Water and Sewer Commission Members Present: Allen Hitchcock, John Lapre, Hope Rantanen, and Helen McKinlay. Others present: Chuck Charbonneau, John Haverstock, and Kelly Giard, Recording Secretary.
Allen Hitchcock, Vice Chairman called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM.
Minutes:
The minutes of the April 21, 2009 meeting were signed. The minutes from the June 16, 2009 meeting were signed with no corrections.
Town Manager’s Report:
J. Haverstock reported on the following:
- The archeological students from UVM have completed their project in Pittsford with very little discovered of interest. The one location of possible interest will have boring below the area and the area is roughly 60 yards in length.
- The 5 easements are nearly ready for signature from the concerned parties. J. Haverstock will be in contact with Atty. Facey to get these documents finalized soon.
- Shawn Hendee, the newly appointed water/sewer employee, will begin work on August 10. Mr. Hendee will be invited to meet the Commission at the meeting following his start of work.
- A letter was included in the packet asking Rural Development to specify a certain pipe be used in the project. J. Haverstock will sign the letter and forward along.
- There is a draft included in the packet for the newsletter concerning the upcoming smoke testing. This was drafted with the assistance of Mike Smith. The anticipated timeframe is a two-day period between late July and late August.
- Mark Youngstrom suggested J. Haverstock draft a letter to property owners along Route 7 south to invite these folks to a meeting to discuss potential construction impacts on their frontage.
- Proctor Selectwoman Sue Feenick has spoken with J. Haverstock concerning the Proctor water issues. The Select Board has been invited to participate in Proctor’s conversations regarding the customers that may be without water in the event that Proctor abandons its surface water source in Chittenden. The Pittsford Select Board has recommended that Mark Youngstrom meet with Proctor. J. Lapre inquired how many Pittsford residents may be affected. J. Haverstock reported that there are roughly 70 residents and due to the elevations, there may be 35 that will remain on Proctor water in this scenario. A. Hitchcock indicated that the residents on Adams Road may be an issue. A. Hitchcock inquired if there were any legalities that should be considered. J. Haverstock was asked to consult legal counsel.
Public Comment:
Chuck Charbonneau stated that his sewer issue is resolved. Mr. Charbonneau wanted to thank the Commission for its assistance and praised Bruce Babcock for his involvement. Mr. Charbonneau indicated that the issue was at the connection into the Town sewer and that there was a lot of infiltration in this area. J. Haverstock indicated that Bruce Babcock presented a report, which was included in the packets. Mr. Charbonneau indicated that there were clean-outs installed at the time of the repair.
Water:
Update on Project Funding:
Mark Youngstrom stated that Rural Development has forwarded the information to Washington, DC for final approval and these are approved in “batches” and a final answer is expected soon.
Bidding Status:
The bids are anticipated to go out on or around July 14 with a possible bid opening date of August 17, 2009. This is all dependent on the final approval of the funding.
Sewer:
Discussion of Sludge Handling and Digester Covering:
Mike Smith is aware of Bob Berardo’s research and stated that he is not confident with the suggested approach because the existing 2″ line from the digester into the facility to the truck has shown leaks in the past due to poor construction at the site. Mr. Smith recommended that pumps be placed in the digester tanks with a pipe bored through the digestor’s walls, thus filling the truck. A. Hitchcock recommended that Mr. Smith be invited to the meeting of July 21, 2009. J. Haverstock will invite Mr. Smith.
Smoke Testing:
The anticipated timeframe for smoke testing the sewer lines is a two-day period between late July and late August. Currently, there has been too much rain and ground water is a factor. Information about the upcoming smoke-testing will be included in the Summer Town Newsletter.
Water & Sewer
Other
L. Lapre inquired the status of the easement with the Railroad. J. Haverstock indicated that he has been in communication with Mark Youngstrom concerning this. There was discussion that Peg Flory may need to be involved at a later date.
J. Lapre inquired when the billing would be increasing. J. Haverstock stated that the bills are about to go out for this cycle. The timing will be discussed again, prior to the next billing cycle. J. Lapre recommended a summary be included with the current billing to notify the users as to when increases may be expected. There was also a recommendation that this also be included in the next newsletter. J. Haverstock stated that it may be beneficial to wait until the construction begins before increasing the rates.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 6:56 PM.
The next meeting will be held on July 21, 2009.
Respectfully Submitted
Kelly Giard, Recording Secretary
Allen Hitchcock, Vice Chair
Hope Rantanen
Helen McKinlay
John Lapre