced.
Water Line Replacements ~ in anticipation of Palmer paving opening, Craig has planned several service line replacements. 11 & 10 Pease Avenue; 20 & 21 State Street; 11 & 10 Lower Hampden; 2 & 6 King Lane.
103 Main Street Rear (Acct. 0017) ~ Marty inquired about the status of this service. Craig informed the Commission that the current owner has been made aware that prior to any sale of the property the water service needs to be separated from the basement of the house in front (Acct. 0290); the for sale sign has been removed from the window.
Staffing ~ Ryan Kiernan dislocated his shoulder and will be out until May, light duty is not available or an option within the department. Both Ryan and Matt have met the training and testing requirements to sit for the D2 exam. They continue to study in preparation but they are running out of time. Their D1 test completion expires on April 29th, six months following the examination. In order to take the D2 test, individuals must either have the D1 license or have passed the D1 exam in the last six months. Matt has chosen to secure his D1 Operator-In-Training license to allow him more time to prepare for the D2 test. Matt has also scheduled to take his T1 exam on March 31, 2016, the T1 exam can be taken at any time. Ryan and Matt were hired as non-licensed
laborers with the understanding they will work toward obtaining all necessary licenses and certifications. Craig is concerned that Ryan may lose this opportunity.
Meter Reading ~ Tom will take over the reading while Ryan is out.
NEXT MEETING: The next meeting has been set for Wednesday April 20, 2016, at 3:30 p.m.
ADJOURN: A motion was made by Joe and seconded by Marty to adjourn at 4:30 p.m. Motion passed unanimously.
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Joseph M. Prior, Clerk
cc: Selectmen
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