February 23, 2010
Water and Sewer Commission Members Present – Allen Hitchcock, John Lapre, and Helen McKinlay, Hope Rantanen. Others present: Bob Berardo, Mike Smith, Bruce Babcock, Mark Youngstrom, John Haverstock, and Kelly Giard – Recording Secretary.
Allen Hitchcock, Vice Chairman, called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM.
Minutes:
The minutes from the January 19, 2010 meeting were signed with no changes.
Town Managers Report:
J. Haverstock reported the following:
- Mark Youngstrom will be meeting with the Commission in Executive Session with regard to Proctor Water scenarios.
Public Comment:
None stated at this time
Water:
Update on Project Status:
Mark Youngstrom indicated that the boring has been completed under Otter Creek, thus, completing the cross country segment of the water project. This segment has not yet been tested.
The metering portion of the project has begun. The Town Office has received some calls concerning pressure, mainly that reduced pressure is being noted. There has also been some indication that some of the old meters appear to have been tampered with over time, with the inside numbers not matching.
There is an updated timeline from Markowski Excavating in the packets for review. There is a possibility of 4 or 5 construction crews working, especially working on the Route 7 segment. Bruce Babcock inquired if there would be more project engineers on site. M. Youngstrom indicated that there would be an increase in the number of resident engineers due to the increase of construction crews.
J. Lapre inquired if the departure of Bob Harrigan from Markowski Excavating would have an impact on the project. M. Youngstrom explained that Mr. Harrigan is now employed by Otter Creek Engineering and there would be no issue with the scheduling. There was a meeting between Otter Creek Engineering and Markowski Excavating to discuss this. M. Youngstrom indicated that the Route 7 south segment is slated to be done first in the spring.
New Water Rates:
J. Haverstock explained that there is a memo in the packets with regard to the proposed water rates. There was discussion concerning the current billing cycle and that meter installation taking place now would make it nearly impossible to bill based on usage. There was a recommendation to take everyone’s last bill and add $42 (which is a portion of the bond payment) to make the calculation easier and fair to all customers. Another recommendation would be to bill all connections at a flat rate – which may not be fair to all users.
The Board members agreed on a policy to take the last bill and adding the $42 for this current billing cycle.
J. Haverstock indicated that a notice will be sent to the users and will be discussed at Town Meeting.
New Service Connection Billing Policy:
J. Haverstock indicated that a service connection policy is not in place. There was discussion as to which way to go with this policy. Bruce Babcock indicated that there should be some form of charge and M. Youngstrom indicated that there should be an encouragement to have these connections as rate payers. There was discussion that a simple connection be installed and the property owner immediately becomes a bond payer. Once the curb stop is installed, once connection is completed and a meter is installed, then a connection fee may be charged.
A. Hitchcock recused from this topic for personal reasons.
M Youngstrom strongly recommended that any agreements with new customers not immediately seeking water service be done in written form.
J. Lapre recommended waiving the $300 connection fee and charging only the $500 application fee for new connections during the project. The remaining Commission members agreed with this policy proposal.
J. Haverstock inquired if there would be meters available after the project. M. Youngstrom indicated that there is a possibility of purchasing meters for future installations and that Bruce Babcock is qualified to install the meters as the Water System Operator.
J. Haverstock will communicate with residents on Route 7 that have expressed an interest in being connected to the system.
Sewer:
Continued Review of Infiltration Study Reports and Various Projects at the Wastewater Treatment Facility:
M. Smith from Weston & Sampson was present to discuss the various projects that this firm is currently working on for the Town of Pittsford.
M. Smith recommended doing the sludge pumping and the chlorine contact chamber as one project, followed by the gravity sewer improvements along Arch Street, and the Elm Street pump station. The estimated cost for all sections of the proposed project is roughly $1.3 million.
Funding options were discussed. Currently, the USDA grant loan package is available and it is believed that Pittsford would qualify for 45% grant funding, with a discounted interest rate on a 30 year loan. This interest rate is roughly 3.25%. The increase to the customer would be roughly $11.00 per month, per connection; The Vermont Municipal Bond Bank interest is 3.4% on a 20 year loan, with an increase of roughly $25.00 per month, per connection; and a Vermont Clean Water SRF loan with an interest rate of 2% on a 20 year loan, with an increase of roughly $22.00 per month per connection. A note was made that the current water upgrade is being financed through the USDA grant. The Town has to make a formal application to the funding agencies to enter into any forms of negotiations.
Currently, there is a portion of Arch Street included in the current water upgrade project. M. Smith has spoken with Carl Crawford, engineer with Otter Creek Engineering, to determine the portion affected in the current water project to avoid duplication of effort/expense.
A. Hitchcock inquired what raised the estimate from $1 million to the $1.3 million. M. Smith indicated that the original estimate was out of date and that the figures had seen updated. J. Haverstock indicated that there is a fairly large contingency in place as well. A. Hitchcock inquired if the original estimate included the Elm Street project. M. Smith explained the portions that were included.
There was discussion concerning the design for the chlorine contact chamber. M. Smith explained that there were some borings and corings done for a soil profiling, which will reduce the cost of the foundation.
J. Haverstock inquired what would happen to “old blue.” M. Smith indicated that this would remain in place as is. This could be used as aerobic sludge storage, however, this activity is proposed to occur in the new process. Other options were discussed and none were cost effective.
J. Haverstock inquired if there were any other segments of the proposed upgrade that have not been designed. M. Smith indicated that the Elm Street and Arch Street pump stations were not completely designed, however, with the contingency in place, the estimate should go down.
J. Haverstock inquired whether the funding would have the same state-wide sewer bill averaging stipulation as the water loan had. M. Smith indicated that this information would be available, once the application process has begun. There was discussion as to the rates. M. Smith indicated that he is not sure what the statewide averages are and the application process needs to be done before any of this information is available. There is a possibility that the sewer rates will need to be reviewed. M. Smith explained that the interest rates/programs are contingent on having the contract signed with the contractor by the middle of September.
A. Hitchcock inquired what M. Smith’s priorities would be, in the event of funding limitations. M. Smith indicated that the State is most interested in completing the chlorine contact chamber and the sludge handling first, then the Elm Street pump station, due to the amount of water that is coming through the system. M. Smith indicated that there are several segments in the Infiltration report that can be done by the Town staff members, without a significant cost.
J. Haverstock indicated that he has discussed the Maxham’s pump station and the routine flushing of the lines with Bruce Babcock. These topics were discussed at length with Mr. Babcock.
There was an extensive discussion with regard to the rate calculations. A. Hitchcock recommended that M. Smith be in communication with J. Haverstock to review rate calculations to clarify the debt service. The clarification will be beneficial in bond vote discussions. A. Hitchcock recommended that this communication occur before Town Meeting, which will be held on Monday, March 1, 2010.
M. Smith indicated that the State has reviewed the sludge pumping design and the designs for the chlorine contact chamber raised a question as to how the solids will be addressed. M. Smith presented recommendations, one of which was to address the flows coming into the facility, and the other which was to retrofit the existing facility with a process modification or additional tankage to allow for settling. There is a need to keep the solids from leaving the facility and going to the river. A. Hitchcock inquired if there would still be an issue if the plant flow remained at 85,000 gallons. M. Smith indicated that the plant is “deficient” in many areas. The Depot Hill costs for repair are not included in the estimate. These costs are minimal and there may be minor repairs, such as replacing drives, depending on the size of the motors in place. M. Smith recommended giving time to see how many solids are coming through to help with the spikes.
There was discussion with regard to the Maxhams’ pump station and the regular flushing of the system to help lower any spikes. Bruce Babcock indicated that Maxhams’ is private, as well as it is not believed to have any impact on the spikes. Also, the regular flushing of the system is maintenance on the lines.
M. Smith exited at 7:10 PM.
Discussion of Visit to the WWTF by Agency of Natural Resources:
J. Haverstock reported that there was a request for information from Agency of Natural Resources with regard to the past dispute with Green Mountain Engineering. (The facility was designed to maintain a capacity of 85,000 gallons). This followed the on-site visits made by the same gentleman, Gary Urich.
Bob Berardo reported that Mr. Urich from the Agency of Natural Resources recently visited the facility and would like the sludge situation resolved. J. Haverstock had met with Mr. Urich, then, Mr. Urich returned to meet with Bob Berardo and asked specific questions as to what occurs where and in what tank.
Monthly Wastewater Treatment Facility Flow Report:
There was discussion on the Flow Report and the only noticeable spike was related to a rain event on January 25, 2010.
Bob Berardo exited at 7:15 PM.
Other
J. Haverstock indicated that there have been communications with representatives from Proctor with regard to the water system and the abandonment of the Pittsford residents that will be affected. There was indication that this will not occur for at least one year or more. The alternate sources need to be functional. Rep. “Butch” Shaw has recommended holding an open meeting for the residents that are affected. There will be more discussion regarding this meeting as details are available.
Executive Session
A motion by H. Rantanen and seconded by H. McKinlay to enter into Executive Session at 7:35 PM for the purpose of Contracts and Legal Issues. Passed unanimously. J. Haverstock and M. Youngstrom were invited to remain. M. Youngstrom exited at 8:12 PM.
Adjournment
The Commission exited Executive Session at 8:14 PM with no action taken.
The meeting adjourned at 8:14 PM.
The next meeting will be held on March 16, 2010.
Respectfully Submitted
Kelly Giard, Recording Secretary
_________________________________
Allen Hitchcock, Vice Chair
_________________________________
Hope Rantanen
_________________________________
Helen McKinlay
_________________________________
John Lapre