Board of Commissioners Meeting
January 28, 2010
Sunapee Town Offices
PRESENT: Theodore Gallup-Chairman, Charles Smith, David Montambeault, Kurt Markarian, Paul Manson, Christopher Leonard.
ABSENT: David Cain.
Also present: Holly Leonard, David Bailey, Brett Dashner, Marshall Barrett, Ken Kessler (DES).
The Chairman called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
ORR Pump Issue: Theodore G. stated that he had been to the property in question with Dave B. and Paul M., and told the Commissioners what is going on with the sewer pump at this property. Dave B. stated that the system in Georges Mills was installed in the 80’s and explained the configuration of the sewer line in this area. Dave B. stated that this customer is in a unique situation due to the fact that he is at a high spot in the system and there is no head pressure for the pump to overcome, in fact there is a vacuum problem that siphons the wet well dry causing the pump to have solids inside causing the pumps to seize when this occurs. There was some discussion regarding the number of pumps that the customer has been through in the past 20 years. Mr. Barrett presented that
more of the homes in this area have become year-round and that he believes this could be the cause of the problem.
Theodore G. stated that at a prior meeting Neil Cheseldine of Wright-Pierce had suggested that an e-one pump would be the solution to the problem. There was much discussion regarding what had been done to modify the situation and if there was some kind of variance that could be granted to the customer if a solution can be found. There was some discussion regarding the pumps failing more often since the original one that had lasted 10 years and if the e-one company would warranty their pump to perform in this situation. Dave B. stated that Ken K. of DES had suggested installing a siphon chamber at the location and there was some discussion regarding if this would be a good solution to the problem.
Ken K. of DES arrived at 5:50 p.m.
Ken K. stated that he had done much research on the issue and has spoken with a pump distributor who had stated that installing a pump station at the road would work. Ken K. stated that he has also spoken with the e-one pump representative and that they have stated that their pump will work for this application. Ken K. stated that a centrifugal pump would not work in this situation. Theodore G. stated that it sounds as if the e-one representative should look into the application and make sure that their pump will function correctly for this customer.
Charles S. questioned the length of time that the pump runs for. The Mr. Barrett stated that it runs for about 7 minutes. Charles S. suggested installing a timer to keep the pump from running for too long a period of time. There was some discussion regarding pumps and the fact that this solution would not solve the problem. There was some discussion regarding other areas of town and if there had been any similar problems with the type of pumps specified.
Theodore G. questioned if Brett D. would be willing to work with e-one and see if this pump would solve the ongoing problem. There was some discussion regarding what type of modifications may need to be done to the pump chamber in order to fit the e-one style pump. Brett D. stated that he is looking to find out from the Commission what would happen if the e-one does not work for the situation. David M., Paul M., and Theodore G. stated that they all feel that the e-one sounds like the best solution to the situation and that this should be tried before any further discussion on the situation.
Brett D. and Mr. Barrett departed at 6:35 p.m.
Forms for Signing:
December 10, 2009 Meeting Minutes: David M. made a motion to accept the minutes as printed, seconded by Charles S., voted unanimously in favor, so declared by the Chairman.
December 2009 Sewer Purchase Journal: David M. made a motion to accept the sewer purchase journal as printed, seconded by Charles S., voted unanimously in favor, so declared by the Chairman.
December 2009 Water Purchase Journal: David M. made a motion to accept the water purchase journal for December as printed, seconded by Charles S., voted unanimously in favor, so declared by the Chairman.
2009 Lien Warrant: David M. made a motion to approve the lien warrant in the amount of $71,065.69, seconded by Charles S., voted unanimously in favor so declared by the Chairman.
Water Treatment Highlights: Dave B. stated that filter three was cleaned three weeks ago
and that filter two is being drained for cleaning. Dave B. reported that the meters at Georges Mills and Harbor Hill were going to be calibrated and explained issues with each type of meter and doing calibrations.
Dave B. reported that there was an issue in Georges Mills with a customer having low volume and that it is an iron pipe to his house that needs replacing. There was some
discussion regarding having the customer attach at a different location so that the old Cooper
Street pipe could be abandoned.
Theodore G. reported that Paul M. had taken some good photos of the intake pipe and
Theodore G. thanked Paul for doing this. There was some discussion regarding issues with
the pipe. David M. stated that the Commission should be looking into this as a future project
and begin getting some pricing. There was much discussion regarding how long
the intake pipe will last and getting this project underway.
Wastewater Treatment Highlights:
Dave B. reported that there had been an issue at the plant when a build-up of rags in one of
the clarifier lines had caused one of the clarifiers to overflow into the contact chamber and ultimately to the river. Dave B. stated that he had spoken with Neil C. about having an alarm in the clarifiers to avoid this type of problem in the future and that he would prefer a sludge blanket probe to alert when the sludge blanket is in trouble. Dave B. reported that luckily he had done his toxicity testing the week before this had happened.
Dave B. reported that the effluent flow meter is having an issue and that it will need to be replaced soon and he presented a quote for $4,000 to replace the meter.
Dave B. reported that one of the mixers has failed and that replacement of it will cost $3,499, there was some discussion regarding whether it should have blown a circuit. There was some discussion regarding possibly running on one ditch for the entire summer and if this would be possible. Ken K. does not think that this would be advisable. Dave B. will check with Neil C. to see what options there are with the mixer.
Dave B. reported that he had met with a Public Service Representative to do an energy audit and that the representative had given him some ideas on energy saving devices and ideas for saving on electricity.
Dave B. stated that Neil C. had some questions regarding the well and the wood on the outside of the sludge storage tank at the Wastewater Plant. There was some discussion regarding the yield of the well being around 2 gpm and David M. stated that the wood was put on the storage tank in the 80’s.
Henniker Septic Proposal: Dave B. gave some information on what the proposal entails. There was some discussion regarding the same proposal being presented previously. Theodore G. would have the department send a memo stating that the Commission is currently working on the upgrade and do not want to do anything different right at the moment until the upgrade is completed.
Old & New Business: Charles S. stated that there had been a great presentation given last week at the budget and bond hearing and he is looking to find out what is going to be presented at Town Meeting. Theodore G. stated that he would urge all of the Commissioners to attend and that there will be a presentation at the meeting that should help get the article passed. There was much discussion regarding the amount of water and sewer funds available to put towards the project and defray some costs. Charles S. feels that the Commission needs to put in some of these funds to get the article to pass. Theodore G. thinks that Sunapee will be able to pass the article and would urge the public to take a tour and speak with employees to find out what the article is all about.
2010 Rates were tabled until the February meeting.
Dave B. mentioned that Glacial energy has made a proposal to the town which sells electricity to industrial and commercial entities. There was much discussion regarding how much could be saved by going with Glacial.
8:00 p.m. Charles S. made a motion to adjourn, seconded by David M., voted unanimously in the affirmative, so declared by the Chairperson.
Submitted by Holly Leonard.
Approved by the Water & Sewer Commission this ______ day of __________________, 2010.
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Theodore Gallup-Chairman David Montambeault
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David Cain Charles Smith
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Kurt Markarian Christopher Leonard
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Paul Manson
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