TOWN OF SOUTH WINDSOR
MINUTES
TOWN COUNCIL WORK SESSION
MADDEN ROOM DECEMBER 16, 2002
SOUTH WINDSOR TOWN HALL 6:00 P.M.
1. Call Meeting to Order
Mayor Aman called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m.
2. Roll Call
Members Present: Mayor William Aman
Deputy Mayor Matthew Streeter
Councillor Barbara Barbour
Councillor Paul Burnham (arrived 7:05 p.m.)
Councillor Thomas Delnicki
Councillor Deborah Fine
Councillor Edward Havens
Councillor Judith Paquin
Councillor John Pelkey
Also Present: Matthew B. Galligan, Town Manager
Jeffrey Doolittle, Town Engineer
Michael Gantick, Director of Public Works
Karl Reichle, Supt. – Parks and Grounds
Fred Shaw, Supt. of Pollution Control
Melvin Stead, Supt. – Street Services
3. Public Participation - None
4. Communications – None
5. Town Manager’s Report – None
Items for Discussion
Strategic Budget – Public Works Department
Michael Gantick, Director of Public Works, began by providing a brief overview of the department. Functions include administration, engineering, highway maintenance, motor equipment repair, parks and grounds maintenance, public building maintenance, refuse and recycling, and water pollution control. As of September 1, 2002, there were 52 full-time employees—2 less than in 1990.
6. A. Strategic Budget – Public Works Department (Continued)
Major Programs – Overview/Highlights
Administration
Provide planning and direction of Department programs, policies and fiscal matters
Oversee training and associated management of 52 full-time employees
Oversee Capital Improvement Program
Provide support to strategic planning effort
Involvement in a number of other special projects, such as the Fuel Cell Project
Mr. Gantick said they would like feedback from the Council concerning the quality, or level of service, or types of service, the Council would like the Department to provide to the community.
Engineering (Jeff Doolittle, Town Engineer)
Review of Planning and Zoning and Inland Wetlands Agency/Conservation Commission applications and associated public improvements. To date there have been 76 applications to Planning & Zoning for this calendar year.
Design of infrastructure projects for the Town directly (drainage, roadway, park facilities $3,800,00 FY 2001/2002). The largest project is the Pleasant Valley and Clark Street Reconstruction Project. The final plans have recently been submitted to the Department of Transportation for their final review, and it is expected to go out to bid in the spring of 2003.
Sidewalk Inspection Program. They are looking to adopt a regular schedule of inspecting sidewalks and updating the inventory of the Town sidewalks, as well as mapping them.
Street excavation and sanitary sewer connections permits.
Certificate of occupancy site inspections (130 per year).
6. A. Strategic Budget – Public Works Department (Continued)
Mr. Doolittle was asked about the property on the corner of Clark Street and Pleasant Valley, and he responded that the decision was made not to move the old house, but to build a new house behind it. The State has purchased the old house and will be taking it down in the early spring. He explained that money was put up for design, for right of ways, acquisitions, etc. Mr Galligan said that funds came from the Capital Budget, as well as from ISTEA funds (grant).
Technical engineering support to other departments and commissions.
Mr. Doolittle added that the Department of Environmental Protection is in the process of issuing general permit requirements for the “Phase II Storm Water Permit.” Phase I was in the mid-1990’s, and this is a second set of permits being issued. The State was told by the Federal Department of Environmental Protection Agency that they will issue these storm water regulations. The Engineering Department will take the lead on this, and they will have to develop and implement a five-year storm water management plan. The State has provided guidelines as to what will need to be included.
It was explained by Mr. Doolittle that the Town will have to make certain that new businesses have a storm water management plan and an ordinance may be necessary to enforce this. He indicated, however, that this is geared more toward municipalities.
Highway Maintenance (Mel Stead, Superintendent – Street Services)
Road resurfacing, 7 miles per year. This works out to about 3 miles of overlay and 4 miles of chip seal, which is about 5 percent of the total miles in South Windsor. They could probably be doing 10 percent. The cost is increasing each year because of the pavement thicknesses in order to mill out the top layer of pavement in order to maintain curb heights and driveway pitch to keep water out of the driveways.
6. A. Strategic Budget – Public Works Department (Continued)
Catch basin cleaning - 3,000 done per year. There are over 500 catch basins in South Windsor, which should be cleaned at least once per year. Referencing the Storm Water Management Plan mentioned earlier, he said this is one of the items that will need to be maintained once that goes into effect. He couldn’t provide the amount of increase this might involve.
Snowplowing – 135 miles of street. A portion of this is done with six rental trucks and the remainder with the Town’s. They are the same vehicles used for leaf collection, so when early snow storms occur, the leaf boxes have to be removed from the trucks and sanders need to be put on.
Leaf Collection – This is one of the most labor-intensive programs. There are about five weeks to collect the leaves, generally starting around the first of November.
When asked about possible savings if there were no leaf collection, Mr. Stead said that the savings would result from the rental trailers ($55,000), repairs to the leaf vacuums ($17,000), temporary help ($6,500), and overtime services ($6,500). Mr. Gantick added that there are also two bag collections, one which occurs mid-term and one which occurred last week.
About 40 percent of the single-family homes take advantage of the leaf collection service.
Councillor Havens discussed the option of giving residents a choice of discontinuing this service.
Street/Traffic Sign and Line Maintenance – There are over 750 street signs at over 600 locations. About every five years they fade, crack, or get vandalized, and need replacement. There are over 1,700 traffic signs, which have the same types of maintenance problems. All the signs are made out of aluminum, have a vinyl material, and are expensive. The Department would like to go to the larger 9-inch signs, with the 6-inch letters, and such a proposal will be prepared.
6. A. Strategic Budget – Public Works Department (Continued)
There are 60 miles of double-yellow line which is painted. Each year when a street is overlaid, they are repainted with epoxy. Those lines last about five years. It was tried on the chip-seal streets and it was found that this doesn’t produce an effective line because of the irregular stones. Therefore, some are repainted twice a year. This is a contracted service. They do have small line-painters used for the Town’s parking lots and for the crosswalks and railroad lines.
Street sweeping – 135 miles of roads. In the spring, about a third of the sand which is spread during the winter season is picked up. If there is a late storm, they end up sweeping from curb to curb—which means that they make four or five passes on one street to get all the sand. If the sand is not picked up, it ends up in the catch basins and then needs to be vacuumed out. The sand is not recycled; some is mixed with stone in drainage projects, and the remainder gets taken to the landfill. It cannot be reused because it is so fine that it absorbs moisture and cakes together.
Mr. Gantick spoke of State mandates and related costs.
Mr. Galligan addressed the topic of a Town sales tax and said that the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities is looking to incite a dialog concerning this idea. Mayor Aman said that the proposed plans which he has seen have been on a regional basis.
Regarding combining services with other towns, Mr. Galligan said that cooperative purchases are currently made through CRCOG. Mr. Gantick noted that thousands of dollars have been saved through the cooperative purchase of supplies, etc. Regarding equipment sharing, he said that the problem is that “everyone needs it at the same time.”
Returning once again to the topic of cleaning catch basins, Mr. Gantick said that they have experimented with all of the latest technologies, and the way it is currently being handled is probably the most cost effective.
6. A. Strategic Budget – Public Works Department (Continued)
Concerning leaf collection, Mr. Gantick explained that unvacuumed leaves don’t compact as well as vacuumed leaves, so the same dumpster could hold about three times as many vacuumed leaves. He addressed the higher transportation costs with regard to centralized areas. In order to save money, he said an all bag collection would be the answer. One year bags were given out, and 30,000 bags were distributed. The town of Enfield, in its first purchase, sold over 110,000 bags. He said obviously it is easier if residents have to get the bags themselves.
Mr. Reichle said that every bit of the composted leaves have been sold for the last seven or eight years. This isn’t offsetting the cost of the leaf program, but some money is coming back.
Motor Equipment Repair (Mel Stead, Superintendent – Street Services)
Motor equipment owned by the Town has a $3.7 million replacement cost and includes the following:
30 police vehicles
30 dump trucks/pickups
15 general fleet vehicles
3 buses - 2 for senior transportation, 1 as backup for senior and recreation transportation
35 large equipment – including pay loaders, backhoes, street sweepers, catch basin cleaners, rollers
56 miscellaneous equipment – items which have motors but not license plates, such as pumps, chain saws, compactors, generators, and snow blowers
Mr. Stead noted that mileage is not the only indicator, a great deal of stress is put on vehicles in the amount of hours that they are run.
Fuel costs are included in the motor equipment budget and has increased about $.15 a gallon in the last three months. At the beginning of the year the Town paid about $.74/gallon; and, within a month or two will probably be $1.05.
6. A. Strategic Budget – Public Works Department (Continued)
In addition to the equipment listed above, there are numerous pieces of auxiliary equipment—sanders, plows, farm implements, and leaf boxes. These items don’t have motors but have to be maintained. Additional longevity is expected in the equipment since there is now a washing facility.
Four employees work on the first shift. Mr. Galligan indicated that, in the last negotiations, the option of having two shifts was explored. This would entail a change in working conditions and would impact negotiations. They are working toward having someone on a second shift.
When asked about the 100,000-mile extended warranty, Mr. Stead said that the Town does have a waranty on the investigative or staff vehicles for the Police Department but not on the patrol vehicles. As far as trucks, on those with automatic transmissions, we pay extra when we buy them to get the transmission under extended warranty.
Parks & Grounds Maintenance (Karl Reichle, Superintendent. – Parks and Grounds)
There are ten full-time employees and one part-time person in this division.
Ballfield preparation – over 400 fields are maintained each year.
Mow and maintain all Town and BOE grounds on weekly basis. They work closely with Pat Hankard and his crew. There is a good working relationship with Parks and Grounds and Facilities Services, which saves the duplication of equipment. About 180 acres are mowed per week.
Perform routine and emergency tree work on all Town roads and properties.
Leaf Collection – they work with Street Services on many projects.
Compost all leaves brought to the leaf site. In a typical year, 18,000 to 20,000 yards. The leaves that are sold and are fully composted are a year and a half old.
Snow removal of roads, Town building parking lots and Town sidewalks. They don’t remove snow at the schools, but they do sand
6. A. Strategic Budget – Public Works Department (Continued)
there. The BOE contracts out for the snow removal at school parking lots. Public Works does not have enough manpower and equipment to do all of the streets, the public buildings and the schools. When asked if the hiring of more personnel would be more cost effective than having that work contracted out, Mr. Reichle said that at two or three people per school, that would mean 20 or 25 people for 6 or 7 schools. The problem is that those individuals are needed between 4:30 and 7:30 so that the schools can open.
Provide maintenance at VMP pool. Building Maintenance, Pollution Control and Parks & Grounds work hand in hand at VMP. They are looking to bring in a full-time employee to work half the season at VMP administering the maintenance program and the other half of the season administering building maintenance problems.
They provide help to numerous groups, such as the Patriotic Commission for the fireworks and the Registrars of Voters for setting up the voting machines.
Mr. Reichle said that they receive requests from residents for more work on fields and often have to say “no.”
Building Maintenance (Mike Gantick for Rich Boudreault, Admin. Asst. to Director of Public Works)
Provide facility management services for all general government Town buildings (139,020 square feet of buildings) – including Rotary Pavilion, Little League facilities and shacks, the Police facility, the Community Center, the Town Hall, the Library, Union School, and the Town Garage.
Administration of contractual services, including fire alarm systems, elevators, site generators, heating/air conditioning and temperature control systems, custodial services, and refuse removal.
Facility repair and renovation activities undertaken in-house with the current staff of two building maintainers.
6. A. Strategic Budget – Public Works Department (Continued)
Coordinates Town responsibilities relating to the processing of private and commercial evictions generated from the State of Connecticut Superior Court. Sheriffs bring the possessions out to the curb and then it is the responsibility of the Town to store them for 15 days so that they can advertise. If the person does not pay the full restitution, then the Town is stuck with the cost of moving, storing and getting rid of the items. The annual cost for this runs approximately $4,000.
Provide construction management support for Town Projects. Mr. Gantick noted special projects which have involved Rich Boudreault, such as technological projects and the purchasing procedure.
Manage all OSHA, EPA, and DEP mandates and regulations for all Town sites.
Refuse and Recycling Collection and Disposal (Fred Shaw, Superintendent of Pollution Control)
8,400 tons of refuse disposed annually
49% recycling rate
Collection/disposal of refuse and recycling for 7,189 single-family homes
Collection/disposal of refuse and recycling for 1,698 condominium units
Annual household hazardous waste collection (2.8 tons)
The refuse and collection programs are basically regional programs themselves, including the household hazardous waste collection program. The regional program involves 44 other municipalities for the disposal of refuse and also for recycling. We have contractor service for the collection of refuse and recycling. There is one staff member who serves dual sections—pollution control and also as a contract monitor to ensure compliance.
Once a year there is a household hazardous waste program in Town. Brochures containing applicable information are sent out prior to the event.
6. A. Strategic Budget – Public Works Department (Continued)
Backyard composting is encouraged, and there are training sessions twice a year. Backyard compost bins are sold by the Town, and between 60 and 80 households have participated.
Staff has been working closely with the contractor to improve communications. A new complaint program is in place, and the number of complaints has been reduced.
The Department conntinues to look at alternate ways of collecting trash. Automated systems are being examined as a possibility to reduce costs and improve the service itself. We are also looking to add to the recycling program with CRRA for electronics recycling. We are also looking at ways to improve our training/information brochures to improve recycling in areas, such as the condominiums.
It was suggested that there might be better participation if the recycling containers were better.
Information is continually provided to the public concerning the recycling program, through the Podunk Press, brochures, schedules, etc.
When asked what it costs the Town on a weekly basis for people who are non-compliant, Mr. Gantick said he wasn’t certain. He said that loads can be rejected by CRRA and fines are imposed. The condominium associations have been informed that if a fine is imposed because of refuse from their condominium, then that fine will be passed on to that condominium association.
Water Pollution Control (Fred Shaw, Superintendent of Pollution Control)
Treatment of 775 million gallons of wastewater per year from 7,400 residential users and 330 industrial/commercial users
Maintenance of 126 miles of sewer liens and 11 pump stations
Dewatering and disposal of 750 tons of sludge per year
O&M of the VMP Pool pumps and associated equipment for water quality control
6. A. Strategic Budget – Public Works Department (Continued)
Lab testing for water quality control for compliance with state and federal regulations
There are eight employees at the Treatment Plant, seven operational people and one supervisor. This year the Facility Plan was completed, which was an attempt to identify future needs of the Town, the system, and how it needs to be upgraded to meet future growth in the Town and to meet future regulatory requirements. The next step is to complete grant applications for the design and construction of those improvements, which they plan to pursue in the near future. The Plan has been submitted to the State and it is anticipated that there will be a two or three-month review process. They hope to begin the design of the new facility next spring.
Improvements to the Park Street pump station have been completed, and they have begun design for the Pleasant Valley pump station.
Objectives for the next fiscal year include completing the construction phase for the Pleasant Valley pump station and completing the design of the treatment plant upgrade. They are going to pursue the design of improvements to the submersible pump stations in Town.
The Treatment Plant upgrade and the design and construction of some of the pump station improvements will be grant eligible. The Plant will involve a 25 percent grant and a low interest loan of 2 percent over 20 years. The State has recently presented an opportunity for the Town to pursue grants for the collection system upgrades. This involves monitoring for extraneous water we don’t want getting into the pipes and an upgrade of those pump stations.
When asked if Evergreen Walk was included in the planning, Mr. Shaw said that Evergreen Walk was examined closely in the preparation of the Facility Plan.
Mr. Shaw stated that, in the analysis by the engineer, there was no recommendation for increased staffing with the facility upgrades.
6. A. Strategic Budget – Public Works Department (Continued)
The following accomplishments for fiscal year 2001/2002 were noted by Mr. Gantick:
Continued resurfacing program for 7 miles of roads
Completed in-house design of Clark Street/Pleasant Valley Road Improvements
Inspected 15,000 feet of sidewalks
Completed Forestry and Wildlife Management Plan for six major Town properties
Provided construction management for fuel cell installation at the South Windsor High School
Provided construction management of VMP pool renovation project
Coordinated VMP Memorial Terrace Project construction
Expanded use of computer fleet repair/service tracking program
Completed facility plan for treatment plant upgrade
Mr. Gantick indicated that the Public Works Department would like to meet with the Council again in the future to discuss items, such as road resurfacing. He spoke of the importance of adequate funding and the ability to do more roads per year.
Executive Session - None
Adjournment
A motion to adjourn was made at 7:55 p.m. and was approved unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Merlyn P. Guild
Assistant to the Clerk of the Council
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