TOWN OF WILTON

WATER COMMISIONERS

DRAFT MINUTES

 

DATE:            March 31, 2010

TIME:            7:00 P.M.

PLACE:          Wilton Town Hall Courtroom

PRESENT:     Water Commissioners Charlie McGettigan and Jim Tuttle, and Clerk Heather Loewy Nichols

 

Mr. McGettigan called the meeting to order at 7:15 p.m.

 

1.      Review and approve minutes from the January 27th and 29th 2010 meetings.

 A MOTION was made by Mr. McGettigan and SECONDED by Mr. Tuttle to approve the minutes of January 27, 2010 and January 29, 2010 as amended.

Voting: 2 ayes; motion carried unanimously.

 

2.      Review water bills and approve water bills for payment, if any.

The Board reviewed the current bills.

 

In response to a question from Mr. Tuttle, Mr. McGettigan explained that Carl wanted the tank filled so they would be prepared for the upcoming storms. Mr. Tuttle noted that they paid $3.09 a gallon and had Ciardelli been called to fill the tank they would have paid $2.30 a gallon. Mr. McGettigan questioned whether Ciardelli would be able to replace the tank in a days notice. Mr. Tuttle stated that Ciardelli would have been able to do that and stated that the tank should not be filled again without re-evaluating. Mr. McGettigan suggested that the commissioners should maybe get quotes from other companies also. Mr. Tuttle noted that the Police Department just switched over to Ciardelli and suggested that the Commission should maybe should try to join up with them for a lesser rate.

 

3.      Discuss Energy North emergency repairs.

Mr. Tuttle explained that the cost of just the labor was $315 and that the Board agreed to supply the wrap around and pay for half of the repairs. Mr. McGettigan stated that if the Water Department had shut off the valves previously then the emergency work would not have been necessary. He noted that it cost a lot of money to get the repairs done. Mr. Tuttle questioned why everyone was not involved in the discussion on the night of the incident. Mr. McGettigan stated that he only found out about the issue from hearing the call from MACC base. Mr. Tuttle stated that Energy North already paid the bill but he thinks it is fair to offer to pay half of the bill and fix the curb correctly with the box at the right level. Mr. McGettigan stated that he wants to think about it longer but he feels that this situation should not occur again. Mr. Tuttle noted that they need a better system of notifying everyone when issues occur.

 

4.      Discuss Roedel Properties emergency repairs.

Mr. Tuttle stated that the bill for Roedel was $2,574 for equipment, parts, and labor. Mr. McGettigan stated that the required repairs were not Roedel’s fault. Mr. Tuttle stated that he talked to the Fire Chief and they found it difficult to turn the handle but the regulations say the Water Commission is not liable for repairs due to maintenance or disruption of service. Mr. McGettigan stated that they are liable if they turned off the hydrant. Mr. Tuttle noted that it was a gate valve that was turned off and the regulations says that if the Commission has to turn the water off for whatever reason and it destroys a sprinkler line the Commission is not liable. He stated that they could have shut the valve off higher up and called Roedel to deal with the problem but instead they fixed the issue further down the line. Mr. McGettigan stated that if he were Roedel he would be disturbed about the bill. Mr. Tuttle stated that Fred Roedel is not disturbed, in fact he was looking for the bill, and Mr. Roedel told Mr. Tuttle that he would have someone take care of the hole but the Highway Department filled it anyway. Mr. McGettigan agreed with sending the bill to Roedel.

 

A MOTION was made by Mr. Tuttle and SECONDED by Mr. McGettigan to submit the bill to Roedel’s for the time and materials invested in their repair and to hold onto the Energy North bill for another week.
Voting: 2 ayes; motion carried unanimously.

 

5.      Discuss Santec Engineers (Rene).

 

Mr. McGettigan stated that he thinks the Commission needs to have three members before investigating further whether they want to hire a consultant.  Mr. Tuttle noted that both he and Mr. McGettigan have knowledge of the engineer and if the Commission chooses to hire a consultant he thinks Rene would be a good person to hire. Mr. Tuttle also noted that Bob Courage spoke well of Rene. In response to a question from Mr. Rockwood, Mr. Tuttle explained that they had previously discussed bringing in an engineer to help with items such as a hydraulic model of the system and finding a location for a second tank. In response to another question from Mr. Rockwood, Mr. Tuttle explained that the state is encouraging Wilton to tie in with Milford but it was not an important enough project for the state to fund.

 

6.      Discuss a new member of the Commission.

Mr. Tuttle stated that Carl Lachance, Tom Hurley, and Chris Carter submitted letters expressing interest in the open Commissioner position. Mr. Tuttle noted that Tom Hurley was a Water Commissioner for 13 years.  Mr. McGettigan noted that Mr. Carter was the Road Agent and has the most experience with the system and therefore he would nominate Mr. Carter for the position. Mr. Tuttle states that he is leaning towards Mr. Hurley noting that while he may not know all the information on the ground, he knows how to work as a Commissioner and he could hit the ground running. Mr. McGettigan stated that he has had issues in the past with Mr. Hurley and he thinks that too much money was spent on projects while Mr. Hurley was on the Commission.  Mr. Tuttle questioned why Mr. Carter resigned as a Road Agent and stated that he thought that Mr. McGettigan had issues Mr. Carter at the time. Mr. Tuttle stated that he will not vote for Mr. Carter.

 

Tom Schultz, speaking on behalf of himself and his father who was elected over Mr. Hurley when the voters voted Mr. Hurley out of office, stated that he thinks that Mr. Carter would do a great job and he knows his father would have supported Mr. Carter to complete his term. Mr. Shultz stated that the Commissioners should recognize what the voters want and what has been written in the paper. He also stated that this decision should have been the first item on the agenda and that the Board should not be making any decisions as a two man board. He stated that the Commissioners should make a decision this evening and appoint Mr. Carter as he will get the job done and will not take sides. He stated that the Commissioners know which side Mr. Hurley is going to take. He also stated that he did not appreciate the comments that his father, the late Water Commissioner, should have resigned earlier so that the position could have been filled during the election as his father hung on as long as he could in his position.

 

Mr. Rockwood stated that it does not matter who one agrees or does not agree with as the position is going to be back on the ballot in eight months and filling the position would be an opportunity for the candidate to see if they like it and for the Board to see if they like the candidate.  He stated that he thinks it is time for a change as the current Commissioners are getting old and the Commission needs new blood. He stated that he does not think it is a great system to have the same people on both the Water Commission and Sewer Boards. He stated that he does not think that Mr. Carter’s past is going to affect this position and if the Commissioners cannot agree on a candidate the issue will have to go to court which will waste a lot of time.  Mr. Rockwood stated that the two Commissioners are polarized and they need someone in the middle who can recognize the differences and agree or disagree with either one of them.

 

Mr. Tuttle noted that Mr. LaChance would be the neutral party as he has not worked for Mr. Tuttle and he also noted that Larry Duval has said he would fill the position if need be. Mr. McGettigan asked that the action be postponed so he can consider the options but agreed that he does not want the issue to go into the courts.

 

After discussion, a MOTION was made by Mr. Tuttle and SECONDED by Mr. McGettigan to schedule a meeting for April 14, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. to hold a public hearing regarding increase the base rate but $10 and to appoint a new Commissioner.

Voting: 2 ayes; motion carried unanimously.

7.      Discuss Colby Street Realty.

 

Mr. Tuttle explained that the reason he asked for this item to be placed on agenda was because of a letter dated March 11th from Silas little that was carbon copied to the Water Commissioners. Mr. Tuttle and Mr. McGettigan discussed the charges which date back to 2008 and Mr. McGettigan stated that he had previously discussed the payment arrangements with Mr. Tuttle. Mr. Tuttle noted that he agreed to allow the owner of the apartment building to pay separately for the inspection on the backflow device.

 

8.      Discuss Wilton Falls back-flow.

 

The Commissioners and representatives from Wilton Falls had a discussion regarding black-flow sources especially on a dry valve system. Mr. Tuttle explained that the regulations state that it is the Commissioners’ duty to protect the community water supply and they determine the potential contamination sources.

 

The representatives from Wilton Falls explained that the building is not really a commercial building rather it is owned by the Main Street Association, which is a 501C3, and there is a written agreement that if the building gets sold the profit all goes to the town. They stated that it seems that the Water Commission should be working with them as they want to be in compliance but they do not understand how come the federal government does not require a backflow device on a dry valve system but Wilton does. Mr. Tuttle explained that the Commissioners wrote the regulations based on RSA 364:10 and the regulations stated that any pipe connected to a potential contaminate source is required to have a device.

 

The representatives and Mr. Tuttle discussed how the Water Commission markups any parts they sell by 20% to cover costs. Mr. McGettigan stated that he does not agree with adding the 20% and that he is not sure that the Board ever took a vote to that effect. In response to a question Mr. Tuttle stated the Roedel’s bill included a markup of 20% on the parts only.

 

9.      Set a rate increases public hearing that was approved at the January 27, 2010 meeting. The increase would increase the base unit from $35 per unit to $45 per unit. The cost of metered water would stay at the previous cost of $2 per thousand gallons used on site.

 

See item 6 where the Commissioner’s voted to hold a public hearing on April 14, 2010.

 

10.  Discuss any other new business that may come before the meeting.

Mr. Rockwood suggested reopening negotiations with Milford with regards to selling water to them. Mr. McGettigan stated that if the town could sell 200 to 300 gallons of water a day they could make a profit. Mr. Rockwood suggested that the sale of the water to Milford could defray a bond for the cost of getting water from Milford. He noted that he would be willing to work with anyone who wanted to negotiate with Milford.

 

11.  Adjournment

 

A MOTION was made by Mr. Tuttle and SECONDED by Mr. McGettigan to adjourn the meeting.

Voting: 2 ayes; motion carried unanimously.

 

Chairman McGettigan declared the meeting adjourned at 10:20 p.m.

 

Respectfully Submitted,

Heather Loewy Nichols

 

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