A. ROLL CALL
Members Present: Richard Aries, Joseph Carino, Robert Dickinson, Carol Fletterick and William Vees
Members Absent: Donald Antaya and Vicki Paliulis
Alternates Present: Ed Havens, Jr. sitting in for Donald Antaya
Richard Siedman sitting in for Vicki Paliulis
Staff Present: C. Fred Shaw, Superintendent of Pollution Control
Ether A. Diaz, Recording Secretary
Others: Andy Krar, Design Professionals
Chairman Richard Aries called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The following actions were taken during the October 2, 2012 Regular Meeting of the Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA).
Chariman Aries appointed Mr. Ed Havens, Jr. to sit in for Mr. Donald Antaya and Mr. Richard Siedman was appointed to sit in for Ms. Vicki Paliulis.
B. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS
September 4, 2012 – Regular Meeting
The minutes were grammatically corrected.
Motion was made to accept the minutes of the September 4, 2012 regular meeting as amended.
The motion was made by Mr. Ed Havens, Jr.
The motion was seconded by Mr. Richard Siedman
The motion carried unanimously
C. NEW BUSINESS
1. American Eagle Federal Credit Union (Approval to Connect)
Andy Krar, Design Professionals, presented the application. The project consists of a proposed 2600 sq ft single story commercial building with no basement. The plan is to connect to an existing sanitary manhole.
Mr. Fred Shaw reported that this application was reviewed in house by Town staff; staff is requesting details on how the connection is going to be made to the manhole and how the manhole invert will be changed to accommodate the flow from the building. It is also recommended that the existing lateral for the existing house be properly disconnected and capped.
Mr. Krar asked if it’s possible to keep the well as the intention was to use it possibly for irrigation. Mr. Shaw responded that is a health department decision and that he should pursue this matter further with them.
This application received approval from Inland Wetlands Agency and is scheduled to be reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Commission. This application was added to the Agenda prior to Planning and Zoning Commission approval as the contractor is ready to begin construction and waiting until the November meeting would have delayed the project. Mr. Krar reported that currently the applicant is going through the financing process for this project and is not sure when construction will begin.
Motion was made to approve the application as presented for connection to the Town’s sewerage system for a proposed commercial office building to be located at 512 & 530 Buckland Road, South Windsor, CT, as more specifically shown on plans entitled “American Eagle Federal Credit Union, 512 & 530 Buckland Road, South Windsor, CT”; Prepared by Design Professionals, Inc., South Windsor, CT, Project No.: 3077, Dated 9/4/2012, Sheet UT-1 “Utility Plan”. This approval is subject to the following conditions: (1) the final plans must include details on how the connection to the manhole will be made and explain how the manhole invert will be changed to accept the flow from the building; (2) the current sewer lateral of the existing house needs to be cut and capped; (3) this application
is subject to Planning and Zoning Commission approval – final layout of the sewer system connection is required should there be any changes in the plans during the P&Z approval; (4) Technical approval of the Town of South Windsor Engineering Department; and (5) Final Authority approval and acceptance of the sanitary sewerage connection will be conditional upon the installed sewer line having been inspected by the Town staff, and upon the written verification of the Town staff that said sanitary sewer line was installed in substantial conformance with the design plans approved by the Authority, and meeting all regulations and appropriate technical specifications relating to sanitary sewer construction.
The motion was made by Mr. Ed Havens, Jr.
The motion was seconded by Mr. Richard Siedman
The motion carried unanimously
2. L008 Pierce Road, Lot 2 (Approval to Connect)
Mr. Andy Krar of Design Professionals presented the application. The project is to be located on 25 acres and has been subdivided into two parcels; the two parcels were created via a statutory split and do not need formal approval by the Town. Therefore, the project has received approval from the Inland Wetlands Agency and Zoning Board of Appeals but does not require approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission. Also, this project was previously approved by the Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) for sewer connection to lot 1; this application is for lot 2 which is set on approximately 23 acres and will be a single family home. The sanitary sewer main is off to the side of the road and is about 10 feet below the ground at that point. The plan is to serve the basement with sanitary
sewer service as well as provide a gravity flow service which will connect to a proposed lateral on Pierce Road. In regards to the slope of the proposed pipe, the applicant is proposing minimum slope of about 2% coming down to a manhole and then each subsequent manhole. The six inch pipe will be at 1% slope. Mr. Fred Shaw reported that the most important thing is to be able to maintain proper self cleansing velocity through the pipe. In this particular project the velocity varies depending upon the size of the pipe. Therefore, the engineer has been asked to look at the slope of the pipe where less than 2% is proposed and recalculate the anticipated flow to establish whether or not a 2.5 feet minimum velocity can be maintained. And if they are not able to do so, there are other means by which velocity can be achieved; either by putting in a flushing system to periodically flush that pipe or use a different size of pipe to be able to handle a flow
from a residential unit that will achieve each day the 2.5 feet per second. Mr. Shaw also recommended installing cleanouts at every 100 feet instead of manholes. The sewer main will be maintained by the property owner.
Motion was made to approve the application of a proposed single family residential home (lot 2) located at L008 Pierce Road, South Windsor, CT, for the connection to the Town’s sewerage system, as more specifically shown on plans entitled “Michaelson Residence, Site Plans – Lot #2, L008 Pierce Road, South Windsor, CT”, prepared by Design Professionals, Inc., South Windsor, CT. Project No. 2236.M, Sheet PL-1 “Plot Plan”, Dated 9/5/2012 and Revised on 9/19/2012 and 9/24/12. This approval is subject to the following conditions: (1) installing a building sewer system that will achieve the proper flow velocity of 2.5 feet per second by whatever means the consulting engineer determines is feasible; (2) replace the proposed manholes with cleanouts at every 100 feet; (3) Technical
approval of the Town of South Windsor Engineering Department; and (3) Final Authority approval and acceptance of the sanitary sewerage connection will be conditional upon the installed sewer line having been inspected by the Town staff, and upon the written verification of the Town staff that said sanitary sewer line was installed in substantial conformance with the design plans approved by the Authority, and meeting all regulations and appropriate technical specifications relating to sanitary sewer construction.
The motion was made by Mr. Robert Dickinson
The motion was seconded by Ms. Carol Fletterick
The motion carried unanimously
3. Authorization for Chairman to sign the Permanent Loan Obligation for the Clean Water Fund Loan for the Treatment Plant Upgrade Project
Mr. Fred Shaw reported that the Bond Council reviewed the project loan agreement and the payments schedule; this project is at a point where it can be closed out. The permanent loan obligation agreement needed to be signed by September 28, 2012; for purposes of not having a special meeting, members of the Authority were polled via email to obtain a consensus vote as to whether or not to authorize Chairman Aries to sign the Permanent Loan Obligation agreement. This item was put on the Agenda for a formal vote.
Motion was made to authorize Chairman Richard Aries to sign the Permanent Loan Obligation for the Clean Water Fund Loan for the Treatment Plant Upgrade.
The motion was made by Mr. Robert Dickinson
The motion was seconded by Mr. Richard Siedman
The motion carried unanimously
4. Authorization to prepare sewer bills for 8,098 accounts for FY 2012/2013
Also, for purposes of not having to have a special meeting to authorize the residential billing, members of the Authority were polled via email to approve or not approve the preparation of the residential billing based on Mr. Shaw’s explanation provided in his Memorandum dated September 7, 2012 (see Exhibit A); a consensus vote was obtained via emails and by telephone. Mr. Shaw explained that at the previous WPCA meeting there were some questions regarding the calculation of the sewer bills and he was
requested to review the billing and provide an explanation. In his Memorandum, he explained that the number 8,098 referred to the number of accounts which can include both single family and multifamily; it did not refer to the number of residential units. This item was included in the Agenda to obtain final approval.
Motion was made to approve the preparation of the Residential Sewer User Charge Billing for FY 2012/2013 based on Fred Shaw’s explanation in his Memorandum dated September 7, 2012 (see Exhibit A).
The motion was made by Mr. Robert Dickinson
The motion was seconded by Mr. Joseph Carino
The motion carried unanimously
The Authority raised concern as to whether or not a consensus vote is okay to be obtained via email. Mr. Shaw was asked to seek information from the Town Attorney as to whether or not there is a protocol that is already been established or if there is any concerns on their part regarding consensus votes via emails.
5. To authorize billing for Accounts 396340, 396310, and 396350 (Discussion)
In a Memorandum dated October 2, 2012 (see Exhibit B), Mr. Fred Shaw explained that in May 2005, four condominium units at 27 Amato Drive (units A, B, C, and D) were damaged by a fire. The Authority approved removal of the units from the residential sewer user billing list until repairs could be completed. In March 2006 the repairs were completed for Units A, B, and C and they were placed back on the billing list; unit D was not restored for residential use. However, bills from 2006 to the present were
never sent and now represent an outstanding balance of $1,850 per unit. As a matter of law, the past due sewer user charges must be billed. The owner of unit 27C Amato Drive has already sent to the Town payment sufficient to cover the past unbilled amounts. However, the Authority may consider a repayment scheduled to be spread over several years without any interest in arrears for Units A and B.
Motion was made to allow a repayment schedule for past unbilled sewer user charges to property owners at 27 Amato Drive, Units A and B.
The motion was made by Mr. Joseph Carino. A discussion ensued and the motion was modified as follows:
Motion was made to allow the property owners at 27 Amato Drive, Units A and B, to choose whether they prefer to pay the past due amount ($1,850 per unit) upfront or spread the payments over a five year period making equal annual installment payments without any interest in arrears for past due unbilled sewer user charges ($1,850 per unit, excluding the current year’s bill of $374).
The motion was seconded by Mr. Richard Siedman
The motion carried unanimously
D. COMMUNICATIONS AND REPORTS
1. Treatment Plant Upgrade (Progress Report)
Mr. Shaw reported that the Town will begin to repay the debt for the Treatment Plant Upgrade at the end of this month. He also reported that the contractor and the engineer is the process of resolving the problem with the biofilter; the contractor will replace the wood chips in order to properly control air through the bio filter for odor control. The Town has not paid the engineer or the contractor their final checks. The ribbon cutting will be scheduled after the odor control issue is fixed.
2. Sewer System Evaluation Project (Update)
Mr. Shaw reported that he has recently met with the Town’s Engineering Consultant concerning this project. The Engineering Consultant was not prepared to provide a report this evening; He will make a presentation regarding the Inflow and Infiltration evaluation (I/I) at the November WPCA meeting.
The 1100 feet of concrete pipe on Chapel Road has been replaced. The contractor has extended the gravity section of pipe at the end of the force main on Clark Street. The contractor is in preparation to begin with the slip lining of the pipe on Route 5 and Chapel Road.
3. Dry Pit Pump Station Upgrade (Progress Report)
This project is substantially completed. Recently, there was a walk through with the engineer and the contractor to review the punch lists and offer additional training on the Rye Street pump station.
At the previous meeting, Mr. Shaw reported that there have been problems with the Barrington Estates pump station which have been clogging up. Recently, there was a meeting with the manufacturer representative and with the technician from the manufacturer regarding resolution of this problem. They are in the process of correcting the problem by providing a different impeller; the Barrington Estates pump station has experienced the most problems.
4. Task Force Committee (Discussion)
The Task Force Committee has not yet scheduled a meeting. As previously reported, water companies were requested to provide the water consumption figures. The information was received and will be reviewed to determine an average flow usage figure for single family units. Mr. Shaw stated that in the analysis of this data, the standard deviation was determined to be large. The significance of this is that it shows that flows will vary considerably and that it will be difficult to estimate future flows with which to estimate future revenue; this may contribute to instability in rate setting. Once the analysis is completed, the results will be available to members of the Authority and the Task Force Committee for discussion. Chairman Aries stated that this reinforces what he had said before -
it will be really difficult to determine a more equitable way to customize the billing for different users.
E. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION - None
F. BILLS, CHANGE ORDERS, DISBURSEMENTS - None
G. UNFINISHED BUSINESS - None
H. MOTION TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS PENDING CLAIMS - None
I. ADJOURNMENT
Motion was made to adjourn at 8:15 p.m.
The motion was made by Mr. Ed Havens, Jr.
The motion was seconded by Mr. William Vees
The motion carried unanimously
Respectfully Submitted,
______________________________
Ether A. Diaz
Recording Secretary
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