January 19, 2010
Water and Sewer Commission Members Present – Allen Hitchcock, John Lapre, and Helen McKinlay. Absent: Hope Rantanen. Others present: Bob Berardo, Mike Smith, Shawn Hendee Mike Tyl, Patti Tyl, Bruce Babcock, Todd Blow, Susan Feenick, Warren McCullough, Rick Anderson, Clyde Walton, Marie Walton, Bill Deehan, Leigh Deehan, Susan Morale, Chad Fod, Virginia Anderson, Jorja Darby, J. Paul Darby, David Rowe, Tom Carrara, Rob Howland, Mary Jean Wasik, Richard Marchinkoski, Pamela Smith, Trip Westcott, Marcia Westcott, Hank Pelkey, Bruce Paynter, Anita Paynter, Barb DeLong, Gordon DeLong, John Haverstock, and Kelly Giard – Recording Secretary.
Allen Hitchcock, Chairman, called the meeting to order at 6:33 PM.
Minutes:
The minutes from the December 15, 2009 meeting were signed with minor changes.
Town Managers Report:
J. Haverstock reported the following:
- Proctor has indicated plans to discontinue service from its surface water source in Chittenden and the line running through Pittsford. The choice made by Proctor affects roughly 70 Pittsford residences along this transmission line. Mark Youngstrom of Otter Creek Engineering was present with regard to this topic.
Public Comment:
None stated at this time
Water:
Discussion of Proctor Water Customers in Pittsford:
Mark Youngstrom indicated that he was asked by the Water & Sewer Commission to research the possibility of servicing Pittsford residents that are currently being serviced by the Proctor Water Service, which is to be discontinued by Proctor. Mr. Youngstrom presented maps for attendees to review. A large majority of the customers are too high in elevation for Pittsford to serve. There are roughly 4 customers on Oxbow Road; 2 customers on Route 3; and Corn Hill is considered to be “marginal” at this time. Mark Youngstrom’s letter report with these findings was distributed for residents to review. Mr. Youngstrom explained that the existing line is roughly 100 years old, hand dug, very shallow and the only reason it does not freeze is its continuous flow at roughly 300 gallons per minute.
Residents raised the following concerns for discussion:
- Is the alternative to drill our own wells? Mr. Youngstrom referred this matter to the Proctor Select Board. J. Haverstock indicated that recent communications with Proctor have indicated that it will take “several months, if not more” for Proctor to complete the decision making process, which will include development of the other source and what compensation, if any, it offers to Pittsford residents as customers. Mr. Youngstrom indicated that Proctor may be conducting additional studies before any conclusion is reached.
- Proctor may be going to Bond Vote with regard to this topic. Mr. Youngstrom indicated that a Bond Vote would be required to upgrade the system in Proctor.
- What are the legal rights, laws, etc. with regard to water ways and services? Mr. Youngstrom indicated that this is not an unusual circumstance and the other municipalities affected provided water service via wells, however, there may be other instances involved, such as deeds, which will need to be reviewed individually. J. Haverstock inquired if the residents involved should organize themselves, be in touch with Proctor public meetings, and be in contact with Water regulators within the State. Mr. Youngstrom made no solid recommendation, other than communications with Proctor.
- Is an attorney involved with Proctor? Bruce Paynter indicated that Paul Kulig was hired on November 23, 2009. Mr. Kulig was involved when Pittsford and Chittenden were in a similar situation.
- What would the impact be of drilling 70 wells on the aquifer? Mr. Youngstrom indicated that the individual household water demand is quite low and there should be adequate water for all.
- Is it possible to add a waterhead at the Nickwackett source to cover the problem? Mr. Youngstrom explained that there is a water storage tank in place in Pittsford and Florence and a water main, booster pump and pump station would be required to pump the water back up for service, which would prove to be very costly.
- Is the line from Chittenden through Pittsford being abandoned due to issues and is costly to fix? A. Hitchcock explained that the State will no longer accept Proctor’s water source due to chlorination and contamination concerns. Mr. Youngstrom indicated that the water source is excellent, however, the investment to the water filtration source is too costly in Proctor’s view. Mr. Youngstrom explained various piping issues that could cause several serious outages in the event of a pipe breaking.
- Is there a consideration of Pittsford contributing to the upgrade of the Proctor filtration/chlorination project? A. Hitchcock indicated no.
- Tom Carrara inquired if there is a mortgage in place on a bond debt for the work done in Chittenden. Mr. Youngstrom referred this matter to the Proctor Select Board, following much discussion.
- What are the intentions of the Proctor Select Board? A. Hitchcock referred this matter to the Proctor Select Board.
- The Pittsford Town Manager has received communications from the Proctor Select Board and was asked to relay the message that the affected Pittsford residents would like to have communications with the Proctor Select Board. J. Haverstock asked Pittsford residents that would like to receive updates should please leave the e-mail or mailing addresses.
- Anita Paynter inquired why communications from Proctor in January 2009 “hinting” that this may occur had not been communicated to the affected residences. J. Haverstock indicated that there was nothing received until recently that this topic was actually a reality and not “hypothetical”.
Mr. Youngstrom indicated that if there are any future questions, please get these to J. Haverstock and he will forward the questions for answering.
Residents exited at 7:03 PM. Remaining for the meeting of the Water & Sewer Commission were: Allen Hitchcock, Helen McKinlay, John Lapre, Gordon DeLong, Barb DeLong, Shawn Hendee, Bruce Babcock, Hank Pelkey, Bob Berardo, Tom Carrara, Mark Youngstrom, Mike Smith, John Haverstock, Kelly Giard – Recording Secretary.
Update on Project Status:
Mr. Youngstrom indicated that Markowski Excavating has shut down for the winter. Markowski Excavating is currently behind schedule and meetings have occurred with regard to this topic. There is a possibility of a subcontractor being hired in the spring to assist with this project. There will be a number of crews working on this project in the spring (possibly 5 pipeline crews). The Otter Creek crossing will possibly occur in the next week or so. Mr. Youngstrom explained the various portions of the project which will occur when the project is back in the Spring.
A. Hitchcock inquired if there has been enough exploratory drilling done to determine the route for the Otter Creek portion. Mr. Youngstrom explained the process and this is all weather-dependent.
Mr. Youngstrom indicated that there is a pothole on the Kendall Hill Road. Markowski Excavating had a crew repair this section, temporarily and it will be repaired permanently when the weather cooperates.
J. Haverstock inquired if the “add-ons” are still within budget from Rural Development so the Pleasant Street, Mechanic Street and Whipple Hollow Road segments can still be considered for grant funding. Mr. Youngstrom indicated that these are to be included in the project.
The intention is to begin the installation of the meters, hopefully the first or second week of February. Currently, the lead-free parts are still an issue.
Sewer:
Review of Infiltration Study Reports:
M. Smith inquired if there were any comments or concerns following the review of the I & I Study. J. Haverstock indicated that Bruce Babcock had concerns with regard to the door-to-door study for sump pumps. Mr. Babcock indicated that residents were asked to sign a certificate at the time of the last inspection. Mr. Babcock indicated that a lot of houses have foundation drains, that would not have shown in the smoke testing.
A. Hitchcock indicated that on page 8 of the report, there is a confusion of “Proctor” library and it should read “Pittsford” or “MacLure” library.
J. Haverstock indicated that he asked Mr. Smith to discuss the 3 segments of the project. (1 – the infiltration report; 2 – the sludge handling; 3 – the chlorine contact).
Mr. Smith began with the work to be done at the Treatment Plant. Weston & Sampson was already under contract to design the sludge pumping system and the chlorine contact chamber. The State agreed to peaking factor of ‘2’, with the stipulation that there were modifications made to the pumping schemes. A copy of this report has been received by J. Haverstock. The proposed size of the chlorine contact project is roughly 11,000 gallons, divided into 2 sections of 5,500 gallons each. Mr. Smith presented much information to cover the project for discussion. The cost of the chlorine contact and the sludge pumping (including the fabric covers, which may be eliminated) design and construction is roughly $480,000. Mr. Smith indicated that there were some items included that were not originally planned and Mr. Smith explained one as being the old concrete walls are still in place and not buried far in the ground, so, this could cause more labor; a small single pump station is included to easily wash solids into this pump station when cleaning is occurring.
A. Hitchcock indicated that the collection system changes are required before this is effective. Mr. Smith explained that the collection system is the root of the problem.
J. Haverstock indicated that the projected cost for the entire 3 portions of the project is roughly $1 million.
Bruce Babcock inquired what would occur at the Elm Street pump station. Mr. Smith indicated that this would be a replacement, costing roughly $80,000.
Mr. Smith indicated that variable speed drives, which could be included at the pump station at Depot Hill, will level out the flows in the system. A. Hitchcock indicated that the Town could now just spend the little money to repair the Maxham’s pump station, as well as the manhole covers.
Mr. Smith discussed the Arch Street sewer system to Mechanic Street.
Mr. Smith indicated the priorities as being: 1) Treatment Facility; 2) Elm Street – adjusting the sewer line next to the pump station; 3) Arch Street. There is a possibility that this project is eligible for funding through Rural Development for up to 45% of the entire project. There was much discussion surrounding each of these segments.
Mr. Smith indicated that he will be in contact with J. Haverstock with regard to the bond information. J. Haverstock inquired if there is a timing factor to secure funding. Mr. Smith indicated that there is very little competition for available funding. A. Hitchcock inquired about the timing structure from design to bidding to construction. Mr. Smith indicated that what is to be included in the bond needs to be reviewed; an application for funding needs to be submitted to Rural Development, to include the report as presented and communications received from the State describing the urgency.
Bruce Babcock inquired what the increase to the user rates would be. Mr. Smith will work with J. Haverstock to present this information to the Commission for review and discussion. Commission members agreed to include all project aspects and have a vote at the February 16th meeting.
Mr. Smith recommended a General Services Agreement be in place with Weston & Sampson. Mr. Smith explained and discussed the particulars of this agreement to the members of the Commission. The members of the Commission agreed to this proposal.
Request from Otter Valley:
J. Haverstock indicated that he spoke with Nancy Robinson with regard to the upcoming sewer project at Otter Valley Union High School. Bob Berardo, Jack Shedd, and Mike Smith met with Ms. Robinson and discussed the project, which is anticipated to occur between May and August 2010. Otter Valley has agreed to pay contract adjustments for extra time that Bob Berardo and Jack Shedd are required to assist in the lowering of the lagoons. Bob Berardo indicated that there would be no impact on the work that is required at the Town facility. Bob Berardo is agreeable and is under the impression that the extra work load could be handled on Saturday and/or Sunday. The overtime is to be billed to Otter Valley accordingly. J. Haverstock indicated that Shawn Hendee is operating on a Provisional Certificate and could assist with this work at Pittsford’s Waste Water Treatment Plant.
Monthly Wastewater Treatment Facility Flow Report:
There were no noticeable discrepancies.
Other
Bob Berardo has expressed safety concerns with regard to Otter Valley. J. Haverstock is in communication with the authorities at Otter Valley to address these concerns and will advise the members of the Commission.
Executive Session
A motion by A. Hitchcock and seconded by H. McKinlay to enter into Executive Session at 7:55 PM for the purpose of Contracts, Personnel, and Legal Issues. Passed unanimously. J. Haverstock was invited to remain.
Adjournment
The Commission exited Executive Session at 8:13 PM with no action taken.
The meeting adjourned at 8:14 PM. The next meeting will be held on February 16, 2010.
Respectfully Submitted
Kelly Giard, Recording Secretary
Allen Hitchcock, Vice Chair
Hope Rantanen – ABSENT
Helen McKinlay
John Lapre