Board of Selectmen, October 6, 2014
HOLDEN BOARD OF SELECTMEN
MEETING MINUTES
OCTOBER 6, 2014
6:30PM Memorial Hall
Present: Chairman Anthony Renzoni, Robert Lavigne, Mark Ferguson (6:33PM), Jeremy Kurtz, Kenneth O’Brien (6:37PM)
Others Present: Jacquelyn Kelly, Town Manager
Peter Lukes, Assistant Town Manager (7:11PM)
Stephen Madaus, Town Counsel (6:37PM)
Elizabeth Fotos, Recording Secretary
Chairman Renzoni opened the meeting at 6:30PM. The Board stood to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
- Appointments and Permits
Motion by Sel. Lavigne seconded by Sel. Kurtz it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE A COMMON VICTUALER LICENSE FOR ALICIA MERRITT ON BEHALF OF SWEETS & JAVA AT 1207 MAIN STREET FOR THE HOURS OF MONDAY, 6AM TO 5PM, TUESDAY 6AM TO 6PM, WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY FROM 6AM TO 7PM, FRIDAY 6AM TO 8PM, SATURDAY 8AM TO 8PM AND SUNDAY 8AM TO 4PM. (3-0-2)
Motion by Sel. Lavigne, seconded by Sel. Kurtz, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE A COMMON VICTUALER LICENSE FOR ALICIA MERRITT ON BEHALF OF SWEETS & JAVA AT 64 BOYDEN ROAD FOR MONDAY THRU FRIDAY 7AM-11AM FOR A CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP. (3-0-2)
Sel. Ferguson entered the meeting at 6:33PM
Motion by Sel. Lavigne seconded by Sel. Kurtz, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE A PARADE PERMIT FOR CHRISTINA SODERMAN ON BEHALF OF DAVIS HILL PTA FOR A ROAD RACE STARTING AND ENDING AT DAVIS HILL SCHOOL ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19 FROM 11AM TO 2PM. (4-0-1)
Motion by Sel. Lavigne seconded by Sel. Kurtz , it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE A PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENT LICENSE FOR HEATHER BOVAT ON BEHALF OF MAYO SCHOOL PTA ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25TH FROM 9:30AM TO 3:30PM. (4-0-1)
Motion by Sel. Lavigne, seconded by Sel. Kurtz , it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE A COMMON VICTUALER LICENSE FOR HEATHER BOVAT ON BEHALF OF MAYO SCHOOL PTA FOR A BAKE SALE ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25TH FROM 9:30AM TO 3:30PM. (4-0-1)
- Signing of November 4, 2014 State Election Warrant
Ms. Kelly provided the Board with a copy of the State Election Warrant. She stated that the polls opened at 7AM and were open until 8PM. She stated that the Selectmen were required to sign the warrant and that it would be posted.
Chairman Renzoni asked if there was a need to vote and Ms. Kelly responded that the Board’s signatures were enough.
Sel. Lavigne asked if there was a place on the new website where you could type your address and see your voting location.
Ms. Kelly replied she did not know but would look into it.
- Re-Appoint Town Manager and Ratify Town Manager’s Contract
Chairman Renzoni stated that the Board would table this item. He stated that there was not a need for executive session tonight either.
- Purple Heart Community Proclamation
Chairman Renzoni told the Board that the VA Committee had met with the Purple Heart Community Proclamation at their last meeting (Thursday, October 2, 2014).
Sel. O’Brien entered the meeting at 6:37PM.
Mr. Madaus entered the meeting at 6:37PM.
Chairman Renzoni told the Board that the Purple Hearts Community Proclamation was on a national drive to identify as many towns as possible as Purple Heart Communities. He stated that it does not cost anything and that is our town standing behind and supporting our veterans.
Chairman Renzoni shared his notes from the VA Committee meeting and told the Board that receiving this designation was very ceremonial and was to show our support of the Veterans. He stated that the VA Committee recommended adopting this designation.
Sel. Ferguson stated that he supported this but he didn’t understand the need to do this. He stated that as a community of course we supported our veterans. He stated the only reason to not move forward would be because perhaps these efforts could be used in a different capacity to help a veteran.
Motion by Sel. Lavigne, seconded by Sel. O’Brien, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO PROCLAIM THE TOWN OF HOLDEN AS A PURPLE HEART COMMUNITY.
- Set and Vote Halloween Hours (5-8PM, October 31, 2014)
Motion by Sel. Lavigne, seconded by Sel. Kurtz, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE THE TRICK OR TREATING HOURS FROM 5PM-8PM ON OCTOBER 31, 2014.
Sel. Ferguson asked if there was any alternative date that could be set in case of bad weather.
Chairman Renzoni asked Ms. Kelly to speak to the Chief of Police about any possible alternative.
- Town Manager Miscellaneous
- Voter Registration: The last day to register to vote for the State Election on November 4th is Wednesday, October 15, 2014. On that date, the Town Clerk’s Office will remain open until 8:00PM. New residents may register to vote by mail. Forms are available at the Post Offices, the Gale Free Library and the Town Clerk’s Office. New voters can also call the Town Clerk’s Office and request that a form be mailed out (508-210-5530).
- Fall Composting and Brush Chipping: The DPW will be providing composting and brush chipping on the following Saturdays this fall: October 25, November 8, November 15, November 22, and December 6. Leaves and grass will be accepted at the former landfill on River Street. Brush chipping will be done at the Adams Road Garage due to the Asian Longhorn Beetle infestation. Hours of operation are from 8:00AM to 2:30PM weather permitting.
- Holden EMS Grant: According to Chief Jack Chandler, Holden Emergency Management has been awarded a grant for Emergency Preparedness in the amount of $8,435. The grant funds will be used to purchase a portable AM radio notification system for emergency situations. During an emergency, the Department will be able to record information messages or alerts and play them repeatedly over AM 1670. The system will be housed in the fire Department Annex and will be operation by the CERT Team.
- Clean Energy Project Grant: The Town of Holden, Water-Sewer Division has been awarded grant funding of $9,000 from the MA Department of Energy Resources. The grant will be used to fund lighting upgrades (to more energy efficient lighting) at pump stations and water facilities, and to install variable frequency drives on pumps at the Town’s source wells. The existing pumps are operated on an ‘on/off’ basis; either they are off, or operating at full throttle. When the pumps are turned on they consume a great amount of energy. However, the variable frequency drives (VFD) will allow the pumps to be operated at various speeds, allow gradual ramping up of pumps as necessary, and will thus save energy. The pumps are operated via our SCADA system.
- CDC Water Fluoridation Quality Award: The CDC has awarded the Holden Water Division a certification for its consistent and professional adjustment of the water fluoride content to the optimum level. This is entirely attributable to the continued efforts of our water operations. The award is recognition of their attention to detail, expert knowledge of the operations of our water system and pride in their work. Congratulations to the Division.
- Selectmen Subcommittees
Sel. O’Brien: Provided the Board with an overview of the recent OPEB meeting. He told the Board that a plan was developed that used a certain dollar amount contribution mostly from free cash, (but possible from a different funding stream if free cash was not available) in order to fund OPEB. There was discussion about transferring bulk funds into the OPEB accounts in order to earn interest, however Ms. Kelly and Ms. Sharon Lowder, CMMC, CMMT were going to meet with a professional to ensure that the Town’s bond rating would not be negatively impacted if there was movement of funds. Sel. O’Brien reminded the Board that he had sent out the policy/ proposal and encouraged them to read it.
Municipal Electric Power Advisory Board has not yet met.
Chairman Renzoni: The Veterans Advisory Committee met and discussed the Purple Heart Community. They will meet again around Veterans Day and there will be some activities scheduled.
AD Com: Wanted to see $50,000 applied to available land if it is in the budget. Chairman Renzoni passed this information along to Ms. Kelly.
Sel. O’Brien stated that he thinks it is a good idea to apply those funds for open space. He stated he thinks it is important to preserve the land and protect the wildlife habitats in certain open spaces.
Sel. Kurtz: EDC has not met. The next meeting is scheduled for October 13, 2014.
Memorial Day Committee has not yet met.
Sel. Lavigne: Winter Festival has been meeting and planning. It is scheduled for the first Saturday in December beginning at 12:00PM. Sel. Lavigne stated that this committee was expanding and if there was any interest in donations or sponsoring the event, information could be found on the website. He thanked Mr. Lukes and the department heads for their assistance.
- Citizens’ Address
Joe Sullivan, 53 Blossom Square addressed the Board regarding some of the challenges the Selectmen faced with regards to Unaccounted for Water. Mr. Sullivan indicated that he was both a former selectmen and a former water sewer commissioner (1997-2009) and that he wanted to come before the Board to give some perspective on the current issues the Board discussed. He stated that the UAW issue was not a problem that was unique to Holden. He provided a research study that was conducted by the EPA that spoke to aging water infrastructure. He stated that the study indicated that in order to replace and expand these structures it would cost upwards of 1 trillion dollars nationwide. Mr. Sullivan also stated that while he was serving as a Selectman, the Board at the time decided that it was better to not raise the rates and that is why this Board (present day) is facing many of these issues. Mr. Sullivan encouraged the Board to continue to have these difficult discussions but to realize that these problems were not ones that they created but rather that they inherited. He urged the Board to find a way to work together and address the problem collectively. Mr. Sullivan finished by stating that the best thing the Selectmen did was to extend Ms. Kelly’s contract. He praised Ms. Kelly and her staff and again encouraged everyone to work together to find the solution.
Chairman Renzoni closed Citizens’ Address.
- Selectmen Minutes
Motion by Sel. O’Brien, seconded by Sel. Kurtz, it was VOTED TO APPROVE THE SEPTEMBER 15, 2014 MEETING MINUTES BY A VOTE OF 3-1. (O’Brien: yes; Kurtz: yes; Renzoni: yes; Ferguson: no; Lavigne: not present).
- DCR Maintenance of Holden’s Waterways
Sel. Ferguson spoke about the waterways in Town. He stated that in a continued effort to make Holden a better place to live he wanted to discuss some of the standing waterways that have been neglected;
Dawson Pond, Chaffins Pond, Unionville Pond, Parker’s Pond, Eagle Lake, etc. Sel. Ferguson stated that every year they become infested with weeds and become an uncared for space.
Mr. Lukes entered the meeting at 7:11PM.
Sel. Ferguson asked the Board to take a position or to have a discussion with DCR regarding maintaining these waterways and getting utrification underway.
Sel. Lavigne stated that prior Boards had addressed this with DCR unsuccessfully but that he would support working with DCR to improve these waterways and possibly have an additional recreational space in town.
Chairman Renzoni asked Ms. Kelly to inquire about some of these spaces to see what could be accomplished.
Sel. Lavigne suggested tabling the conversation until Ms. Kelly could speak with DCR.
Sel. O’Brien stated that one of the major problems with Eagle Lake was the Canadian Geese. He stated that the first thing that would need to be addressed would be the geese and the issues that they brought with them.
- Follow up on Citizens’ Address
Sel. Lavigne stated that he had asked Mr. Sullivan for the link from the report he was reading from and that he would forward it to the Board when he had it.
Sel. Ferguson stated that he appreciated the report but that he did not want to tie Holden’s issues with others. He also stated that he did not want to blame the rate payer as they have been paying a surcharge.
Sel. Lavigne stated that he did not believe Mr. Sullivan blamed the rate payers.
Chairman Renzoni took a recess at 7:17PM in order to allow Mr. John Woodsmall, DPW Director to set up his presentation.
Chairman Renzoni called the meeting back to order at 7:20PM.
- Briefing on Plan to Address Unaccounted for Water
John Woodsmall, DPW Director (Document Enclosed)
Chairman Renzoni gave Mr. Woodsmall the floor for his presentation. Mr. Woodsmall reviewed what UAW is, current and historical UAW related figures, and status reports of UAW reduction efforts. After his presentation, Mr. Woodsmall reviewed questions from the Board that had previously been submitted to him.
After Mr. Woodsmall concluded his presentation Chairman Renzoni took a brief recess (8:30PM)
Chairman Renzoni called the meeting back to order at 8:36PM
Chairman Renzoni thanked Mr. Woodsmall and opened the floor up for questions from the Board.
Sel. O’Brien thanked the Director for his presentation. He asked for more transparency regarding the information and reporting. He asked if instead of receiving reports on a quarterly basis if the Board could be updated on a monthly basis. Sel. O’Brien also asked for copies of system wide leak detection reports, and ASR reports. He stated that he felt with that type of transparency, confidence in the department would grow.
Sel. O’Brien also asked about a color coded system that was previously implemented in order to help detect different pressures on the hydrants. He asked if this was still in place.
Ms. Kelly told the Board that she did in fact receive reports monthly from the DPW. She stated that she forwarded the information along to the Selectmen quarterly in order to give them some context while reviewing numbers, but could send them monthly if it was the pleasure of the Board.
Chairman Renzoni stated that the questions being asked should be follow up to the questions and content that Mr. Woodsmall had presented and not all water/sewer questions.
Mr. Woodsmall did state that they hydrants were still color coded and understandable to the people who were reviewing this information.
Sel. O’Brien asked if the DPW was concerned about losing water between individual curb stop to the houses or commercial land.
Mr. Woodsmall responded that the leaks on the customer side were very troublesome and that approximately 40%-50% of the leaks are on the customer side. Mr. Woodsmall explained that the material used (metal vs. plastic) also made it difficult to hear leaks and contributed to the issue.
Sel. O’Brien stated that he felt there was a lot of work to be done regarding the policy regarding the large meters. He stated that based on the information Mr. Woodsmall supplied, it seemed that a number of the large meters would have to actually be turned off in order to service. He felt as though it was important to be judicious when looking at businesses as they would experience the cost of the water issue in addition to the cost of closing the business in order for the town to work.
Ms. Kelly added that this would not only apply to businesses but schools and our Town offices as well.
Sel. O’Brien asked as a policy going forward, if there is work being done or new infrastructure, is it a requirement to have an updated service line (bypass plumbing).
Mr. Woodsmall replied we did not. He stated that a cost would need to be incurred by the property owners and while it would be helpful to mandate it, a cost benefit analysis would need to be done before any policy changes were made.
Sel. O’Brien asked if all large meter were calibrated or just the newer ones that had the bypass plumbing.
Mr. Woodsmall replied that the DPW began with schools in order to take advantage of the summer. At the schools they ran into a variety of issues, one meter was not working, there was a bypass issue etc. He said that the Town has between 45-50 large meters and it he does not know how many have the bypass system in place. At this point they are trying to decide the best way to move forward with this testing; incur the cost of nighttime or weekend testing, force customers to turn off water, etc.
Sel. Ferguson stated that he does not believe these issues are unique to Holden and that all the other 290 communities face the same issues as us but are doing it better.
Ms. Kelly left the meeting at 8:53PM.
Sel. Ferguson stated that he was encouraged with the information and that the town was taking this matter seriously; however we are not at the state mandated level of 10% we are at 25%. (Average is 14%). Sel. Ferguson stated that it was good to hear that the town was going to test hydrants for leaks and that the town was going to test source meters and water meters, however these are all items the Town had previously indicated they were going to do. He stated he was disappointed that the town had yet to conduct an audit of the billing system. He is hopeful that these measures will result in a decrease of surcharges.
Chairman Renzoni asked Sel. Ferguson if he had a question.
Sel. Ferguson replied that it was for the rate payer. Sel. Ferguson stated that if he was not given the opportunity to speak he will speak at the podium at the next meeting.
Chairman Renzoni stated that the fee being discussed was a fixed fee not a surcharge.
Chairman Renzoni reminded everyone that the Board of Selectmen takes this issue seriously, and that the Town’s professionals all take this matter seriously as well. He (Chairman Renzoni) told Sel. Ferguson that this was his opportunity to ask questions not grand stand.
Sel. Ferguson stated that he objected.
Chairman Renzoni asked if Sel. Ferguson had any questions for the record.
Sel. Ferguson told Chairman Renzoni to have the police follow him home. He said he was being interrupted and swept under the rug because he had a different opinion regarding the Unaccounted for Water.
Chairman Renzoni asked if there were any other questions.
Sel. Lavigne asked when the new information would be available to address the large meter issues.
Ms. Kelly replied hopefully this fall (November), however it may or may not address large meter issues depending on what the Town runs into. She stated that it is going to be a costly endeavor to replace these meters both for schools and private citizens and they wanted to be sensitive to that. Ms. Kelly also stated that we want to address matters on a situational basis and make sure it is clear whose responsibility it is to bear the cost.
Mr. Woodsmall replied that it will involve a whole facet of water sewer regulations.
Ms. Kelly stated that this is something that should have been addressed a number of years ago and that it is important to do it consistently and then present a packet of changes.
Sel. Lavigne asked if there was currently litigation to mandate who had to pay the cost of replacement.
Mr. Woodsmall stated that when a leak is detected they will give the owner a two week period to fix it. He wanted to ensure that once notified if you do not address the leak, after a certain time the DPW will shut off your water.
Sel. Lavigne stated that yes it is important to have the 10% UAW, but that as a Board it needed to be decided what was going to be charged to the owners. He stated if people are struggling financially how much was the Board requiring them to pay.
Sel. O’Brien stated that if there was a source of leaking, consideration should be taken when undertaking these capital improvements.
Ms. Kelly stated that what Sel. O’Brien was discussing sounded like a betterment process. She stated betterment was used for sewers but not for water installation.
Mr. Woodsmall stated that it could be done with betterment funds, however the last piece of land was often a costly one especially on existing property where things like decks, landscaping, driveways etc. came into play. It would be a very costly endeavor and the town would need to consider cost.
Chairman Renzoni stated that later in the year, as a Board they would like to see a cost/ benefit analysis of this.
Sel. Lavigne asked about the DEP requirement of 10% and what happened if we do not get to that threshold.
Mr. Woodsmall replied that the compliance plan requirement was the only thing in place from the DEP. He further stated that the DEP had awarded the Town a grant and that he (Mr. Woodsmall) feels as though that speaks to the fact that they don’t believe we are ignoring the issue. He stated that if they felt as though the Town was not taking it seriously, they could issue a fine.
Sel. Lavigne replied that he does not feel Mr. Woodsmall is ignoring the issues. He feels as though it is being addressed and worked on. He stated he would like a cost/ benefit analysis too because he ultimately wanted to see what we were willing to spend in order to accomplish the 10% number. Sel. Lavigne stated he thinks the town has made progress with the 12 point plan but that he did think it was important to analyze the numbers.
Ms. Kelly agreed with Sel. Lavigne. She stated that at some point it was important to measure how much the Town wanted to spend to fund these programs. She said that the meter replacement program alone would cost a million town-wide.
Sel. Lavigne and Mr. Woodsmall both thought the cost of the meter replacement program would be between 2-3 Million.
Chairman Renzoni stated that the DPW should focus on the UAW number and also work on a cost / benefit analysis. He wanted to measure the efficiency of the system.
Sel. Lavigne stated that he wanted to keep the rate payer in mind.
Sel. O’Brien asked if there was currently money in the budget to move forward with hydrant replacement.
Ms. Kelly stated that there was an increase to the line item for hydrants because according to Mr. Woodsmall’s recommendation they should be replaced.
Sel. O’Brien asked if there was any flexibility if there were more hydrants to replace than the Town had originally allocated funds for.
Mr. Woodsmall replied that there was some flexibility.
Sel. Lavigne asked if there was a maintenance plan for the hydrants or if there was a policy change needed for it.
Mr. Woodsmall replied that it was more of an interim policy than a rule or regulation. There would not be a specific policy for everything that DEP did, but rather strong Standard Operating Procedures to guide the team.
Sel. O’Brien asked if the Town did pressure testing of the piping after it has been installed.
Mr. Woodsmall stated that testing is done and that as general practice, you put water main in, chlorinate it, test the pressure and then put services in.
Sel. Ferguson stated that he was going to rebut information from the podium as he refused to be interrupted again.
Ms. Kelly thanked Mr. Woodsmall for this time and information.
Sel. Ferguson left the meeting at 9:21PM.
Ms. Kelly stated that she had full confidence in Mr. Woodsmall and his expertise. She stated that he had spent a lot of time on this matter and that she is confident in the information he presented. She also publically thanked Mr. Woodsmall for his work on the sewer transport rate lawsuit.
Chairman Renzoni replied that he doesn’t believe that there is any resistance from the Selectmen that were currently at the table. He stated that it was a serious issue and that he (Chairman Renzoni) wanted to maintain or increase support as needed.
Sel. Lavigne stated that while it was an issue that they (the Board of Selectmen) inherited, it was also an issue that Mr. Woodsmall and the DPW inherited and he thanked Mr. Woodsmall for his professionalism.
Sel. O’Brien thanked Mr. Woodsmall for his professionalism and for his systematic approach to the issue. He also thanked him for the reports he provided and acknowledged that UAW was only one of the many things Mr. Woodsmall was responsible for.
- Selectmen Two-Minute Speeches
Sel. Lavigne thanked the Chief of the Fire Department open house for a fantastic day.
Sel. Lavigne congratulated Mr. Clayton Johanson and Mr. Ben Rizk for their Eagle Scout Projects.
Chairman Renzoni asked if the Board could have the Eagle Scouts in.
Sel. Kurtz, Sel. O’Brien, and Chairman Renzoni passed on their two minutes.
Ms. Kelly reminded the Board that at the next meeting (October 20, 2014) that legislative delegation will be present.
Sel. Lavigne asked about a task force being formed.
Chairman Renzoni passed on the Executive Session.
Motion by Sel. O’Brien, seconded by Sel. Lavigne, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO ADJOURN THE OCTOBER 6, 2014 BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING AT 9:27PM BY A VOTE OF 4-0 (Lavigne: yes; Kurtz: yes; Renzoni: yes; O’Brien: yes; Ferguson: not present).
APPROVED: ___November 3, 2014____________________
HOLDEN BOARD OF SELECTMEN
OCTOBER 6, 2014
BRIEFING ON PLAN TO ADDRESS UNACCOUNTED FOR WATER
JOHN WOODSMALL, DPW DIRECTOR
John Woodsmall, the DPW Director presented to the Board of Selectmen a briefing on Unaccounted for Water (UAW).
What is UAW?
- Per DEP, it is the difference between water produced, water metered, and known municipal uses
- It is not simply leaks
- Slow meters, unreported water use, unknown leaks, etc.
- DEP standard is 10% of water produced
- Used in conjunction with residential per capita per day water usage as a measure of water conservation efforts
- Reduced UAW does not automatically mean less water is pumped or costs go down
- Production numbers may go down, or consumption numbers may go up, or any combination of such
- Dealing with a dynamic system constantly in use
- Just one measure of system’s operations
Historical and Current UAW Figures
- 2009-2013 Statewide Average UAW ~14%
- 2009-2013 Holden Average UAW ~19%
- 2013 Statewide Average UAW ~14%
- 2013 Holden UAW ~25%
Status Report of UAW Reduction Measures
ANNUAL FLUSHING PROGRAM
- Important for water Quality
- Requires operations of many valves and hydrants
- Helps determine areas of needed maintenance; identify faulty hydrants
- Performed each year since 2012
- Included town wide and flushing of targeted areas
- As discussed later, hydrants are checked by W&S Division following operations
- Flushing will continue as a regular operation
LEAK DETECTION
- DEP recommends system wide leak detection once every two years
- W&S Division Performs system wide annually
- Performed in conjunction with sectional flow monitoring program
- Part of $40,000 grant from DEP
- W&S Division now performing hydrant listening every 5-6 weeks
- Using own equipment and own personnel
Performed on 22 separate days from June to September
No hydrants leaks after flushing in August
5 hydrants leaks after milling operations
- Fall 2013
26 Leaks, 22 of which are hydrants
- Spring/ Summer 2014
Targeted as part of SWMI grant
4 leaks found, all hydrants
- Continued targeted efforts in Jefferson as follow up to the SWMI grant work
PERFORM AN ANNUAL WATER AUDIT
- Performed as part of Annual Statistical Report (ASR)
- Measures difference in water produced, water consumed, and non-metered water uses
- Remaining volume in Unaccounted for Water
- DEP does not actually allow for all known water uses to be accounted for
CALIBRATE SOURCE WATER METERS
- All meters at Well & Interconnections should be tested & calibrated annually
- Annual testing & calibration performed in January 2014
- Additional round performed in June, 2014 as part of SWMI Grant Award
- Meters tested & calibrated at same time, with two different contractors
LARGE METER CALIBRATION
- Large customer meters should be tested & calibrated on regular basis
- 1st round of testing done this summer at public schools
- W&S Rules & Regulations not sufficiently clear or strong to adequately support this program
Meters need by-pass piping to avoid shutdowns during testing
Customers are responsible for repair/replacement
- W&S Rules & Regulations need to be updated
- By-pass piping should be installed, or customers will be out of water during testing
- Repairs or replacement borne by customers
Additional piping, repairs, and/or replacements can be expensive, but;
In general, small, residential rate payers should not subsidize large municipal/commercial/industrial customer meters
- New Rules & Regulations to be presented this fall for the Board of Selectmen
- Once approved, large meter testing program to move forward
HYDRANT REPLACEMENTS
- Over 1,000 hydrants in water system
- Exposed to elements and different operating extremes
- Nee to be regularly repaired and replaced
- Average material cost of a new hydrant $1,500
- Budget for repair/replacement historically underfunded
- Spending greatly increased starting 2011
- Continue with adequate funding so that hydrants are repaired & replaced
- Important for fire protection, and water management
CHECK HYDRANTS AFTER USE
- Hydrants prone to leaking after use
- Other town departments & DPW division inform W&S when a hydrant is used
- Log kept of all known hydrant uses
- W&S Division uses equipment to check hydrants on regular basis
- As noted above, road milling occurred week of August 18
August-22 W&S found 5 Hydrants leaking
- Also during August, Flushing in Chaffins performed
No leaking hydrants found after flushing
- Follow up on Hydrants used will continue
ACCOUNT FOR NON-METERED USE OF WATER
- Variety of uses for water taken from hydrants
Fire Department Operations
Street Sweeping Operations
Paving Operations
- All hydrants use reported to W&S Division
Date, reason, & approximate volume
- Volumes then used in water audit calculations
SAMPLE AUDIT OF WATER CUSTOMER BILLING DATABASE
- Not conducted as of yet
- High level of confidence in system due to meter replacement program- 2003
- Will require outside consultant to perform
- Will evaluate use of this step, depending upon results of UAW reduction efforts
WATER MAIN REPLACEMENT
- Two separate contracts about to start
SRF Funding of $536,000; Boyden, Chaffins, Kenwood, Winthrop, Maple, Philips
Town Funding of $627,000; Shrewsbury St-Mount View Dr. to Arizona Ave.
- Annual Projects Planned
-$1.6M, $850K, & $650K for FY 16, 17, 18
- Small, in house projects as well
Chapel St. Main Replacement
Mark Bradford Dr. Service replacement
AWWA WATER AUDIT TOOL
- Software provided to perform water audits
- Different methodology than DEP’s
- Allow for Accounting of all uses
- DEP’s method focuses on water conservation
- Have to continue DEP’s method, but allows for double-check
COMPREHENSIVE METER REPLACEMENT PROGRAM
- All customer meters generally less than 12 years old
- Large cost involved with such a program
- Should begin planning for a replacement program in next 5 years
- All other avenues should be exhausted first
***As presented in slide format on October 6, 2014 at the Holden Board of Selectmen Meeting
by DPW Director John Woodsmall