Wilton Water Works Minutes
April 5, 2006
COMMISSIONERS: Chairperson
Jim Tuttle and Tom Herlihy.
Jim
Tuttle called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. and explained that it was a
continuation of the 3/29 meeting.
Minutes – March 29, 2006
Two corrections were made.
MOTION: Tuttle/Herlihy to approve the 3/29/06
minutes as corrected. All were in favor.
Pennichuck: Continue discussion regarding contracting Pennichuck Water Service
Corp. to assume day-to-day operation of water works. Mr. Herlihy said, for the
benefit of the audience, that a great deal of background information was
disseminated at the last meeting. He also said that Mr. McGettigan called him
before he left town and gave this thoughts about this issue. He said that the
Commissioners hadn’t pursued this long enough and hadn’t gotten enough
information. He said they would be spending way too much money and be wasting
the rate payers money. He felt that things could go on
the way they are now and it wouldn’t be a problem. Mr. Herlihy said the jist of
what he was saying was that the board would be premature in accepting this
offer, we could do better. Mr. Herlihy said he asked him where he thought we
might be able to do better, he said he didn’t know. Mr. Herlihy said that he
offered to ask Mr. Tuttle to postpone the vote until Mr. McGettigan returns
from Martha’s Vineyard, but Mr. McGettigan said no, don’t do that.
Mr.
Tuttle said that the Commissioners were appreciative and happy with Dennis
Maki’s work and wanted to thank him for what he has done as the other certified
operator in addition to Charlie. They said that they would like him to continue
taking classes if he is agreeable so that he can get his Level 2 certification.
Maki said he was interested.
Mr.
Tuttle listed the positives about signing a 2 year contract with Pennichuck.
Over and above every listed item, probably the most important thing they offer
is 24/7 coverage for both the system and its customers. If something goes wrong
in the pump station, they will receive an automated phone call from the pump
station and they will be on site within 30 minutes. If a customer has an
emergency anytime, at night or on a weekend, they just call an 800 number and
they reach a human being who will trouble shoot the problem and figure out what
to do. According to the contract, Pennichuck will:
·
Operate the pump station
·
Carry out all water testing
·
Read water meters
·
Maintain valves
·
Flush hydrants
·
Test water meters
·
Test backflow preventer devices
·
Record all hydrant types and locations on computer
·
Record all valves, mains, and services on computer
·
File all State and Federal reports
MOTION: Tuttle/Herlihy to hire Pennichuck Water
Service Corp. for the contract period not to exceed 2 years, to provide us with
the day-to-day operations of the system.
Lynne
Draper commented that when she first read about Pennichuck having something to
do with the Wilton water system she was horrified. She had visions of them
wanting to get their hands on Wilton’s clean water and large surplus. But, she
said, after listening to the explanations of what goes into operating a water
system, and understanding that Pennichuck Water Service Corp. is a stand-alone
service company that operates 40 water companies in New Hampshire, she
understood why the Commissioners wanted to hire them.
Dennis
wanted to know if Pennichuck would be replacing the broken valves. Mr. Herlihy
said no, not yet, they will only be exercising half of the valves each year, so
it would be helpful if the highway dept. could replace the valves that we know
are already broken. Dennis also wanted to know if the highway dept. would be
called on to do jobs. Mr. Herlihy said that yes, if the highway dept. is
available to do whatever job needs to be done, they will be the first to be
called. It would only be if there was an emergency situation that had to be
dealt with and the highway dept. was not available that someone else would be
hired, he said.
VOTE: All in favor.
NEW
BUSINESS
Establish New Policy for Bulk
Water Sales: Mr. Herlihy explained that
for a couple of reasons he felt it was time to stop selling bulk water to
commercial water haulers. He said that in the past couple of years there were one or two that didn’t pay on time or at all. He felt
it was something that should be monitored, but there was no one to monitor it.
But the most important reason to stop the practice, he said, is that the trucks
don’t have backflow preventer devices on them and neither do the hydrants, so
if the trucks haul anything other than potable water, the system could
potentially be contaminated.
MOTION: Tuttle/Herlihy to curtail sales of bulk
water to any commercial water hauler. All in favor.
The
clerk will write letters to the water haulers that have purchased bulk water in
the past.
Cost of New Water Connection:
MOTION: Tuttle/Herlihy to increase the cost of new
connections, for 1” to 2” services, to $1,500, from the present $1,000.
Services over 2” would be determined based on materials required. The
connection fee will include the water meter, which will continue to be owned by
the Water Dept., but will not include the parts required for the installation
of the meter. Tapping the water main and bringing service to the property line
or curb box will be billed to the customer on a time and material basis.
MOTION: Herlihy/Tuttle to table the vote on the
motion to the April 26 meeting so that Mr. McGettigan can be present. All in favor.
Relocating Transformers at
Pump Station: Mr. Tuttle reported that
Rick Plourde, the environmental person with PSNH. submitted
a plan to DES to approve relocating the transformers and the pole. It would be
a pad-mounted design of some type with a containment system. The Water Dept.
will have to extend the underground service to the new pole location.
Pump Station On Line: On March 30th,
Lewis Engineering and his sub contractors R.E. Prescott and Electrical
Installers, Inc., started up the computerized variable speed drive that
operates the pump station. EEI installed a new alarm system called “Guard It,”
to monitor the pump station and the water tank with four alarms: high water,
low water, variable speed drive failure and intrusion into the pump house. The
system can dial up to eight phone numbers and when it reaches the person it’s supposed
to call, it tells him or her, in an automated voice, what the problem is.
MOTION: Herlihy/Tuttle to
adjourn the meeting. All in favor. The meeting
adjourned at 9:35 p.m.
Submitted by Diane
Nilsson, Clerk
ACTION ITEMS
·
Get year-end financial report
from Carla & check to be sure that all bills to CEI have been paid.
·
Arrange with DOT dates on
which to meet with police, fire, schools, highway, etc. for low salt program
along Route 31 South.
·
Look at list of water users
to see if any are in need of testable backflow devices.
·
Arrange to get the
debris cleaned up at the dry hydrant area at Stockwell Brook Dam.
·
Arrange for
electrician to encase telemetry wires in conduit & install motion detector
at water tank.
·
Purchase the following
items from Granger: secondary containment pallets for 55 gallon barrels and a
20-gallon chemical spill kit.
·
Get current
copy of plumber’s insurance on file for Porter Plumbing.
Tom Herlihy
·
Contact Robert
Merithew and confirm final price for proposal for Clerk of the Works position
relative to interior tank painting job.
·
Call Dan Tinkham at E
& GG re: remaining 4 test well security caps.
·
Put together list of
deadlines for annual, semi-annual, monthly etc. reports and tests.
·
Create Emergency Water
Supply Connection plan.
Jim Tuttle
·
Contact PSNH to
relocate transformers at pump station.
·
Test Emergency
Contingency Plan in 2006 per DES.
·
Install testable
backflow devices at the following locations: Fire Station, domestic &
sprinklers; two sewer pump stations; water pump station; hydrant for bulk water
users; two cemeteries; Recycling Center; LA Limo; Bursey’s; Bakery; Dr. Roy’s,
Ranamaki (if needed) & Intervale Rd photographer (if needed).
·
Find domestic and
sprinkler shutoffs at Draper Energy.
·
Come up with revised
rules & regulations after reviewing those of similarly sized towns. These
to include standardized costs for bringing new service to residences and
businesses as well as costs for meter installations, among other things.
·
Legal document – 40
Madison Street.
·
Replace 3 left-handed
valves on Abbot Hill Acres Road.
·
Paint inside of water
tank before 2006.
·
Retrofit pump at Everett
well.
·
Install 8” main on
Intervale Road
·
Locate site for second
water tank.