Sewer Commission Meeting
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
8:00 a.m.
Present: Chairman Michael Salerno, Ed Demko (HSC), Andrew Spath (HSC), Kate Lathrop (HSC), Joanne Carpenter (HSC), and Jim Dow (HSC), Tom Morgan (CDM), Hugh Kilmartin (Kents Lane), Dave Christpin (BSC Group)
Meeting was called to order at 8:00 a.m.
General Commission business:
• Vote on Chairman
o Motion by Ed, seconded by Andrew: To elect Michael Salerno as Chairman. Unanimous vote.
o Motion by Michael, seconded by Andrew: to change procedure so that the chairman is elected every year at the first meeting after the election. Unanimous vote.
Proposal for design/bid for Thaxter and Central Street projects:
Michael: town meeting passed both articles for Central and Thaxter St. projects
Hugh Kilmartin has been helpful in making these projects go forward
October 1st is deadline for total project completion including betterment assessment.
• Tom Morgan (CDM):
o Both projects involve short runs
o Field collection of data is necessary and CDM has budgeted for that
o Don’t want to build anything not necessary
o Capable of getting project started today
o Oct. 1st deadline is not an issue
• Hugh Kilmartin:
o Engineering can be done immediately
o How long will engineering take until bid documents are available
• CDM: 2-3 weeks given boring schedule; can have someone out next week to get started
• CDM: Soil boring is taken with split spoon to tell what kind of material
• CDM: Probe is put down until it hits refusal and number of blows to do so
• CDM: Coring done if necessary for ledge
• CDM: One probe on Central and one on Thaxter, more if necessary but person is hired for the day
• Kate:
o Listed items to be sure they are included: ad preparation, central register listing, as-builts of lines, and compliance certification
o CDM: all listed items are included in proposal
• BSC:
o Getting done in 3-4 weeks should be doable
o Did include a day of boring for ledge
o Will look at Board of Health records for septic constructions
o Figuring 2-3 borings using an auger; will also tell where water table is; will also do a split spoon
o Have done this type of work frequently
o Projects done were cited
o Route seems to be established by in-ground utilities present
o Have worked with the town before (fuel depot, Derby St. Shoppes, etc.)
o Dave Crispin will probably be personally involved
o Public bidding is a routine task – do a dozen or more per year
o Know contractors who would like to be involved
o As-builts are included
• Hugh:
o If ledge is present, how do you deal with it?
o Architect suggested unit priced bids for ledge removal
• BSC & CDM, both responded that unit price is the way to do it
• CDM would bundle projects but track them separately
• Kate: Would contractors be working on projects simultaneously?
o Can be done separately or together if two crews are being used
• Hugh: work must be completed by Sept 1 so that all paper work is done by October 1
• Michael: wants to be sure this is a design/bid operation
• BSC: streets will need to be closed
• CDM: will work with police dept to create traffic plan
• Hugh: is completion date included? CDM: yes
• Bidders were asked to leave temporarily
• Kate:
o Received an e-mail from Dan Coughlin; gave them late notice to attend meeting; not able to attend meeting but would love to meet with the board
o Much material to consider if other bidders are included
o Does board want to postpone decision to end of week?
o General discussion of bidders:
• Michael: scope of services are hard to compare
• Numbers are close at end
• Large amount of material hard to digest in limited time
• Hugh Kilmartin went through each proposal and did a break-down
o Another meeting could be held on Thursday or Friday
o Andrew: ledge was found in Baker Hill project
o Jim: this will be a gravity system.
o Discussion and decision made to review material and meet again on Thursday at 8:30 a.m.
o Companies with bids at high end were not called to come to meeting Bidders were asked to come back in
• Discussion of fill needed
• Michael: decision made to review material and meet again on Thursday to vote
• Andrew:
o What will constitute an overage?
CDM: If you want someone out there 100% of time (not likely)
BSC: More inspections than included or if Conservation gets involved
CDM: We can go to Conservation to see if there are issues. No extra charge. CDM will not mark up subs.
Andrew: One day of borings? Yes,
Ed: Penalty clause? CDM: Yes, but there must be a reward clause included. If you call it a penalty, you must give an equal reward. You can say it has to be done by a certain time or expect liquidated damages, different than a penalty
CDM: can stipulate which project to do first
Michael: estimate of contractor bids? None available today. Can estimate be given on Thursday?
CDM: have to be careful about using experienced contractors
Michael: fortunate getting good bid at Mill St. with experienced contractor
Michael: please be in touch with Kate if you have more information
CDM: doing 20 of these projects or more per week
Discussion about Wastewater Management Study:
• CDM wants to get Board and Study Committee together to prioritize recommendations, to determine order of projects
• Only last chapter needs to be done
• Needs analysis is very close to other ranking issues
• Michael: challenging project that started with John Brandt; effort is needed to keep it a wastewater management study; push going on in town and with CDM to make it a watershed issue but it was not intended that way
• Michael: need date for meeting to discuss with Wastewater Committee, should be a night meeting
• CDM: several meetings will be held before done
• Michael: can we get information for Andrew to review; yes, e-mail info to Andrew
o CDM: can e-mail chapters and send maps and fold-outs
• CDM: want to give biggest help to those with failing septic systems; need to be aware of those who do not want sewer
• CDM: Kingston has best betterment arrangement: based on Title V analysis, based on home or restaurant assessment (flow basis), Attleboro not a good model nor is a model based on frontage
• Michael: Need to go to town meeting to get approval to implement Wastewater Management proposals
• CDM: Will have to go through a hearing process after study proposals are determined
• Michael: want to get Thaxter/Central projects done this summer before other projects are considered
• CDM: Does Hingham want to be on SRF (State Revolving Fund) list?; those are towns being considered now for stimulus money
o No charge by CDM for doing report for going on SRF list
o Must be on list to be considered for water and wastewater stimulus money
o Can back out of list at any time
• Kate: Is being on the SRF list the only way to get stimulus funds? CDM: Yes, at this time for water and wastewater
• CDM: need to determine priority of phases, but don’t have to do all phases
• Michael: End of East St. (Foundry Pond) and top of Central seem to be high on project priority list
• Kate: Isn’t upper Central out of District?
• CDM: Yes, would have to deal with that with MWRA and pay additional fees to MWRA
• Michael: Hingham is in process of trying to purchase back the water company
• CDM: Involved in repurchase of water company, doing study
• Michael: Consideration of putting water with the light company
Michael: Can we turn I & I/Connection Account into enterprise fund?
Michael: HSC doesn’t presently get use of interest on money
CDM: need dedicated account, can accrue for future expenses, will give Michael Joe Ridges card for Michael to contact
Michael: would it take legislative approval to turn it into an enterprise fund?
Kate: would it mean making the whole department an enterprise fund?
Michael: problems with that
CDM: can’t make just one account an enterprise fund
Discussion regarding getting on State Revolving Fund list:
Public health warnings, and other items are considered in determining points for awarding funds – get as many points as you can; CDM will help getting points
Amounts are submitted in August; CDM knows unofficially in November; draft list is out in Dec., final list announced in January – must have all money in place for entire project by June 30, 2010
Get warrant article done; withdraw if necessary
Have until June 30th to decide if you want to do work
State funds provide funds for paying bills with two week turn-around on submission of bills
Might want to short-term borrow until project is done
Mass Trust will go out and bundle to create bonds
Most you will pay is 2 percent
Nitrogen and phosphorous projects have zero percent interest
Never more than 2 percent interest
Kate: Is that the Mass Water Pollution Abatement Trust? CDM: yes
CDM: Can assess betterments (gave examples)
Determine betterment policy before beginning (suggested looking at Kingston policy, CDM will provide)
Can specify what unit you are using when doing a unit-measurement betterment
Discussion regarding rates:
Hull rate went up significantly
Michael and Kate presently working on rates for next bill
Will probably create one rate this year instead of two
Michael: Do we want to include a percentage incentive for paying early; basing rate on discounted rate; late payers provide revenue over budgeted amount?
Kate: makes sense to do it in fall, the beginning of a fiscal period
Kate will talk with Light Plant
Michael and Kate will work on this
Minutes from last meeting:
Kate: noted several minor changes to minutes and also that the total cost of the shorter project is $150,000, not the cost per resident as indicated in the original minutes.
Michael motion to approve minutes as corrected; seconded by Andrew. Unanimous vote.
Motion to adjourn: made by Michael; seconded by Ed; unanimous vote.
Meeting adjourned at 9:10 a.m
Minutes prepared by Joanne C. Carpenter
This summary does not include every item discussed by the Board, nor the full extent of the discussions. The full meeting is available on tope in the Commission Office.