# sewer-commission — 16 documents, concatenated for reading and search # # This is a CONVENIENCE BUNDLE, not a source. Every document below is # published separately and byte-identically; cite the individual file, # whose path is given in each header, rather than this bundle. # Index of all boards: https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/minutes/INDEX.txt # The town's own scanned original is linked per document. ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2023-05-30-minutes-282.txt BOARD : sewer-commission DATE : 2023-05-30 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/sewer-commission/2023-05-30-minutes-282.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_05302023-282 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Minutes of 5/30/23 Sewer Commission meeting – via Zoom (Video Conference) Attendees: Chair- John Reynolds, Vice-Chair- Brett Ramsden, Members: Dave MacDonald and Mike Nault, DPW Director- Bill Bernard, Business Manager-Paula Bertram, Minutes Clerk- Jane Ranley Guest: Mr. Brambila (A&D Crossroads), Mike Mackin John opened the meeting at 6:00pm. and did a roll call of attendees. The Commission began the meeting by saying the Pledge of Allegiance. PUBLIC COMMENT- Brett noted he was sworn in for his new term. Dave thanked Jane for working at polls and said he liked the new check-in system. He said Mike Mackin was interested in the Commission and would be observing the meeting. ANNOUNCEMENTS – none CURRENT BUSINESS - Minutes of 4/11/23- Motion: Brett R. Second: Dave M. To approve the minutes of 4/11/23. Roll Call: Mike N.-aye, Dave-aye, Brett-aye and John-aye. Minutes of 5/9/23- Motion: Mike N. Second: Brett R. To approve the minutes of 5/ 09/23. Roll Call: Mike N.-aye, Dave-aye, Brett-aye and John-aye. CURRENT BUSINESS ARPA Funding- Dave asked if the ARPA funds were being taken back as part of the debt ceiling discussion, but no one had any information. John complimented Paula on her ARPA presentation package. She noted the Town Manager requested the Commission put the presentation together and have a member present it. The Commission is requesting $200K for manhole repairs. Paula went through the manhole inspection reports of 2016 and 2020. She focused on Electric Ave., Mass. Ave. and a few areas off of Mass. Ave. Joe Progen and Jack Welsh (DPW) visited the manholes on the initial list and agreed on all. The ARPA request would repair the following manholes: 19 on Electric Ave. ($47,420), a frame replacement at the High School ($1,890), 41 on Mass. Ave. ($95,410), 3 at Meadowwoods ($6,930), 4 at Primary School ($15,120) and 15 on Richard’s Way ($ 28,550). The repairs to these 84 manholes would cost $195,320. Paula stated the yearly budget is limited and they have only been able to fix 8-10 per year out of the 168 in need of repair. She has put together a PowerPoint presentation to explain that need. Paula noted the 2nd component of the request is for $300K for the pump stations. Paula, Bill and Al put the following list together: 6 Dialers (Dana, Electric, Twin City, Francis, Leominster Rd, and Mass 1, 4 Pumps (Leominster, West, Twin City and Francis), Panel Upgrade at West, Motor Shaft at Mass 1, Impellers (Dana, Leominster and Mass 1), and Generators (Electric, Twin City and Meadowwoods), for a total of $305K. Paula noted the cost of repairs to each manhole may differ, depending on the amount of repair to be done. The prices were based on Wright Pierce’s 2015 pricing, updated using a cost escalator. Joe (DPW) stated Tango Construction did the repairs on 2A, and the concrete was brought up too high, which caused damage. Dave suggested having the manholes inspected prior to adding asphalt. Bill said he has the DOT plans that show how to rebuild up to grade. Paula will also include 5 maps of the highlighted manholes. John pointed out the repairs were based on the 2015 study and manholes may now be worse off. Paula asked the Commission to vote to send the proposal. Mike asked about manholes that could be eliminated. Paula replied if they have some close together, they could line the pipe, and eliminate some manholes from the list. The presentation will be 6/6 and John will be able to attend. Motion: Dave M. Second: Mike N. To recommend sending the ARPA proposal to the Board of Selectmen as soon as possible for their review, considering today is Tuesday and go from there as far as when they do the presentation. Roll Call Vote: Mike N.-aye, Brett-aye, Dave-aye and John -aye. APPOINTMENTS: A&D Crossroads – Non-Compliance Hearing – Mr. Brambila - Paula stated she met with a representative from Ixtapa Restaurant and detailed numerous issues with getting reports for pump outs. Multiple emails and certified mail letters also were sent. The system was due for a pump out on 10/12 but they did not receive ===PAGE 2=== a report in November or December. The Commission voted to implement the non-compliance process and requested the report by January 26th or fines would be implemented from 11/11/22 to 3/1/23. They received a report on 2/17/23 and the Commission voted to implement the fine of $25/day, plus the $50 non-compliance fee. (Mr. Brambila had difficulty logging on but finally was able to join the meeting.) Paula noted they had sent numerous communications to the property owner, who is the brother of Mr. Brambila, but received no response. Finally on 3/1/23, they received the report they were looking for and sent A&D Crossroads a fine invoice of $2,525. Again there was no response, so a hearing notice was sent to the property owner, Ixtapa and Darios restaurants. Darios has since closed their business. Paula met with a representative from Ixtapa and a translator to discuss the situation. They stated the system was pumped on 5/24 and Paula received a report from the pumping company but the report did not have all the required information on the amount of FOG and sludge. She sent an email, asking for the correct report. They have been out of compliance for 99 days. Mr. Brambila stated he received the letters and emails which he forwarded to his brother. He has scheduled pumpings every 3 months with the company. The system was pumped 9/28, 2/8 and 5/24. John asked when the non-compliance began and Paula replied the system was due to pump 10/12, but the report did not arrive until 2/17/23. The report is due 30 days after a pumping. Brett said over several months, the business manager and the Commission spent lot of time. They need something to cover for all the time and frustration. Dave asked Mr. Brambila why he did not call back and he replied his brother hired the company to do the pumping but they did not send the reports on time. Dave said the Commission is upset because they did not respond for 5 months. Paula stated the big problem is the pumping company was not doing the reports correctly. The report they finally received on 2/17 but it did not have the relevant information filled out. Wind River pumped on 5/26, but it was not the correct report. Mr. Brambila noted they have hired a new company - Bay State Sewage Disposal, Inc.-to do the pumpings. Paula reiterated the fine is $2,525 for 11/11/22 to 2/17/23. The Commission discussed and agreed Mr. Brambila could have saved a lot of frustration and time if he had responded on time. Also this was not the first time they were non-compliant. Dave suggested reducing the fine to $750, with more severe fines, if it happens again. The Commission agreed. Motion: Dave M. Second: Brett R. To reduce the fine for A & D Crossroads to $750 towards his $2,525 fine, to be paid immediately. Roll Call: Mike N.-aye, Dave-aye, Brett-aye and John -aye. Paula asked Mr. Brambila to have Wind River send the correctly filled-out report to the office within a week in order to be compliant. He also needs to pay the $750 and remain in compliance. Mr. Brambila agreed to do so. CURRENT BUSINESS (con’t) Woodard & Curran Sewer System Infiltration Review- Paula screen-shared her notes from the Woodard & Curran 2020 report. John stated they have been talking about I/I (Inflow/Infiltration) in the Whalom area and this report shows I/I issues outside of the Whalom district. John asked all to take a close look at the report and possibly re- evaluate where they attack the I/I. They need to look at the report in context of the manholes to I/I and the Capital Budget. Bill said they need to repair manholes to address I/I issues and to look at the operation of the pump stations. The report supports the Commission’s request. John noted they need to get pump station reports on a regular basis. Paula received some reports for January 1st through May from Al Packard and Bill had some questions about the data. Paula and Bill will meet with Al to go over the reports he submitted. IMA Negotiations- John stated they cannot go into executive session to discuss and he would like to keep it to a non-quorum group meeting with Leominster Sewer Dept., with updates to the rest of the Commission. Paula confirmed that Town Counsel said they cannot use Executive Session to discuss the negotiations, except in the final stages. Paula read the email from Town Counsel that stated negotiations need to be done within a small non-quorum group, bringing it to the full public body when necessary. The Commission gave Dave permission to talk to Town Counsel during open hours on 6/21. Dave said the next meeting with Leominster has not been scheduled. Paula noted Wright Pierce said the testing requirements in the new NFTS permit draft are onerous and costly. Kevin Olsen (Wright Pierce) said many communities are pushing back on the requirements. Paula asked for Commission approval to send a letter in support of eliminating those requirements, based on Jake Fleming’s comments. The Commission agreed. Dave said the meeting went well and thanked Paula, Bill and the Town Manager for their assistance. ===PAGE 3=== Capital Planning- Bill & Paula met with Al Packard on 5/24 and things have changed. They need panels at West St. and Francis St., but the dialers and seals can wait. The revised list is: 3 cranes, block heaters, a panel and a dialer at Meadowwoods for a total of $45,237.80. Paula noted the budget will cover that and she sent the Commissioners an updated sheet. Al is recommending going with the SKADA system. Bill and Paula asked Al for access to the system which can be done off-site remotely. Al would like to put Dana and Mass 1 in the SKADA and estimates they will be $16K each. He also suggested getting on a program for battery replacement every 3 years and Paula developed a database to track that. Also he asked to do annual pump outs November/December. Bill stated some of the fences around the pump stations were damaged and Al suggested fixing them. Paula and Bill suggested tracking inventory on-site, in space at the DPW building. Al will check if they already have some of the pumps. John asked if the Town or Al would track the inventory and Bill replied they will work together. John offered to help and would like to learn more about the SKADA system. Paula and Bill want to get familiar with SKADA and Al will be getting them access. Dave suggested meeting with Leominster to discuss technology and the system they are using. Paula said she would reach out to Jake Fleming regarding the manhole lining and SKADA. Dave suggested having the meeting via zoom. Leominster -Shirley Corridor Development/Mass Works Grant - Paula reported the Selectmen are working on a grant for next year due to the possible construction of 5 large commercial buildings across from the large new warehouse. She told the Town Manager the Commission would like to have input in the grant process. Assistant Business Manager - Paula noted the position is on hold. It is currently 24 hrs. with benefits, but Paula does not believe it needs to be 24 hrs. or benefited. John agreed and Dave suggested offering the position to a job training program. Paula said the job needs to be more than clerical and she will need someone who can cover when she is out for any extended period. Bill agreed and the Commission discussed the position. Paula has a candidate interested in the non-benefited position but they cannot change the job unless it is negotiated with the union. They are currently in discussions for the new contract and if they change the position, they will have to do collective bargaining. Bill agreed the position can be less than 20 hours because Paula has streamlined the business but they need someone that can learn the day-to-day job. Paula asked the Commission to vote on the change. Motion: Brett R. Second: Mike N. To change the hours for the Assistant Business Manager position from 24 hours benefited to under 20 hours unbenefited. Roll Call Vote: Mike N.-aye, Brett-aye, Dave-aye and John-aye. Action Items- Dave suggested looking into Leominster’s ideas on manholes. Business Manager Report – FY23 Budget Update -Paula sent out the current budget and upped the amount for I/I, to address some manholes other than the ARPA funding. They have added $28K for jetting. Bill noted he obtained an estimate of $4,800 per week to rent a jetting truck. If they hire a company such as Clean Basins, their cost is $2,500- 2,800/day. Bill said the DPW crew would do the jetting and Al Packard will assist. He will rent the truck for 2 weeks and start jetting lines. John asked if the DPW labor would come out of the Sewer or DPW budget and Bill will look into it. Paula added there may be some fees for Al. Dave suggested Bill invoice the Sewer Department for time and labor. Bill plans on jetting 3 miles. System Maintenance Update - Paula and Bill gave the ok to CTE to order 3 cranes. Weld Generator has changed out batteries. They are looking at replacing some screens, did a pump at Meadowwoods, control panels at West St. and Francis. Paula said she has a log at each station which she can send to the Commissioners and is tracking maintenance and parts replacement at each station. Grease Trap Compliance - all reports are in except Conrad’s and Paula will follow up with them. Il Forno -Paula did not get their report on time and sent an email. She has since received it. Vacation- Paula gave her dates for vacation in July and August. PUBLIC COMMENT –John thanked Michael M. for sitting in on the meeting and hoped he would join them. Mike M. said he enjoyed the discussions and he is interested. Dave noted he would need to be appointed by the Select Board. Dave also congratulated Brett on getting 2nd place in number of votes at the town election and thanked him for stepping up for another term. UPCOMING SCHEDULED SEWER COMMISSION ACTIVITIES: June 12, 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation ===PAGE 4=== June 27, 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation July 11, 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation July 25, 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation Motion: Brett R. Second: Mike N. To adjourn at 7:44pm. Roll Call: Mike N.-aye, Dave-aye, Brett-aye and John -aye. Respectfully submitted, Jane L. Ranley Minutes Clerk Handouts: P. Bertram Notes on Woodard & Curran 2020 3rd Party review – screen-shared. Adam Costa (Counsel) email regarding IMA Negotiations read by Paula. ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2023-06-27-agenda-413.txt BOARD : sewer-commission DATE : 2023-06-27 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/sewer-commission/2023-06-27-agenda-413.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06272023-413 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== SEWER COMMISSION AGENDA June 27, 2023 6:00pm Regular Meeting via Remote Participation (Zoom) In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting will be recorded and can be found on the LunenburgAccess YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/LunenburgAccess/videos) within 24 hours of the meeting. This public meeting is being conducted remotely. The following information is also provided for members of the public that would like to participate in the meeting remotely: To Participate Remotely: From a computer, please use this link to join the public meeting webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82059537604 or from a telephone, dial the toll free number (888) 475-4499 and enter Webinar ID: 820 5953 7604. If you have not registered with Zoom you will be asked for your name and an e-mail address. Note: No participant ID is needed, just press # when asked. Telephone users may dial *9 to request to speak after joining the meeting. Computer and app users may use the “raise hand” feature to request to speak. I. 6:00 PM CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE II. PUBLIC COMMENT III. ANNOUNCEMENTS IV. CURRENT BUSINESS 1. Minutes of 6/13/23- review and vote 2. ARPA Funding – Modified Request, Review & Vote 3. FY23 Encumbrances– Review, discussion & Vote 4. Action Items 5. Business Manager Report a. Update on System Maintenance & Upgrades b. FY23 Budget Status c. July 25th & August 8th Meeting Attendance V. PUBLIC COMMENT VI. UPCOMING SCHEDULED SEWER COMMISSION ACTIVITIES  July 11, 2023 6pm Regular Meeting  July 25, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting  August 8, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting  August 29, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting VII. ADJOURNMENT ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2023-06-27-minutes-413.txt BOARD : sewer-commission DATE : 2023-06-27 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/sewer-commission/2023-06-27-minutes-413.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_06272023-413 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Minutes of 6/27/23 Sewer Commission meeting– via Zoom (Video Conference) Attendees: Chair- John Reynolds, Vice-Chair- Brett Ramsden, Members: Dave MacDonald and Mike Nault, DPW Director- Bill Bernard, Business Manager-Paula Bertram Absent: Minutes Clerk- Jane Ranley Guests: Mike Mackin John opened the meeting at 6:04pm. and did a roll call of attendees. The Commission began the meeting by saying the Pledge of Allegiance. John welcomed Mike Mackin who is interested in joining the Commission and will be on board after the Commission meets with the Select Board. Dave asked Paula to pass on their prayers to Jane, for her husband’s recovery. PUBLIC COMMENT- Dave thanked Mike Mackin for joining the Commission – just a matter of paperwork to make it official. Dave thanked John for his great presentation to the Select Board last week. Brett said he was very impressed with the DPW’s repairs on the potholes on Mulpus Road, using the grinding machine. He wanted to commend Bill B. on his action and approach. ANNOUNCEMENTS – John stated they received an email from Paula regarding some sewage backup in a Mass. Ave. residence, near the center of town. The backup was cleared but they are still looking into what happened and John wanted all the Commissioners to be aware of the problem. Paula received the call about the backup but was unable to get Clean Basins out right away. Instead RM Ratta was contacted, who came and pumped the manhole, where the sewage was up to the top. They then proceeded down Mass. Ave. from the center of town to the pump station. The lines were cleared and they are in the process of determining what happened. Paula noted there was a significant grease blockage. John and Paula visited the establishment which has a grease trap and asked for more information. They are waiting for the reports and noted there was a history of a problem in the area, between 2 establishments. The issue is on the property, where there is a junction of several pipes. The property owner had previously contracted someone to service those lines to determine why they were having a backup. Paula is waiting for more information about what happened, when it occurred and what pumping had been done. Also they want to pop the manhole covers at the site to see what is causing the issue. The backup was from 926 Mass. Ave. to the pump station, heading towards Fitchburg. John will pass on information as available. CURRENT BUSINESS - Minutes of 6/13/23- Motion: Mike N. Second: Brett R. To accept the minutes of 6/13/23. Roll Call Vote: Mike N.-aye, Brett-aye, Dave-aye and John-aye. ARPA Funding- Paula reported the Select Board asked for a modified ARPA request and she has sent the draft to the Commissioners. She put together the information that John presented to help the Select Board understand the effects of Covid on the sewer system, as well as the challenges they are facing from new regulations and financial constraints. John asked the Commissioners to give Paula their input, so he and Paula could compose the final letter to the Select Board. The Commissioners agreed that the request looks good. Dave suggested saying more about the testing for NPDES/Covid aftermath and the potential costs between Fitchburg and Leominster. Paula stated the numbers in the document are from Wright Pierce and are for Leominster. Their document also articulates their estimated costs for the flood plain monitoring and additional contaminant monitoring if they are required. Dave asked if they are attaching an engineer’s report to the request and John replied the information from Wright Pierce was their professional opinion but not a paid for study. Paula added Wright Pierce is working with other towns to provide comments on the draft NPDES and those towns are in the same position as Lunenburg. Dave noted that the state will be offering grants and monies for the water departments to deal with PFAS issues but has not seen anything being offered to Sewer departments for dealing with these issues. John replied that the PFAS issue is a much greater unknown than the flood plain issue, which could be $200-300K. He added that right now it is an unfunded mandate. Testing for PFAS would be one cost, but if Fitchburg and Leominster have to remove PFAS, it would be a very expensive proposition. Dave noted the costs would then come from the sewer budget. John added there has ===PAGE 2=== been a 50% increase in flows to Fitchburg and Leominster, which is significant. Paula stated the modified request needs to go to the Select Board for their 7/11 meeting. The Commissioners will send input to Paula asap. FY23 Encumbrances- Paula reported there is just over $50K in encumbrances. The pump station cranes have been ordered but will not arrive until September. Martinez Road Construction repaired 16 manhole covers on Mass. Ave. for just under $10K but she has not received a bill yet. Clean Basins will be jetting lines soon for $9,800. Paula has a proposal of $9,100 from Wright Pierce for evaluation of feasibility of redirecting flows. She also ordered more manhole covers for $3,624 and she has estimated bills for telephone and utilities. The cost of waste disposal and asphalt from PJ Keatings is $1,195. The emergency jetting on Mass Ave is estimated at $2,800 plus the money for police details. She noted the funds will be coming from various line items in the budget for a total of $51,592.50 and will carry over from this year’s budget to next. Paula asked for a vote and signatures of Commissioners. Motion: Dave M. Second: Mike N. To accept the encumbrance of $51,592.50. Roll Call Vote: Brett-aye, Dave-aye, Mike N.-aye and John-aye. Action Items- John suggested future discussion on grease traps in light of the recent overflow issue. Dave suggested pulling all the records for grease traps in that area and Paula replied they had started that process already. She also found out that there has been some jetting done, for which she has not received reports. The Commission discussed and agreed they need to make sure it does not happen again. Paula noted she and John had been investigating, along with visiting the establishment involved, but found out there were other issues on other properties that were dealt with in the past. More investigation will be done. Dave suggested looking at how they would deal with this issue during non-business hours. Paula gave a shout-out to DPW workers Jack Welsh and Jim Stickler for an amazing job in dealing with the issue. Bill stated if an issue occurs after hours, people can call the police, who will notify the DPW and they have personnel who will respond. Dave suggested adding wording to the DPW answering machine, to call the police station (not 911), for a sewer problem. Business Manager Report – Update on System Maintenance & Upgrades – Paula reported they recently replaced pumps at Meadowwoods, Francis and Mass Ave. There were 2 in stock and 1 was ordered. The cranes have been ordered and they are installing guards on the panels, to prevent shocks. Al Packard is looking at other upgrades and he has updated some reports but she has not received the final reports. She will follow up with him. FY23 Budget-Paula sent out the updated budget but it is difficult to find out where they are because the accounting department is severely understaffed. As of 6/27, they have $945,366.77 in User Charges, which is much less than the forecasted $1.1 million. Until the receipts for May and June are posted, she will not know where they are. Paula estimated conservatively there will be $975K in User Charges but will end the year positive due to moving money from other line items and encumbrances. They will not have the money they usually put into Retained Earnings, due to the personnel shift and upgrades done. There will be a surplus of about $20K which may increase if the Revenue figure increases. She suggested looking at more bids and spending more than $10K on jetting, manholes and I/I. Right now, they are limited to spending less than $10K on contracts. If more than $10K, they need 3 bids and if more than $50K, it will need to go out for bid. System Maintenance – Paula stated they received 1 bid from Chad Empey and it was significantly more than they anticipated. Bill has been working on adjusting the proposed hours in the bid to bring the cost down but they will need to rebid. He talked to Chad Empey and they are willing to extend the current contract out 2 months. They need to revise the IFB to reduce the preliminary quantities to come in under budget. John said they discussed combining the generator contract with the Operation & Maintenance, but Julie (Assistant Town Manager) thought they may have gotten more bids if they were separated. John asked the Commissioners if they would want to split them since they are going back out for bids. Bill noted one company asked if they could just bid on the generator maintenance. Dave suggested keeping them separate to help control costs. The Commission discussed the options. Bill said he favors 1 contract and noted on Chad Empey’s bid, the generator cost was only 11% overall. John suggested putting the IFB out again as one contract and Paula stated Bill has already modified the quantities, so they are ready to send it out now. Dave asked to see the modified quantities and asked about the increases from Chad Empey. Bill replied the ===PAGE 3=== monthly and hourly charges went up some. Paula added the increases were due to the increase in the quantity of hours compared to the current contract. July 25th & August 8th Attendance- Paula noted she will be able to attend the 7/25 meeting via Zoom but will not be able to attend the 8/8 meeting. She will be doing the agenda early for the 7/25 meeting and has tentatively scheduled Wright Pierce to attend that meeting to discuss their proposal for redirecting flow. Brett had asked for an update on Pond View and has added it to 7/25 agenda. John noted in regard to system maintenance, the manholes that were fixed a few years ago used a cement/concrete which degraded into powder. Paula stated she added into the modified ARPA request the fact that when Mass DOT did repairs during the repaving of 2A, the concrete essentially turned to dust. This may happen to all the manholes repaired by the DOT. Bill stated they potentially used a fast-setting concrete which has a tendency when below grade to turn to mush when wet and then to dust. Dave asked if there is are regulations for material used and Bill replied yes. Dave suggested going back to Mass DOT with the repair costs and Bill noted they would need to do a chemical analysis to prove their point. Paula added she has information on what repairs were done on a database and could compare a manhole done by Mass DOT to one done otherwise. The Commission discussed if the state is responsible for redoing the manholes when they resurface or were they were asked to do them by a past DPW Director. They also discussed the crack sealing done around many manholes. Paula will discuss the issue with Adam during the next Town Counsel hours and she recommended having Bill talk to Joe Progin to do more investigating into other manholes. Dave also suggested adding pictures of the new sewer covers to the DPW Facebook page to let the public know about work being done, as well as traffic delays. PUBLIC COMMENT – Dave wished everyone a safe holiday. John thanked Mike Mackin for joining the meeting and is looking forward to having him join the Commission. Paula asked about posting a joint meeting on 7/11 with the Select Board for Mike Mackin’s appointment and the Commission agreed. UPCOMING SCHEDULED SEWER COMMISSION ACTIVITIES: July 11, 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation July 25, 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation August 8, 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation August 29, 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation Motion: Mike N. Second: Brett R. To adjourn at 7:19pm Roll Call Vote: Mike N.-aye, Dave-aye, Brett-aye and John-aye. Respectfully submitted, Jane L. Ranley Minutes Clerk Handouts: none ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2023-07-11-agenda-384.txt BOARD : sewer-commission DATE : 2023-07-11 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/sewer-commission/2023-07-11-agenda-384.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_07112023-384 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== SEWER COMMISSION AGENDA July 11, 2023 6:00pm Regular Meeting via Remote Participation (Zoom) In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting will be recorded and can be found on the LunenburgAccess YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/LunenburgAccess/videos) within 24 hours of the meeting. This public meeting is being conducted remotely. The following information is also provided for members of the public that would like to participate in the meeting remotely: To Participate Remotely: From a computer, please use this link to join the public meeting webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82059537604 or from a telephone, dial the toll free number (888) 475-4499 and enter Webinar ID: 820 5953 7604. If you have not registered with Zoom you will be asked for your name and an e-mail address. Note: No participant ID is needed, just press # when asked. Telephone users may dial *9 to request to speak after joining the meeting. Computer and app users may use the “raise hand” feature to request to speak. I. 6:00 PM CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE II. PUBLIC COMMENT III. ANNOUNCEMENTS IV. APPOINTMENTS V. CURRENT BUSINESS 1. Minutes of 6/27/23- Review and vote 2. FY23 End of Year Commitment – Review and Vote 3. Grease Trap Permits – a. Internal/External Interceptors – Inspections & Reporting b. Annual Permit Fees c. Compliance Status & Renewals 4. Oil Water Separators – Annual Fee & Permitting – Discussion & Vote (Added) 5. ARPA Funding – Update 6. IMA with Leominster – Discussion 7. Pond View Commons – Discussion 8. Joint Meeting with Selectboard – Appointment of Michael Mackin 9. Business Manager Report a. Update on System Maintenance & Upgrades b. FY23 Budget Status c. FY23 Encumbrances VI. PUBLIC COMMENT VII. UPCOMING SCHEDULED SEWER COMMISSION ACTIVITIES July 25, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting August 8, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting August 29, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting September 12, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2023-07-11-minutes-384.txt BOARD : sewer-commission DATE : 2023-07-11 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/sewer-commission/2023-07-11-minutes-384.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_07112023-384 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Minutes of 7/11/23 Sewer Commission meeting– via Zoom (Video Conference) Attendees: Chair- John Reynolds, Vice-Chair- Brett Ramsden, Members: Dave MacDonald, DPW Director- Bill Bernard, Business Manager-Paula Bertram, Minutes Clerk- Jane Ranley Absent: Mike Nault John opened the meeting at 6:02 pm. and did a roll call of attendees. The Commission began the meeting by saying the Pledge of Allegiance. PUBLIC COMMENT- Dave said he wanted to send their prayers along to Jane for her husband’s speedy recovery and offered their help if needed. Jane thanked the Commission. Dave also noted there would be a Pancake breakfast at the Senior Center on 7/12. ANNOUNCEMENTS - none CURRENT BUSINESS - Minutes of 6/27/23 – John suggested moving them to the next meeting. Motion: Brett R. Second: Dave M. To move the 6/27/23 minutes to the next meeting. Roll Call Vote: Brett-aye, Dave-aye and John-aye. FY23 End of Year Commitment – Paula reported that since the 4th quarter billing went out, there have been bill adjustments of $656.87 and final reads of $2,297.95, for a total adjustment of $ 1,641.08. She asked the Commission for a vote on the adjustment and will send the Commissioners the Warrant as well as the Commitment to sign via DocuSign. Motion: Dave M. Second: Brett R. To approve the adjusted FY23 End of Year Commitment of $1,641.08. Roll Call Vote: Brett-aye, Dave-aye and John-aye. Grease Trap Permits- Internal/External Interceptors inspections & reporting – Paula asked the Commission to consider issuing a new form, due to the issue on Mass Ave and Al Packard’s concern about internal grease traps without interceptors. Many establishments simply initial the current form without providing any information except for 2 establishments that detail what they have done. The current form does not require details, so Paula created a new form, asking for a measurement of grease and details on exactly what was done. With the Commission’s approval, she would like to send it with the annual renewals that are going out soon. Paula screen shared the proposed Internal log and the current form. The Commission discussed the form and Dave asked who would be filling it out. Paula replied the establishment fills it out and noted that only one establishment uses a vendor for cleaning. Paula will send a sample and instructions with the renewal letters. Dave suggested being patient with establishments at first and asked if the Board of Health could get involved. The Commission discussed the new form and agreed to be a little lenient until establishments get used to it. Motion: Dave M. Second: Brett R. To accept the new Internal Log form with Paula’s suggestion to swap the Maintenance and Cleaning columns. Discussion: Dave asked how the establishment would know the grease trap model number. Paula said she could remove that line but John asked her to leave it in but not penalize if it is not filled out. Paula stated she is mainly looking for information in the highlighted areas. Roll Call Vote: Dave-aye, Brett-aye and John-aye. Dave asked about the recent grease blockage on Massachusetts Avenue and questioned if anything could have been caused by the construction at the old gas station. John said he and Paula looked at the system maps and the former gas station was bettered but not connected. Dave suggested running a camera there to see if the stub was broken or pipe broken. Bill replied if they had hit a pipe, there would be dirt or sand in the lines, so did not think any damage was done. Paula said Ratta found one of the lines on Mass. Ave. was completely blocked with grease. Bill noted they had to use the hose to hammer on it, to break up the grease and remove it. Paula and John have ===PAGE 2=== discussed doing inspections and reinstituting surprise audits. John suggested having the DPW inspect the first manhole down from each establishment that has an internal grease trap as a precaution. He is not concerned about those with external grease traps. Dave noted his company did an inspection in Shrewsbury and caught an establishment dumping grease into the floor drains, for which they were fined $10K. He added if they find violations, they need to fine them. Paula noted the grease blockage started near 1 Main Street and Bill said they jetted from that area all the way to the pump station. Brett confirmed there is only one restaurant in that area. John and Paula looked at the restaurant’s grease trap, but it did not appear to have a lot of grease in it. She is waiting for more information from the establishment. The restaurant and bank both go to a manhole on private property. Paula informed the Commission that according to the owner of Bad Larry’s the sewage was backing up into the restaurant and it was caused by both foreign objects and grease. John suggested getting the reports on how the line was serviced and have the DPW or Maintenance contractor look at the manhole. Paula said she wants to send a formal letter to the establishment, requesting the maintenance reports. Dave asked if the Town Hall was on that manhole and Bill said no, it goes to Oak Ave. Brett asked about the post office and Dave said he believed it goes down Mass Ave. John does not want to presume something needs to be fixed and just wants to investigate. The Commission agreed to have the DPW look at the manhole and have Paula send the formal letter. Brett suggested cameraing the line and Bill said they may need the property owner’s permission to do that. Bill added if there is a break on private property, they will have to fix it. Paula stated Mr. Arcidi is the property owner and she will look into it with Bill. John will add it to a future agenda for discussion. Annual Permit Fees – Paula stated the Commission adopted regulations on 2/28/23 that set the annual permit fee for both internal & external traps at $150, which is significantly less than prior permit fees. She added that during Covid, they waived the fees but would like to confirm they want to implement the $150 permit fee this year. Dave suggested waiting until there is a full board to decide. Paula replied the current permits would continue and they can table the discussion to later. She also pointed out they used to implement non-compliance fees and the new regulations state there is an automatic $100 non-compliance fine. Continued non-compliance would be $25/day of violation-the initialnon-compliance of $50 has been eliminated in the new regulations. Paula stated there is one establishment which is late all the time and she would like to discuss at a later meeting whether to implement the $100 fee. Paula will send out the new and old regs. Brett suggested adding it on the July 25th meeting agenda and all agreed. Oil Water Separators- Paula noted this was a new regulation implemented on 2/28/23 and is new to establishments. They will need to submit a completed separator service report within 30 days, need to clean it twice per year and pay an annual fee of $150. Non-compliance would be the automatic fine of $100 plus $25/day of non-compliance. Barb had noted 3 Oil Water Separators in town – Unitil, Whalom Wash, and Walmart—and had a question about the Mobil station Car Wash. Dave stated the car washes have to have an oil/water separator and suggested Paula contact the Plumbing Inspector. Paula will put together a new form and application for the Commission to review on the next agenda. Dave noted Walmart had a grease trap for oil changes, but Paula said Barb tried to research it and was unsuccessful. Dave suggested asking the Plumbing Inspector and John said they may need to do a site visit. Brett asked about Hannaford and Paula replied they have a regular grease trap, for which they submit interceptor reports. ARPA Funding- Dave noted the Select Board will discuss this at their 7/11 meeting, he added that Paula and John did a great presentation. IMA with Leominster- Paula reported Jake Fleming is thinking of meeting in the middle of August and would get back to her by the end of July. Dave asked if the engineers would be involved. Paula noted Wright Pierce is also working with Leominster. She added the Commission accepted a contract with Wright Pierce to look at the re- direction of flow and Dave asked to have them attend a meeting for discussion. Paula said Ken Olsen tentatively accepted for 7/25 and she will confirm. Dave suggested getting the wording right as to what they want to ask of Leominster, concerning new creative ideas for taking care of the pipes, which would be part of the IMA. Pond View Commons – John stated this is currently up to the lawyers and the Housing Authority. Joint meeting with Select Board- Scheduled for 7/18 at 7:30pm. Dave, Brett and John will attend in person. ===PAGE 3=== Business Manager Report – Update on System Maintenance & Upgrades- Paula reported she is trying to get the Liift tool (database) to work. This tool was purchased in 2020 and designed to determine areas of I&I. She said there are some issues with the data there is only 1 full quarter of data from CTE, more information is needed. Due to data integrity, currently it is showing a couple of the pump stations have significant I/I and her goal is to get a full year of data. John clarified the I&I would be in the lines leading up to the pump stations. Paula and Bill have also discussed doing more jetting, manhole repairs and infrastructure repairs during FY24. As long as the amount is under $50K, they can do it with 3 written quotes. FY23 Budget Status- Paula reported all the bills have been submitted but she cannot give an accurate figure because the Revenue is not up to date in Munis. She hopes to have the year-end figures by the first meeting in August. FY23 Encumbrances- Paula reported the figure has changed due to receiving some bills and the Encumbrance has been reduced to $36,616. She asked for a vote from the Commission to accept and the Commissioners can sign with Docu-Sign. Motion: Dave M. Second: Brett R. To approve the revised amount of $32,616 for the FY23 Encumbrances. Roll Call Vote: Brett-aye, Dave-aye and John-aye. PUBLIC COMMENT – Paula will be at 7/25 meeting but will not be attending the 8/8. UPCOMING SCHEDULED SEWER COMMISSION ACTIVITIES: July 25, 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation August 8, 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation August 29, 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation September 12, 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation Motion: Brett R. Second: Dave M. To adjourn at 7:06pm. Roll Call Vote: Brett-aye, Dave-aye and John-aye. Respectfully submitted, Jane L. Ranley Minutes Clerk Handouts: Paula screen-shared the current and new internal grease trap log forms ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2023-07-18-agenda-396.txt BOARD : sewer-commission DATE : 2023-07-18 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/sewer-commission/2023-07-18-agenda-396.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_07182023-396 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== SEWER COMMISSION AGENDA July 18, 2023 I. 7:30 PM CALL TO ORDER II. 7:30 PM Joint meeting of Sewer Commission & Select Board – Interview and potential appointment of Michael Mackin to fill the Sewer Commission Vacancy (Failure to Elect) III. Adjournment ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2023-08-29-agenda-377.txt BOARD : sewer-commission DATE : 2023-08-29 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/sewer-commission/2023-08-29-agenda-377.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_08292023-377 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== SEWER COMMISSION AGENDA August 29, 2023 6:00pm Regular Meeting via Remote Participation (Zoom) In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting will be recorded and can be found on the LunenburgAccess YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/LunenburgAccess/videos) within 24 hours of the meeting. This public meeting is being conducted remotely. The following information is also provided for members of the public that would like to participate in the meeting remotely: To Participate Remotely: From a computer, please use this link to join the public meeting webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82059537604 or from a telephone, dial the toll free number (888) 475-4499 and enter Webinar ID: 820 5953 7604. If you have not registered with Zoom you will be asked for your name and an e-mail address. Note: No participant ID is needed, just press # when asked. Telephone users may dial *9 to request to speak after joining the meeting. Computer and app users may use the “raise hand” feature to request to speak. 1. 6:00 PM CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 2. PUBLIC COMMENT 3. ANNOUNCEMENTS 4. ORGANIZATION OF THE BOARD 5. APPOINTMENTS a. Wright Pierce – Kick off Discussion-Contract to Review Redirection of Sewage Flow 6. CURRENT BUSINESS a. Minutes of 6/27/23 & 7/11/23- Review and vote b. Grease Trap Permits – i. Regulations – Review/Discussion ii. Compliance Status & Renewals c. Oil Water Separators – Permitting – Discussion & Vote d. October Meeting Schedule e. Town Meeting Warrant Articles f. Business Manager Report i. Update on System Maintenance & Upgrades ii. Exterior Maintenance iii. Invitation for Bid Award - Chad T. Empey (CTE) iv. Operational Plan - (CTE) v. Inflow/Infiltration Update 7. PUBLIC COMMENT 8. UPCOMING SCHEDULED SEWER COMMISSION ACTIVITIES September 12, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting September 26, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting October 10, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting October 31, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2023-08-29-minutes-377.txt BOARD : sewer-commission DATE : 2023-08-29 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/sewer-commission/2023-08-29-minutes-377.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_08292023-377 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Minutes of 8/29/2023 Sewer Commission meeting – via Zoom (Video Conference) Attendees: Chair- John Reynolds, Vice-Chair- Brett Ramsden, Members: Mike Mackin and Mike Nault, DPW Director- Bill Bernard, Business Manager-Paula Bertram, Minutes Clerk- Jane Ranley Absent: Dave MacDonald Guests: Kevin Olsen & Matthew Corbin (Wright Pierce) John opened the meeting at 6:01pm and did a roll call of attendees. The Commission began the meeting by saying the Pledge of Allegiance. PUBLIC COMMENT and ANNOUNCEMENTS –none ORGANIZATION OF THE BOARD - tabled to when all members are present. APPOINTMENTS – Wright Pierce – Kick off Discussion for a review for possible redirection of flow from Fitchburg to Leominster- Kevin Olsen noted they had done an evaluation for the town in 2012 and it culminated in a memo. The Commission has asked Wright Pierce to revisit the flows and update costs. He stated there have been many changes, extensions added and the Pandemic. They will rely on the CWMP (Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan) and revisit how they would propose rerouting the flows to Leominster. They will also update the layouts and the costs. Matt asked Paula for flow data from the 3 meters for 2022 and 2023, information on development in last 11 years and rates charged by Leominster and Fitchburg, as well as to the customers. Paula said they are now negotiating the IMA with Leominster which may increase the Leominster rate. The Commission will discuss a possible rate increase due to Fitchburg going up 7% and Leominster is proposing to go up substantially. John noted the flow to Leominster increased by 50% in 2021 and 2022, compared to 2020. They assume it was due to Covid and people being home. Fitchburg also increased 24-27%. Also, the maintenance person said the 2 small Mass Ave. stations are running at capacity. Kevin agreed many communities saw increases in 2021 & 2022 and the flow will probably not drop back down due to the hybrid work situation. John added it has also been a very wet year. Matt noted they could get a tech memo for them in 4-6 weeks and meet again. Kevin said if they want to reroute, it is good they are renegotiating the IMA and rate increases. Bill added it is a good plan going forward. Paula will send data from 2020 to 2023 and asked if they could get some comments in regard to the proposed Pond View project. Kevin said they can consider where the flow would go and Paula said they would want to know the capacity at each existing pump station. Kevin said they can look at that. CURRENT BUSINESS - Minutes of 6/27/23 Motion: Brett R. Second: Mike N. To accept the minutes of 6/27/23. Roll Call Vote: Mike M.-aye, Mike N.-aye, Brett-aye and John -aye. Minutes of 7/11/23 Motion: Brett R. Second: Mike N. To accept the minutes of 7/11/23. Roll Call Vote: Mike N.-aye, Mike M.-aye, Brett-aye and John -aye. Grease Trap Permits - Paula sent the Commissioners the forms for internal permit holders as well as the letter for external permit holders. The new form was set up to get more information on the inspections being done. There will be a sample form and blank form sent. Paula reviewed the permit holders to determine those who are non-compliant. The permit fee is $150 and an automatic non-compliance fee of $100. For Internal grease trap holders, Conrad’s drive-in is consistently late in sending monthly reports. For those with Interceptors, La Belena was due to submit a pumping report in June, but she has not received it yet and Il Forno pumped in June but she just received the report. Paula asked if the Commission wanted to institute the $100 fine and the Commission discussed. Paula read the regulation stating the automatic non-compliance fine of $100. If they stay non-compliant, Paula will ask the Commission to institute the $25/day fine. She added the fines kept establishments compliant last year. John noted during Covid they waived all the fees. Motion: Mike M. Second: Brett R. To apply the $100 fee to the 3 non-compliant restaurants. Roll Call Vote: Mike M.-aye, Mike N.-aye, Brett-aye and John -aye. ===PAGE 2=== John stated they used to do random inspection audits and he would like do them again. The CTE maintenance person could do the inspections, along with a Commissioner. The Commission discussed and agreed it is a good idea. Mike M. asked how they would be conducted. John replied they would go when the business was not busy, making sure the reporting is up to date, looking for any change in schematics and inspect the grease trap. John noted they did one at Il Forno and pointed out some issues to fix. Also the establishments would need to note if additional work, such as jetting, has been done. The Sewer Department will decide who to inspect. Oil Water Separators- Paula said there are 4 establishments with Oil Water separators- the 2 Whalom Car Washes, Unitil and Walmart. This is a new regulation and the fee is $150. She asked for feedback from the Commission on what the form should look like. Paula screen-shared some sample logs from CRD and Abbotsford Mission as examples and the Commission discussed. Bill asked what Fitchburg uses and Paula will check with them. The Commission agreed to discuss this at the next meeting. October Meeting Schedule – The Commission agreed to cancel the meeting on Halloween Night (10/31). Town Meeting Warrant Articles- Paula screen-shared the warrant articles: #1 – Transfer of $1,851.30 to the Sewer Reserve Capacity Stabilization Fund (Received when people connect) and # 2 – Transfer of $5,340.00 into the Sewer Inflow/Infiltration Stabilization Fund. These are the regular transfers and Bill confirmed that the Special Town Meeting will be 11/14. Motion: Brett R. Second: Mike M. To approve the 2 transfers for the FY24 Special Town Meeting articles. Roll Call Vote: Mike N.-aye, Mike M.-aye, Brett-aye and John -aye. Business Manager Report – Update on System Maintenance – Paula stated she is keeping track of the station maintenance and sent a report to the Commissioners. The report consists of information on the components and any issues. Paula and Bill met a few times with Wade from CTE. Al Packard has left the company and his son Albe has taken over. Albe has been submitting reports and checking in once a week with them. She talked to Wade about the proposed replacement of 3 cranes at the stations. He said the cranes would need to be modified before use, but that would void the warranty, so he is looking at other solutions. The funds have been encumbered. Invitation for Bid Award- Paula reported that CTE won the maintenance bid and the award is $174,058. They have had 2 meetings with Wade, who is modifying the report with Paula. Wade is in the process of doing site inspections with Albe, so they can give the Commission some insight for Capital Planning. Bill reported that shortly Clean Basins will be sending 2 trucks to take care of the scheduled line jetting and Martinez will be doing cameraing of lines soon. John added that everything seems to be going well with Albe and Wade. Exterior maintenance – Paula and John visited the pump stations and noted the vegetation is out of control, grass needs to be mowed and vegetation has woven the fences and gates together. They have contracted with Katie Forester to mow and weed the exterior of the stations, along with making the gates operational again. The cost will be $3,200 and she will start soon. Operational Plan – Paula, Bill, Albe and Wade will be working on a Capital Plan. Inflow/Infiltration (I/I)- Paula and Bill met with John from F.R. Mahoney regarding using Spill Sense- a tool for determining I/I problems. There is an interface for computer and phone to tell what is going on. It is portable and can be moved from 1 manhole to another. They will try one unit and if it works well, she may suggest purchasing more. Paula has a Purchase Order for 1 already and they will provide training to Paula, Bill and Albe. John noted there was a problem on Richard’s Way with the manholes and this meter could determine how bad the flow is. PUBLIC COMMENT – Paula noted they will be discussing the IMA at the 9/12 meeting. Also Town Counsel said they cannot discuss the IMA in Executive Session. UPCOMING SCHEDULED SEWER COMMISSION ACTIVITIES: September 12, 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation September 26, 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation October 10 , 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation ===PAGE 3=== Motion: Mike M. Second: Mike N. To adjourn at 7:04pm Roll Call Vote: Mike M.-aye, Brett-aye, Mike N.-aye and John -aye. Respectfully submitted, Jane L. Ranley Minutes Clerk Handouts: Paula screen-shared: -- 2 sample logs for Oil Water Separators -- 2 articles for the Special Town Meeting on 11/14/23 ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2023-09-12-agenda-318.txt BOARD : sewer-commission DATE : 2023-09-12 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/sewer-commission/2023-09-12-agenda-318.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09122023-318 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== SEWER COMMISSION REVISED AGENDA September 12, 2023 6:00pm Regular Meeting via Remote Participation (Zoom) In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting will be recorded and can be found on the LunenburgAccess YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/LunenburgAccess/videos) within 24 hours of the meeting. This public meeting is being conducted remotely. The following information is also provided for members of the public that would like to participate in the meeting remotely: To Participate Remotely: From a computer, please use this link to join the public meeting webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82059537604 or from a telephone, dial the toll free number (888) 475-4499 and enter Webinar ID: 820 5953 7604. If you have not registered with Zoom you will be asked for your name and an e-mail address. Note: No participant ID is needed, just press # when asked. Telephone users may dial *9 to request to speak after joining the meeting. Computer and app users may use the “raise hand” feature to request to speak. 1. 6:00 PM CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 2. PUBLIC COMMENT 3. ANNOUNCEMENTS 4. ORGANIZATION OF THE BOARD 5. CURRENT BUSINESS a. Minutes of 8/29/23- Review and vote b. Oil Water Separators – Permitting – Discussion & Vote c. Emergency Response Plan d. ARPA Funding – Manhole Repairs e. Town Meeting Articles f. Leominster Intermunicipal Agreement Negotiations (added) g. Business Manager Report i. Update on System Maintenance & Upgrades 1. Alarms/Clogs 2. Inventory & Acquisition of Pumps & Rebuild Kits 3. Line Jetting ii. Exterior Maintenance iii. Assistant to the Sewer Business Manager Position 6. PUBLIC COMMENT 7. UPCOMING SCHEDULED SEWER COMMISSION ACTIVITIES September 26, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting October 10, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting November 14, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting November 28, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2023-09-12-minutes-318.txt BOARD : sewer-commission DATE : 2023-09-12 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/sewer-commission/2023-09-12-minutes-318.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_09122023-318 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Minutes of 9/12/23 Sewer Commission meeting– via Zoom (Video Conference) Attendees: Chair- John Reynolds, Vice-Chair- Brett Ramsden, Members: Mike Mackin, Dave MacDonald and Mike Nault, DPW Director- Bill Bernard, Business Manager-Paula Bertram Absent: Minutes Clerk- Jane Ranley John opened the meeting at 6:02 pm. and did a roll call of attendees. The Commission began the meeting by saying the Pledge of Allegiance. PUBLIC COMMENT- Dave passed on condolences and prayers to Jane for the loss of her husband. In addition, the Commissioners’ hearts go out to residents of Leominster who were devastated by the flooding, along with parts of Lunenburg and Fitchburg on 9/11. He thanked all the agencies, volunteers, and restaurants who have helped. Dave also announced there will be a Volunteer Fair at the Senior Center on 9/13. ANNOUNCEMENTS - none ORGANIZATION OF THE BOARD- Election of Officers- Chair – Dave M. nominated John R. for Chair, seconded by Mike N. Dave thanked John for all his work in the past year. Roll Call Vote: Mike Nault – aye, Brett-aye, Mike Mackin-aye, and Dave-aye. Vice-Chair – Dave M. nominated Brett R. for Vice-Chair, seconded by Mike Nault. Roll Call Vote: Dave-aye, Brett-aye, Mike Mackin-aye and Mike Nault-aye. Clerk – Brett nominated Mike Nault as Clerk, seconded by Mike Mackin Roll Call Vote: Dave-aye, Brett-aye, Mike Mackin-aye, Mike Nault-aye and John-aye. CURRENT BUSINESS - Minutes of 8/29/23 – Motion: Mike Mackin Second: Brett R. To accept the minutes of 8/29/23. Roll Call Vote: Dave-aye, Mike M.-aye, Mike N.-aye, Brett-aye and John-aye. Oil Water Separators – Paula reported that she was not able to find sample logs. Jake Fleming (Leominster) was also unable to find one and she had not heard back from Fitchburg. Paula put together a draft, based on ones from other communities. The draft form indicated they will need to look at the sediment, inlets, oil volume, erosion and outlets. If services are required, they will need to fill out the volume of oil removed by the hauler and will need to be inspected once every 3 months. The bottom of the form would note if they needed to take immediate corrective action if there was a petroleum by-pass or separator malfunction. Paula screen-shared the draft and explained what information is being requested. Dave suggested sending the form with instructions. Paula noted she would be sending it out to the property owners, along with a cover letter, copy of regulations and a sample form. Motion: Brett R. Second: Mike Nault To accept the Oil-Water Separator Inspection and Maintenance Log. Roll Call Vote: Dave-aye, Brett-aye, Mike Mackin-aye, Mike Nault-aye and John-aye. Emergency Response Plan- John and Paula met with Albe (CTE rep. for the Pump Stations) and he reported that one of the pumps went down at Dana Street. The majority of the sewage flowing to Leominster passes through the Dana Pump Station. While Albe was there, the second pump also went down for a minor issue. The first pump had a check valve clogged with debris and the second pump had a small vacuum leak, which was repaired quickly. John suggested having a plan if both pumps go down because the Dana St., Leominster Rd. and large Mass Ave stations fill up pretty quickly. He added the smaller stations could go a week with 2 pumps down but it is all about preventing an overflow of sewage. Paula stated they need to have a plan detailing how to respond and who to contact if both pumps go down. She researched and found a plan template. Paula screen-shared the outline for an Emergency Response plan and will work on it with Bill, Fitchburg and Leominster. Brett thanked Paula for getting the plan started and Mike N. agreed they needed to plan before if it happens again. Mike M. stated the system is getting older and you need to plan for the unforeseen. Dave asked who would get a copy of the plan and Paula replied each person who plays a key role, including Commissioners, in responding to an emergency. She will send a draft out to ===PAGE 2=== department heads before finalizing it. John will keep it on the agenda until it is finalized and Paula will send drafts out as they get completed. Paula went over the list of recipients and will add the Board of Health, as well as the Water District. Mike M. asked if the DEP needs to be alerted for an overflow and Paula replied they have an SSO form that goes to the DEP if there is any overflow of sewage. She added Conservation would need to be advised if wetlands were involved. IMA – John noted that Leominster will be increasing their rates and hook-up charges. They do not have the final numbers but he wanted the public to be aware of the increases. Dave, Mike N., Bill, Heather and Paula will continue to meet with Leominster. Paula sent the Commissioners the red-lined updated IMA from Leominster, which included a summary chart. She also put together a worksheet to look at the impact of what the rate increases from Leominster and Fitchburg will do. She added the Commission will need to start discussing a rate increase. The worksheet will show how different rate increases will affect homeowners and businesses. Paula noted the current Connection Charge of $2,000 will need to increase based on Leominster’s increasing cost. Dave stated they will try to keep the rates under control but there will be an increase. Paula will contact Jake (Leominster) regarding any impacts and increases in debt service due to the flooding. (Dave M. left the meeting.) ARPA Funding – Manhole Repairs – Paula sent out the priority list of manholes they want to work on. John said it appeared the Select Board was allocating money to Sewer. Bill clarified that the money has been allocated for manhole repairs and they will need to put out a contract, which could take a month or 2 to set up. Paula noted the Town Manager emailed a list of allocations and Sewer was given $100K to address manholes. They will need to write up an IFB and she is waiting to find out when the money will be available. Mike M. asked how they will determine which manholes to target. Paula replied they targeted Mass Ave in the ARPA funding and have recently done some repairs to address making the manholes flush with the roadways. Paula and Bill will go through the list to make sure all internal repairs were corrected and she noted Richard’s Way is a priority. All the manholes on Mass Ave were inspected by two of the DPW personnel and they highlighted the critical ones. Everything on the list is an issue and they informed the Select Board that they will address Mass Ave, along with roads directly off of Mass Ave as a first priority. John added that in 2016/17 every manhole in town was investigated by Wright Pierce and they developed a priority list. Some of those manholes have been repaired and Paula sent out a priority list based on that report. Mike N. stated he wished the Select Board had taken the request more seriously and given more money for the repairs. Whatever repairs still need to be done to address I/I will need to come from Sewer funds and will be reflected in the rate increases. Paula added the Commission had requested $300K to bring the pump stations up to snuff. They are working on Capital Planning and will get more information from CTE when they are done with their inspections. She stated there is a lot of work that needs to be done and with rising costs from suppliers, it will be difficult to put money into the system without seriously impacting the rate payers. The Commissioners agreed. (Brett left the meeting.) Town Meeting Articles- Paula reported the 2 articles have been submitted. She added Town Counsel has suggested some possible modifications to the wording of the regulations but that will not be ready for the Special Town Meeting. Business Manager Report – Update on System Maintenance & Upgrades – Alarms/Clogs- Paula reported there were a couple of alarms at Dana Street and she sent out a tracking report for when CTE comes out, along with what they have done. She will send out the reports each meeting so Commissioners know what is happening with the system. Anything highlighted in yellow indicates an alarm. Albe (CTE) and the sub-contractor generator company will be touring the pump stations and looking at all the generators on 9/13. Inventory & Acquisition of Pumps & Rebuild Kits- Paula, Albe and John went to the storage shed and she reported they currently have 3 pumps in storage. They have installed a vacuum pump at Mass 1 and have purchased a spare pump for that location. CTE has also rebuilt the pumps at 6 stations. The cost for the spare pump and the rebuild kits was $10,281.27. Line Jetting- Clean Basins is back up and running. Bill did not have a date yet but Clean Basins will send 2 trucks soon to get it done quickly. Exterior Maintenance- Paula reported they hired Katie Forester to take care of the overgrowth at the stations and she has done a fantastic job. The gates will be operational at Dana Street when she is done. Paula can ===PAGE 3=== send out before and after pictures. Assistant to the Sewer Business Manager Position- Paula noted they received several resumes and have 1 interview set up for 9/14 and she hopes to have a couple more interviews scheduled. PUBLIC COMMENT – none UPCOMING SCHEDULED SEWER COMMISSION ACTIVITIES: September 26, 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation October 10, 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation November 14, 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation November 28, 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation Motion: Mike Mackin Second: Mike Nault To adjourn at 6:56pm. Roll Call Vote: Mike M.-aye, Mike N.-aye and John-aye. Respectfully submitted, Jane L. Ranley Minutes Clerk Handouts: Paula screen-shared: Oil/Water Separator Inspection & Maintenance Log Draft Emergency Response Template ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2023-09-26-agenda-344.txt BOARD : sewer-commission DATE : 2023-09-26 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/sewer-commission/2023-09-26-agenda-344.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09262023-344 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== SEWER COMMISSION AGENDA September 26, 2023 6:00pm Regular Meeting via Remote Participation (Zoom) In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting will be recorded and can be found on the LunenburgAccess YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/LunenburgAccess/videos) within 24 hours of the meeting. This public meeting is being conducted remotely. The following information is also provided for members of the public that would like to participate in the meeting remotely: To Participate Remotely: From a computer, please use this link to join the public meeting webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7927370353 or from a telephone, dial the toll free number (888) 475-4499 and enter Webinar ID: 7927370353. If you have not registered with Zoom you will be asked for your name and an e-mail address. Note: No participant ID is needed, just press # when asked. Telephone users may dial *9 to request to speak after joining the meeting. Computer and app users may use the “raise hand” feature to request to speak. 1. 6:00 PM CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 2. PUBLIC COMMENT 3. ANNOUNCEMENTS 4. APPOINTMENTS a. 6:10 pm Lawrence Lagoy – The Reboot Restaurant – Non-Compliance with Grease Trap Regulations b. 6:30 pm Alan Wernick – Bad Larry’s – Grease Trap Permit Renewal 5. CURRENT BUSINESS a. Minutes of 9/12/23- Review and vote b. Leominster Intermunicipal Agreement Negotiations c. Damages from 9/11/23 Storm - Discussion d. Appointment of Enforcing Agent – Compliance with Payment of Sewer Usage Fees e. Business Manager Report i. Update on System Maintenance & Upgrades 1. New Technician 2. Alarms/Clogs 3. Line Jetting ii. Demand Mailing Update iii. Rating & Classification of Sewer Business Manager Position iv. Assistant to the Sewer Business Manager Position 6. PUBLIC COMMENT 7. UPCOMING SCHEDULED SEWER COMMISSION ACTIVITIES October 10, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting November 14, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting & Special Town Meeting November 18, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting December 12, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2023-09-26-minutes-344.txt BOARD : sewer-commission DATE : 2023-09-26 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/sewer-commission/2023-09-26-minutes-344.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_09262023-344 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Minutes of 9/26/23- Sewer Commission meeting– via Zoom (Video Conference) Attendees: Chair- John Reynolds, Vice-Chair- Brett Ramsden, Clerk- Mike Nault, Member: Mike Mackin, DPW Director- Bill Bernard, Business Manager-Paula Bertram, Minutes Clerk- Jane Ranley Absent: Dave MacDonald John opened the meeting at 6:15pm and did a roll call of attendees. PUBLIC COMMENT & ANNOUNCEMENTS -none APPOINTMENTS- Lawrence Lagoy – The Reboot Restaurant - Paula reported the restaurant opened in December 2022 as LaBalena but is now called The Re Boot. The requirement is to have the interceptor cleaned every 6 months and was due for a cleaning in June, with a report due in 30 days. She has communicated with Mr. Lagoy who reported he has had the interceptor cleaned twice since opening but was unable to obtain the reports from the company. Mr. Lagoy said that he offered to submit the invoices from the pumping company but Paula replied it would not suffice according to the agreement with the town. Mr. Lagoy stated he emailed the forms to the pumping company but they have not sent the completed forms or responded to him. He is asking for help to obtain the reports and noted he used Arrow Septic (contact - John Whittemore). He added that he is looking to use a different company in the future. Paula clarified that the reports show the amount of grease, sludge and FOG in the tank and he is technically non-compliant now. The invoices would show he had it pumped but they do not show the condition of the trap. Paula asked the Commission to decide what to do. Mr. Lagoy noted the trap was last pumped in June and the tank is 4,000 gallons. The invoice shows 4,000 gallons were pumped but no data on the condition. Paula noted 4,000 gallons is a large tank. Mr. Lagoy said the new company he contacted stated they had pumped 3,000 gallons out of it in 2016. Mike Nault suggested getting the invoice to show the pumping and asked to reach out to the company, since they are the ones who are negligent. Mr. Lagoy contacted Wind River Environmental and they will do the next pumping. He added they are aware of the forms needed and Paula said they pump for others in town. The tank is due to be pumped in November/December, but John asked to have it pumped earlier. Mr. Lagoy noted it costs $1,500 to pump, which would be a hardship and asked if he can pump it late October/early November. Brett suggested reaching out to the pumping company for the forms and if they do not get a response, at least make sure it is clean. Mike Mackin suggested letting the process go until the next pump company is able to provide the details. John stated that Mr. Lagoy is not able to get a permit without the forms and the Commission would need to vote to extend the permit. Motion: Mike Mackin Second: Mike Nault To extend the permit, with the stipulation that they expect when the next pumping is done, the Commission will get a full report. Discussion: Paula requested, as a condition, they receive copies of the invoices. Mr. Lagoy stated he will email them to her. Brett also asked to continue to get the information from Arrow Septic and Mr. Lagoy said he will continue to do that. Amendment to the motion: John requested to make it conditional that the permit will be issued once the invoices are received. Mike Mackin accepted the amendment to his motion. Mike Nault seconded the amendment. Roll Call Vote: Mike N.-aye, Mike M.-aye, Brett-aye and John-aye. Alan Wernick – Bad Larry’s – John stated his greatest concern is to protect the system and recently there was an issue with grease in the line, which appears to be coming from Bad Larry’s. Wind River supplied reports on 9/21/23 and Paula did a summary of the reports which was sent to the Commission. Alan said when he took over Bad Larry’s, there was no functioning grease trap and the baffles were removed. The pipe coming from the building had a quarter size hole with the rest of the pipe clogged with grease. He has been working for 7 years to correct the mess he walked into. Being proactive, he has hired a company to clean the grease trap every 3 months. He also has his pipes routered once a year and started a jetting program years ago, which has been getting a huge amount of old grease out of the pipe. John noted Wind River recommended Alan do repairs internally and replace the internal grease trap. Alan said he put in a new grease trap 7 years ago when he took over. John stated there were ===PAGE 2=== discussions in 2015 and the sewer lines were cameraed, showing no evidence of grease in the lines. John read from the 5/16/15 Commission minutes, when Carl Luck was Chair, Dave MacDonald-vice-chair and Mike Nault present. The meeting guests were Alan Wernick and Daisy. John read “Carl Luck opened the meeting at 5:35pm. The issue of whether the owner of 1 Main St. is required at this time to install an external interceptor was discussed. After the discussion, a motion was made by Dave MacDonald, that as a result of videos of the waste pipes at 1 Main St., an interceptor was not required at this time. If at any point in the future it is deemed necessary by the Sewer Commission, to keep the pipes free of obstruction, caused by fats, oils and grease, an interceptor will be required to be installed. It was seconded by Mike Nault and a vote was taken, which was unanimously approved.” John added back then, the reason the interceptor was not required was the lines were clear. After much discussion, the lines were cameraed in May 2015 which showed the lines were clear of grease. The Commission met and decided not to require the interceptor. Alan asked how far up they went and Bill said it looked like they went manhole to manhole. Alan said he was building at that time and had not looked at the grease trap. He had a plumber install a new grease trap. The line comes out of the end of the building, through the parking lot to a retaining wall where there is a cleanout. It then goes 10 feet, takes a sharp 90-degree turn, goes 100 ft. toward the rear parking lot and then takes a turn into a main pipe which goes to the back manhole-not the front manhole. Alan said he is not arguing about the external grease trap – he thinks he has cleaned out the lines in his building and has jetted lines to remove grease from the previous owner. He does not want to be responsible for a blockage from other sources. He added if the Commission wants an external grease trap put in, they need to talk with the landlord. Alan noted the lines from the building to the manhole were not scoped and were blocked with grease. John said he and Bill saw chunks of grease at the last jetting and asked if the grease was getting past his trap. Alan replied it takes several jettings to get it loosened up and clean. He will also get it scoped out. He has told the landlord that the Commission may require an external grease trap. Mike Nault recalled a similar nasty clog when he was on a past Commission. They had looked at an external trap but did not recommend it, after cameraing the lines because they were clean. Alan said if the Commission votes to require an external trap, he will bring the paperwork to the landlord. Brett said he was confused why the property did not need an external trap back then. Mike Nault replied that the recommendation from the DPW at that time was an external trap was not needed. Paula said initially the Commission required the external trap but changed their mind after the cameraing was done. Paula confirmed Bad Larry’s is compliant with paperwork and they are not the property owner. Brett recommended requiring an external trap and reaching out to the property owner. (Brett left meeting.) Alan stated if the Commission requires an interceptor and the landlord won’t do it, they are at an impasse. Paula noted the permit goes to the establishment – not the property owner. Mike M. stated he would approve the permit and hold the property owner responsible. Paula pointed out that clearing this clog was extremely expensive, and they need to make sure it does not happen again. Alan said they can do a more aggressive cleaning and scoop grease weekly into the outside grease pit. Bill stated they are still finding grease in the lines, which points to Bad Larry’s and he recommends going with an external trap. Alan will check if his guys are not disposing of grease properly. Bill noted a company came to jet the lines, 2 weeks ago, and found grease in the line. Alan questioned if homes in the area are dumping grease into the line. Bill said the manhole is 100 feet from Bad Larry’s and grease was found getting into the trunk line. John suggested postponing a decision and talking to the landlord. Paula said his permit was still in place. Alan will contact his landlord and both will attend the October 10th meeting. Mike N. suggested noting in the letter to the landlord the seriousness of the situation and that the Commission wants an external grease trap. Paula will send a draft to Bill and John. CURRENT BUSINESS - Minutes of 9/12/23 Motion: Mike Mackin Second: Mike Nault To accept the minutes of 9/12/23. Roll Call Vote: Mike M.-aye, Mike N.-aye and John-aye. (Bill left the meeting.) Leominster Intermunicipal Agreement Negotiations – nothing new ===PAGE 3=== Damages from 9/11/23 storm- Paula noted there was significant damage to washed out roads and drainage. She also looked at flows and saw a peak between the 11th & 13th. She calculated they incurred about $2K in added costs for the extra flow and Bill has incorporated it in his MEMA request. Appointment of Enforcing Agent – Paula reported they have a high delinquency rate of 21% on the first quarter bills. The demands were sent on 9/19 and some amounts are substantial, with a few owing over a year. Paula, John and Bill spoke to town counsel about options to collect those funds. Under the regulations, they can employ non- criminal disposition, which is a ticketing process and is useful if they need to go to Court. The Commission will need to name someone as the Enforcing Agent to issue those tickets. The Commission does not have a fining option but they need to work on that. John said they need to vote to appoint Bill or Paula. Motion: Mike Mackin Second: Mike Nault To appoint Paula as the enforcing agent. Roll Call Vote: Mike N.-aye, Mike M.-aye and John-aye. Business Manager Report –Update on System Maintenance & Upgrades- New Technician – Paula reported CTE emailed that Robert Lilley will be the new Technician for Lunenburg. She did not receive his resume but received his application which notes he has Waste-Water and Construction Supervisor licenses. Robert came in with Albe to introduce himself. Paula suggested having Robert attend a Commission meeting. John noted Robert can’t work Monday, Wednesday and Fridays, so he assumes someone covers. Paula will also ask Wade (CTE Business Manager) to attend the meeting. Alarms/Clogs – Paula noted there was an issue on Francis St. which was handled by Albe, along with Robert. Line Jetting- Clean Basins did line jetting and will do more later this week. Paula recommended increasing line item for jetting to do at least 3 miles each year. Demand Mailing Update – went out on the 19th. Rating & Classification of Sewer Business Manager Position – Paula stated the Personnel committee is looking at all the positions under the salary plan, which includes the Sewer Business Manager. Bill and Paula have concerns about the rating given to her position as a 10 but it should be a 7, which is a higher level. Paula gave a statement to the Personnel Committee prior to this meeting. She is working with Bill on a modified job description because there are a lot of duties that are not included or defined in the job description. She is much more involved with the technicians and field operations. John said he supports getting the rate changed because there is much more involved. Mike Nault asked if the Commission can do something. Paula suggested the Personnel Committee reach out to the committees for input on the ratings. John will keep it on future agendas. Assistant to the Sewer Business Manager Position- Paula reported the individual that was interested has decided to not go back to work. There is another strong candidate, who has broken her arm, but she is still interested in the position. There has not been a lot of response. Bill and Paula looked at the rating on this position and it was rated a 6. They will still need to work on the rating for this position as well as the Sewer Manager. PUBLIC COMMENT – none UPCOMING SCHEDULED SEWER COMMISSION ACTIVITIES: October 10, 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation November 14, 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation November 28, 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation December 12, 2023 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Remote Participation Motion: Mike Mackin Second: Mike Nault To adjourn at 7:29pm. Roll Call Vote: Mike N.-aye, Mike M.-aye and John-aye. Respectfully submitted, Jane L. Ranley Minutes Clerk Handouts: John read a portion of the minutes from the 5/16/15 meeting. ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2023-10-10-agenda-422.txt BOARD : sewer-commission DATE : 2023-10-10 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/sewer-commission/2023-10-10-agenda-422.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_10102023-422 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== SEWER COMMISSION AGENDA October 10, 2023 6:00pm Regular Meeting via Remote Participation (Zoom) In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting will be recorded and can be found on the LunenburgAccess YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/LunenburgAccess/videos) within 24 hours of the meeting. This public meeting is being conducted remotely. The following information is also provided for members of the public that would like to participate in the meeting remotely: To Participate Remotely: From a computer, please use this link to join the public meeting webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87117681305 or from a telephone, dial the toll free number (888) 475-4499 and enter Webinar ID: 87117681305. If you have not registered with Zoom you will be asked for your name and an e-mail address. Note: No participant ID is needed, just press # when asked. Telephone users may dial *9 to request to speak after joining the meeting. Computer and app users may use the “raise hand” feature to request to speak. 1. 6:00 PM CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 2. PUBLIC COMMENT 3. ANNOUNCEMENTS 4. APPOINTMENTS a. 6:10 pm Dan Proctor – 1325 Mass Avenue – Dog Grooming Business b. 6:30 pm – Greg Roy – Sewer Extension Request – 10 Ramgren Road – Discussion/Vote c. 6:45 pm – Al Wernick & Philip Arcidi – 1 Main Street – Grease Trap 5. CURRENT BUSINESS a. Minutes of 9/26/23- Review and vote b. Leominster Intermunicipal Agreement Negotiations - Discussion c. Business Manager Report i. Update on System Maintenance & Upgrades ii. Permits to Connect Issued iii. Delinquency Rate & Outstanding Accounts iv. Update on Software System Conversion v. Rating & Classification of Sewer Business Manager Position vi. Assistant to the Sewer Business Manager Position 6. PUBLIC COMMENT 7. UPCOMING SCHEDULED SEWER COMMISSION ACTIVITIES November 14, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting & Special Town Meeting November 18, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting December 12, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2023-10-10-minutes-422.txt BOARD : sewer-commission DATE : 2023-10-10 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/sewer-commission/2023-10-10-minutes-422.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_10102023-422 ======================================================================================== ===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. ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2023-11-13-agenda-3519.txt BOARD : sewer-commission DATE : 2023-11-13 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/sewer-commission/2023-11-13-agenda-3519.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11132023-3519 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== SEWER COMMISSION AGENDA November 13, 2023 6:00pm Regular Meeting via Remote Participation (Zoom) In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting will be recorded and can be found on the LunenburgAccess YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/LunenburgAccess/videos) within 24 hours of the meeting. This public meeting is being conducted remotely. The following information is also provided for members of the public that would like to participate in the meeting remotely: To Participate Remotely: From a computer, please use this link to join the public meeting webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87117681305 or from a telephone, dial the toll free number (888) 475-4499 and enter Webinar ID: 87117681305. If you have not registered with Zoom you will be asked for your name and an e-mail address. Note: No participant ID is needed, just press # when asked. Telephone users may dial *9 to request to speak after joining the meeting. Computer and app users may use the “raise hand” feature to request to speak. 1. 6:00 PM CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 2. PUBLIC COMMENT 3. ANNOUNCEMENTS 4. APPOINTMENTS 5. CURRENT BUSINESS a. Q2 FY24 Commitment – Review and Approve b. Grease Trap Issue - Extension Request – 1 Main Street c. Minutes of 10/10/23- Vote to Approve d. Leominster Intermunicipal Agreement Negotiations - Discussion e. Business Manager Report i. Update on System Maintenance & Upgrades ii. Enterprise Fund FY23 Final Report iii. Update on Software System Conversion iv. Sewer Business Manager Proposed Job Description v. Assistant to the Sewer Business Manager Position 6. PUBLIC COMMENT 7. UPCOMING SCHEDULED SEWER COMMISSION ACTIVITIES November 14, 2023 6 pm Special Town Meeting November 21, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting December 12, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2023-11-13-agenda-3521.txt BOARD : sewer-commission DATE : 2023-11-13 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/sewer-commission/2023-11-13-agenda-3521.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11132023-3521 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== SEWER COMMISSION AGENDA REVISED November 13, 2023 6:00pm Regular Meeting via Remote Participation (Zoom) In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting will be recorded and can be found on the LunenburgAccess YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/LunenburgAccess/videos) within 24 hours of the meeting. This public meeting is being conducted remotely. The following information is also provided for members of the public that would like to participate in the meeting remotely: To Participate Remotely: From a computer, please use this link to join the public meeting webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7927370353 or from a telephone, dial the toll free number (888) 475-4499 and enter Webinar ID: 7927370353. If you have not registered with Zoom you will be asked for your name and an e-mail address. Note: No participant ID is needed, just press # when asked. Telephone users may dial *9 to request to speak after joining the meeting. Computer and app users may use the “raise hand” feature to request to speak. 1. 6:00 PM CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 2. PUBLIC COMMENT 3. ANNOUNCEMENTS 4. APPOINTMENTS 5. CURRENT BUSINESS a. Q2 FY24 Commitment – Review and Approve b. Grease Trap Issue - Extension Request – 1 Main Street c. Minutes of 10/10/23- Vote to Approve d. Leominster Intermunicipal Agreement Negotiations - Discussion e. Business Manager Report i. Update on System Maintenance & Upgrades ii. Enterprise Fund FY23 Final Report iii. Update on Software System Conversion iv. Sewer Business Manager Proposed Job Description v. Assistant to the Sewer Business Manager Position 6. PUBLIC COMMENT 7. UPCOMING SCHEDULED SEWER COMMISSION ACTIVITIES November 14, 2023 6 pm Special Town Meeting November 21, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting December 12, 2023 6 pm Regular Meeting