===PAGE 1=== Minutes of 10/10/23 Sewer Commission meeting – via Zoom (Video Conference) Attendees: Chair- John Reynolds, Vice-Chair- Brett Ramsden, Members: Dave MacDonald and Mike Mackin, DPW Director- Bill Bernard, Business Manager-Paula Bertram, Minutes Clerk- Jane Ranley Absent: Clerk- Mike Nault John opened the meeting at 6:03pm. and did a roll call of attendees. The Commission began the meeting by saying the Pledge of Allegiance. PUBLIC COMMENT- Dave asked to send prayers along to our allies in the Middle East. He also thanked Mike Mackin for stepping up and welcomed him aboard to the Commission. ANNOUNCEMENTS - none APPOINTMENTS – Dan Proctor – 1325 Mass. Avenue -Dog Grooming Business –stated he and his wife are building commercial condo bays at 1295 Mass. Ave (per the building department). He noted a couple, who live in Lunenburg, want to purchase a unit to start a dog grooming business and currently operate one in Orange. It will have self-contained units where the dogs stand on the tub and use very little water. Dan gave Paula readings from the facility in Orange. He is still a long way from opening – probably end of December/early January. He is looking for concerns the board may have and will use numbers from other facilities. The self-contained units have strainer cups to filter out hair and he had talked to the plumber who has done other grooming businesses. John stated he could not find anything about dog grooming and water volume on the Mass. Plumbing Code. He noted his concern was about dog hair, but he has no issues as long as it is being strained. Dave noted he has built hair salons and they have to put a strainer in. He asked if they would use regular soap, with no chemicals and Dan replied yes. Paula asked the Commission to take a vote since this will be a slightly different use from what was previously approved. Dave asked if each unit would have a meter. Dan replied the units will be sold as condos and each will get separate water and sewer bills. Paula noted this will be 1 connection, with 10 sewer bills and will set up an account for each unit. Dan stated the addresses will be 1295 Mass. Ave. Units 1-10. Paula said they need to vote to approve the expanded flow. Motion: Brett R. Second: Mike Mackin To allow a dog grooming business at 1295 Ma ss. Ave (unknown unit # ) with any additional flow included. Roll Call Vote: Dave-aye, Brett-aye, Mike M.-aye, and John -aye. CURRENT BUSINESS - Minutes of 9/26/23 Motion: Mike M. Second: Brett R. To approve the 9/26/23 Sewer Commission meeting. Roll Call Vote: Dave-aye, Mike M.-aye, Brett-aye, and John -aye. Leominster Intermunicipal Agreement Negotiations - Dave asked Paula to send an email to Mike N. and himself to set a time to meet. Paula noted a subcommittee formed on behalf of a board needs to follow open meeting law for posting the meeting and to have minutes taken. She will take minutes at the DPW but it does not need to be taped. Business Manager Report – 1. System Maintenance & Upgrades – Paula reported that CTE had been good about checking in but they missed last week, so she reached out to Wade. She is a little concerned because she has not received any updates and Bill said he has not heard from Robert. Paula noted they had a control breaker trip at Mass Ave. 1 on 9/22 and Robert replaced it with a spare breaker. They will need to purchase another breaker and Robert said the control panels at Francis St. and West St also need replacing. Paula is waiting for a quote on those and noted they were quoted at $8K each last year. Wade is in the process of getting those quotes. John asked if they are still waiting for Wade to visit the pump stations. Paula replied yes and Wade told her the generator company will be coming out this week, which will give them an idea of any work needed. Wade is hoping to visit the pump stations in the next couple weeks. Paula noted she would like some input for the capital plan. She said that they are not getting any reports. Paula, Bill, and John had a meeting with CTE and stressed the importance of receiving reports. Paula designed and gave them an Excel spreadsheet but they have received nothing yet. Albe had told Paula that the data was not making any ===PAGE 2=== sense. John thought Wade had understood the importance of the reports. Paula invited Robert and Wade to attend the 11/14 meeting. Dave suggested Paula call them also. 2. Permits- Paula reported there were 12 permits to connect in 2023 – 11 to Leominster and 1 to Fitchburg. There is also a project at 711 Mass. Ave. for 8 Townhomes, with 3 bedrooms each. They are looking to apportion the privilege fee over 10 years. Paula asked to confirm that the Commission would vote to assess the privilege fee and then allow them to apportion it after the project is permitted. John and Dave confirmed that. The project will come before the Commission and it will be located at the intersection of Chestnut and Mass. Ave. APPOINTMENTS: Greg Roy and Chris MacKensie (Dillis & Roy) - Sewer Extension Request 10 Ramgren Rd . Greg noted he is representing the applicant and Paula screen-shared the plan. Greg stated Ramgren Rd. is a dead- end street off of Whalom Rd. and the sewer runs down the middle of Whalom Rd. The applicant is 1 house in on the southerly side of Ramgren and had approached them about connecting to sewer. There is no sewer on Ramgren but it is in the sewer district. He is asking to extend the sewer about 150 ft. up from Whalom to a manhole and connect a lateral from 10 Ramgren into the existing sewer. They have submitted a plan and profile. They verified the manhole is 10’ deep and have a good as-built. They will need to cross 18” below drain line and will come in slightly higher than the invert of the existing sewer in Whalom. They will not disturb the flow line because it is a trunk sewer. They have kept the standard depth in Ramgren for any future extensions. Dave asked if it is all gravity fed. Greg replied yes and pointed out the clean out, with most likely two 45-degree bends. The manhole will be at the end of the extension with a direct connection or they can construct a Y. Greg noted there are 10 or 11 houses that could tie into that manhole. Brett asked if Ramgren is an incline and Greg replied it is steep grade going up to the dead end. They can put in a stub for future connections. The 8” (pipe) extension would handle 10 houses and the lateral will be 6”. Chris noted the house across the street is already tied in on Whalom and the next house did a septic a few years ago. Greg said they did not notify neighbors. John stated the regulations do not require a survey of neighbors with a private connection. Paula added the regulations require the pipe be 8” for future extensions but does not require contacting people. Dave suggested letting others know as a courtesy. Greg noted the homeowners want to get this done before they decide to put the house on the market. He is not sure what the status is of the septic. Bill said he would want to see two 45’s coming out of the house and a stub for future expansion. Paula asked Bill if there is a time issue and Bill replied it would need to be done before 11/15, with streets cuts not allowed between 11/15 and 4/15. John noted the line needs to extend to the mid-point of the lot. The Commission discussed the position of the line, the line put in on Kimball St and whether to notify residents. Greg reiterated they will do two 45-degree bends, a stub from the manhole for future extensions, shift the Ramgren manhole to the midpoint of the lot and do a Y. Motion: Mike Mackin Second: Dave M. To approve the proposal, with stipulations that the manhole be moved to the midpoint of the property , a Y connection be added at the street, a stub for future connections, and two 45’s coming out of the house . Roll Call Vote: Dave-aye, Brett-aye, Mike M.-aye, and John -aye. John suggested the office send a courtesy letter to neighbors after completion and Paula will check the regs. APPOINTMENTS: Al Wernick & Philip Arcidiacono - 1 Main St. – grease Trap – Philip stated he is representing Lunenburg Village Realty and had talked to his tenant (Al Wernick) and Bill B. (DPW). He understands there was a sewer backup and Bill B. believes the source must be from the Village, where he has one tenant with a grease trap. The purpose of the hearing is to find a solution to prevent grease buildup, somewhere between the grease trap and the sewer line. John noted in 2015, the line on the property was cameraed and no grease was found, so an external grease trap was not required at that time. Now in 2023, there is incredible grease build up in that line and John said he can’t imagine it came from anywhere but 1 Main St. Dave stated in 2015, when the property changed hands from Lunenburg Pizza to Alan, they visited the site and insisted on an external trap because it had always been a problem. Jack Rodriquenz cameraed the line and found no grease, but knew Al was having trouble with the internal grease trap. Al said he installed a new internal trap and Dave noted the reports now state it is already rusting. Al said the gentleman who came to clean the trap advised him to do a repair or it would fail. He is cleaning it frequently – every few days and has found only a little bit of grease. He had hired a licensed plumber when renovating who found the ===PAGE 3=== old trap had no baffles. His 1st grease log noted a new trap, which was engineered to handle 50 gals/minute per Sewer Dept. specs. He noted they had discussions about an external trap and he was unable to put in a dishwasher. Dave said Al was told if there were any problems at 1 Main, he would need to install an external trap. Al asked why he was mandated to install an external trap at 1355 Mass. Ave. but not at 1 Main St. Al and the Commission discussed the history of the sewer hookup and traps at 1 Main St. Al said he does not have an issue with adding an external trap, but he does not want to pay for it because it is not his property. Dave stated they have to control the grease coming off the property. If not, the fines from the DEP are tremendous. Mike M. summarized that it appears they need an external grease trap at the property and that is under the landlord’s control. Philip noted Bill Bernard suggested the internal trap may have expired. The Commission discussed the internal trap and Al suggested replacing the internal trap to see if it solves the problem. Dave replied it is a good idea, but Al is spending a lot of money to clean the internal trap, where the external trap would pay for self in a couple of years. Al noted he cleans his Fitchburg external trap every 6 months and his Lunenburg external once a year. Al questioned if his internal trap may be undersized and Dave said they should get an engineer to look at it. Paula added the plumbing inspector would know the correct size. Philip said he is advocating for a new internal trap so if there is a problem, they will know where it originated. It will be properly engineered and they will agree with the town’s frequency for cleanout. Dave replied they have always had a problem at 1 Main St. and just want to do it right. Bill and Paula have also been researching solutions for them. Dave recommended having an engineer look at the abandoned septic system in the parking lot as a cheaper alternative. He added tons of wipes went into the system during Covid from that property and going with a new interior trap won’t solve the problem. Al noted his employees use the external grease disposal system, even for greasy water, rather than dumping it down the drain. John said they can look at a bigger, better internal trap to ensure no grease goes in the system vs. an external trap which would resolve the problem. It needs to go beyond the plumbing inspector. Dave recommended voting on an external trap, with the caveat they look at the used septic system with an engineer, who may suggest a 150-gal internal trap. Motion: Dave M. Second: Brett R. To have the landlord and tenant place an external grease trap on the property of 1 Main St. Amended motion: Mike M. Second: Dave M. To amend the motion to have an engineering report that explores the replacement and expansion of the internal grease trap and the existing septic system and that report be made available to us, in order for us to determine that an external grease trap is the only option. Discussion: Philip asked to clarify that the board will review an engineering report on an internal trap to determine if it is viable and then make a final decision on internal grease trap vs an external? Mike M. replied that was the intent of his motion and John agreed. Dave agreed, but asked if this is not resolved, who takes responsibility? He suggested a hold harmless agreement between Philip and the Town if something happens at the property. Philip responded that the tenant has the permit and would be the source of the grease. Dave suggested putting a timeline to have an engineering report in 30 days and suggested Philip contact engineer Greg Roy in his building. Brett asked if Greg Roy has expertise in this area and John said it would just need to be a qualified engineer with experience in this area. John asked Jane to repeat the motion. Amended Motion: Mike M To have an engineering report that explores the external septic system, to demonstrate a new larger internal trap that will eliminate the necessity of an external grease trap, with 60 days for the engineering report. Discussion: Paula noted she received the report for up to 9/27 and it had a note the trap would need a small repair, but she did not get a report on the cleaning for the past Sunday. Al said he cleaned it himself and he can send pictures every week until this is resolved. Paula noted Al’s report dated 9/29/23 had the percentages filled out and she sent it out to Commissioners. She read the figures on the report: 9/3-3%, 9/10-7%, 9/17-11% and 9/27-15% after which he cleaned it out. As long as she continues to receive the reports on the 1st Tuesday each month, Al will be compliant. Paula asked Al to forward the report when it is professionally cleaned and Al said he will—he will do what the Commission asks him to do. (John lost signal) Dave told Philip he is doing a good job at his property and Philip said he is trying to keep the village feel. John asked Jane to read the motion again. ===PAGE 4=== Amended Motion: Mike M To advise the landlord and tenant to place an external grease trap on the property of 1 Main St., to have an engineering report that explores the external septic system, t o demonstrate a new larger internal trap that will eliminate the necessity of an external grease trap, with 60 days for the engineering report. John lost signal and Brett took over. Paula noted they need to rescind the 1st motion and Dave withdrew his motion. Motion: Mike M. Second: Dave M. The Commission is giving the property owner and tenant 60 days to have an engineer determine whether a larger interior grease trap is going to do the job of keeping all grease out of our sewer system. If not, we will require an external grease trap. Roll Call Vote: Dave-aye, Mike M.-aye, and Brett-aye Philip thanked the Commission for working professionally and constructively and will get on the phone with the engineers tomorrow. Paula said she will schedule the next date after they receive the engineer’s report. CURRENT BUSINESS Business Manager report (con’t ) - 3. Update on software - Paula reported she has worked with a technician and she is able to print bills now. Unfortunately, in between each bill, she has to reset the printer and will work with IT to fix that. 4. Delinquency rate – Paula noted the delinquency rate was 21% and she sent out 193 demand bills on 9/19 with Jane. She received payments for 22 and the delinquency rate is now 19%. There are 80 bills still outstanding from FY23. Total, there are 415 bills outstanding, beginning in 2017. Paula added they need to work on getting those delinquencies addressed and trying to implement a process for non-criminal disposition. 5. Rating & Classification of Sewer Business Manager Position – Paula sent an outline of her concerns and would like to get feedback from the Commission at some point. Brett said he was shocked that the Commission was not approached about this subject and something needs to change about the process. Paula said she did not know the next step. It struck her that in this position where she is dealing with a budget over $1Mil., she is rated less than a van driver or seasonal cemetery worker. She added the complexity of this position deserves to be rated higher. She would appreciate the support of the Commission and perhaps a letter to the personnel committee, along with any concerns. Paula wants it heard that this position needs to be rated differently and the job description updated. Dave said he knows they are trying to rewrite it and a letter from the Chair to the Personnel Committee would be a good idea. Paula said her concern is the Personnel Committee is trying to identify positions that are outliers. At their last meeting a comment was made that the Sewer Business Manager is not an outlier and does not need to be re- addressed. Dave and Brett stated the Personnel Committee should know they would like to see the final draft and give input. Motion: Mike M. Second: Dave M. To have the Chair communicate to the Personnel Committee our concerns that the job of the Sewer Business Manager is not considered an outlier in terms of the current formula for reconsideration . Our concern is due to the scope and complexity of the responsibilities that due con sideration should be looked at to consider it to be an outlier and examine ways to rectify that. Mike amended his motion to add “that the Chair will draft it for all their signatures”. Paula rephrased the motion “John will draft a letter for approval and signature by all of you, outlining the concerns that Mike stated.” Dave seconded the motion . Roll Call Vote: Mike M.-aye, Dave M.-aye, and Brett-aye 6. Assistant to Sewer Business Manager position – Paula reported the person who was interested is no longer because she decided to not go back to work. They do have 2 interviews scheduled for the 17th. Paula noted the Fall Town Meeting will be at 7 on 11/14 and asked what the Commission wanted to do with their meeting that night. The Commission has 2 articles for transfers. Brett suggested meeting earlier and transferred meeting back to John. Dave suggested moving the meeting to 11/13 and all agreed. PUBLIC COMMENT – Dave said it was a good meeting and they got a lot done. ===PAGE 5=== UPCOMING SCHEDULED SEWER COMMISSION ACTIVITIES: November 13 , 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation November 14, 2023 @ 7pm – Special Town Meeting November 28, 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation December 12, 2023 @ 6pm - Regular Meeting, Remote Participation Motion: Mike Mackin Second: Brett R. To adjourn at 8:10pm Roll Call Vote: Dave-aye, Brett-aye, Mike M.-aye, and John -aye. Respectfully submitted, Jane L. Ranley Minutes Clerk Handouts: Paula screen-shared the plan for 10 Ramgren Rd. extension.