Minutes of 9/24/24 Sewer Commission meeting– via Zoom (Video Conference) Attendees: Chair-Mike Mackin, Vice-Chair- Brett Ramsden, Clerk-Scott Dall, Member Eli Torres, DPW Director- Bill Bernard, Minutes Clerk- Jane Ranley Absent: Joe Hurley Brett opened the meeting at 6:04pm. and did a roll call of attendees. The Commission began the meeting by saying the Pledge of Allegiance. PUBLIC COMMENT- Brett thanked Scott and Eli for being here as newly appointed Sewer Commissioners. ANNOUNCEMENTS - none CURRENT BUSINESS – --Reorganization of the Commission- --Chair: Brett nominated Mike Mackin and Scott seconded. Motion: Scott D., Second: Eli T. To vote for Mike M. as new chair for the Commission. Roll Call Vote: Scott-aye, Eli-aye and Brett-aye. Mike M. abstained --Clerk: Brett nominated Scott Dall as Clerk and Mike seconded. Roll Call Vote: Eli-aye, Mike-aye and Brett-aye. Scott abstained --Vice-Chair: Mike nominated Brett as Vice-Chair and Scott seconded. Roll Call Vote: Scott-aye, Eli-aye and Mike-aye. Brett abstained. --Business Manager Position- Bill noted that they had a long time manager named Barb and Paula was hired as Assistant Manager. When Barb retired, Paula took over as Business Manager for 1 ½ years but she recently left. They hired a new business manager, but she only lasted a week and said the job was not for her. Now they are without a Business manager and Bill is carrying the workload. They are actively looking for a new manager. Bill noted that Paula will be coming in Friday to help him go through a stack of to-dos. Bill said the position is very involved, with the biggest issue being the billing, since the software for billing is not user friendly. Before Paula left, she put together a manual of all the processes, but there will be a big learning curve to the job. Mike added that the business manager has a lot of day-to-day tasks around bills, work being done to the system, betterments, etc. Mike suggested looking at the role of the Commission in hiring and discuss it as an agenda item. Bill said that the Interim Town Manager wants to have input from the Commission on hiring. --Assistant Business Manager – Bill reported that they have a bunch of candidates but they want to wait until they hire a Business Manager. --Manhole Repair IFB- Bill stated that the Town was given ARPA federal money and the Commission received $100K. They targeted previously inspected manholes that showed signs of I&I (Inflow & Infiltration) for repair to prevent clean water from getting into the system. Repairs include replacing the frame and covers, repairing the bricks in the chimney and doing a lining to prevent leaks around the pipes. They also will put an inverted hat to catch any water that gets in, which will eventually evaporate. Brett noted that I&I is a major issue with the Commission since they are paying to get rid of clean water that gets into the system. Scott asked how they track if it is working and Mike replied they compare water usage to what flows out. Brett added that rainfall and drought can affect it also. Bill said that it is hard to find where it comes in. They bought a device to put in a manhole to measure any I&I but they are waiting for a replacement because first one stopped working. --Update on Special Town Meeting Articles- Bill noted that the Commission voted at the previous meeting to put in articles. Paula found out that FY24 ended with Revenues exceeding Expenses by about $46K. The article for the Special Town Meeting will be for transferring that money into the Sewer Capital Reserve Stabilization Fund. Bill added that a new vote is not needed. --Line Repairs—Mass 1- Bill said that Mass 1 is one of their biggest stations on Mass Ave. and last year they did a repair on the pipe going into one of the pumps. At that time they saw other pipes that needed repairs and he has 2 job estimates. The first job is to repair the pipe coming out of the well under the station that is pretty rotted and they will need to shut down the station overnight to do the repair. Pumping trucks will be there to catch the flow. CTE (Chad T. Empey) is bringing in Pride Environmental to do most of the work, along with CTE workers. The cost estimate is $66,770 plus $2-3K for the pumping trucks for a total around $70K. Brett added it is a high pressure line and dealing with it if it burst as an emergency would be quite expensive--probably triple the cost. They will give the public a week notice and want to do it before cold weather. Once the Commission approves, Bill will contact CTE to get things going. Commission discussed and agreed it should be done as soon as possible. Brett added that CTE has been reliable and they have done their best to keep the pricing reasonable. Motion: Mike M. Second: Scott D. To approve the estimate dated 9/4/24 from CTE at the cost of $66,770 with additional cost for pumping. Discussion: Scott asked how long the original pipe was in place and Bill replied the pipe has been there for 20 years and the new one will be steel. Roll Call Vote: Scott-aye, Eli-aye, Mike-aye, and Brett-aye. --Suction Lines @ Mass 1 – Second Job - Bill noted that there will be a lot of prep work to get to the lines but will only need 1 pumping truck on site on standby, since they will do 1 line at a time. The cost will be $64,625 and CTE has also hired Pride Environmental to do the repair. It will take 3-4 days per side. Motion: Eli T. Second: Scott D. To move forward with the $64,625 repair of the inlet pipes connected to the pumps at Mass 1. Roll Call Vote: Scott-aye, Eli-aye, Mike-aye, and Brett-aye. --FY24 Budget Update- Bill reported that FY24 ended up with more Revenues than Expenses, due to Betterments and Connection Fees being higher. The rates in Fitchburg and Leominster went up, causing Lunenburg to significantly increase Connection Fees in July. This encouraged people to pay their connection fees in June before the increase in FY25. Bill added that the FY25 budget is looking ok right now and the repairs at Mass 1 were planned for in the budget. Brett also noted that Dana Street station will need repairs. --Future Agenda Items- Bill suggested Sewer Business & Assistant Business Managers positions. Brett suggested an update on Mass 1 repairs, grease traps and delinquencies. Bill stated that they are renewing the grease trap permits now but it should be done in April. They need to get on schedule with the regulations and he suggested they discuss giving a grace period for September to next March. Then they will be back on schedule. Mike asked to discuss having 1 face to face meeting per month. Scott asked how many people will be inconvenienced by the Mass 1 repair. Bill replied there are relatively few homes and the biggest number would be in Meadowwoods trailer park and the primary school. Scott suggested sending a mailing to those affected, but Bill said he was not too concerned due to the low number of homes. Scott suggested having the Chair check on the missing new member. PUBLIC COMMENT – Mike thanked Eli and Scott for stepping up and volunteering. Brett said he hopes they find it interesting- there is a lot to know and he thanked them for volunteering. He added that it is great that they are also customers. UPCOMING SCHEDULED SEWER COMMISSION ACTIVITIES: October 9, 2024 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation October 29, 2024 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation November 9, 2024 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation October 29, 2024 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation Motion: Mike M. Second: Eli T. To adjourn at 7:12pm. Roll Call Vote: Scott-aye, Eli-aye, Mike-aye, and Brett-aye. Respectfully submitted, Jane L. Ranley Minutes Clerk