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Sewer Commission 07/10/2025
(Episode Description is AI generated and may be errors in accuracy)
Behind the mundane procedures of a local board meeting lies the fascinating machinery that keeps our community functioning. For most residents, sewers, pumps, and generators remain invisible until something goes wrong—but this meeting offers a rare glimpse into the constant maintenance and planning required to keep everything flowing smoothly.
The July Civil Commissioners meeting reveals both triumphs and challenges in municipal infrastructure management. From the flawless performance of newly installed generators during recent storms to the careful inspection of sewer lines for an incoming Popeye's Restaurant, the department staff continuously addresses problems most citizens never know existed. The commissioners discuss the complex choreography required to maintain operations during upgrades, like the delicate task of switching pump controls while keeping systems running.
Financial stewardship remains central to the board's work. A new utility body truck comes in significantly under budget at $87,534, saving taxpayers thousands. More impressively, the department secured $254,510 in Bristol County APA funds for critical pump replacements at Route 44, while identifying $275,382 in unused project funds to return to town coffers. These victories occur against a backdrop of pending retirements, delayed construction timelines, and an upcoming special town meeting to address school budget needs.
Want to understand how your tax dollars maintain the systems you rely on daily? Watch this meeting for a masterclass in municipal management and join us at the upcoming special town meeting in August where critical funding decisions will be made. Your community needs your voice!
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Good evening. I'd like to call a meeting to order for the monthly meeting of the Board of Civil Commissioners at 6 pm on the 10th of July, as usual. First item is the approval of the minutes of our last meeting. Have any of you, either of you gentlemen, read and had find any comments? That looks good to me.
Speaker 2:I have read. It looked great to me as well. Is that the form of a motion? Yeah, so moved.
Speaker 1:Moved by. You make the motion. I did actually. He seconded it, I seconded it Moved by. Kelleher and seconded by Mr Bickle. Any further questions or comments there being none, all those in favor, Aye Aye, and vote is 3-0. Correspondence None Superintendents report. Will this be as quick as correspondence?
Speaker 2:This is going to be as quick as corresponded, to be very quick uh.
Speaker 2:Superintendent's report for july 10th 2025. Under department operations um, we have had no connections to the sewer system since our last meeting, which is kind of why, for this time of year, for two, we have, you know, a few of them throughout the summer, once each month. So that's kind of a lot on that part of it, but we do have some permas being pulled, so I imagine they'll be picking up. The guys continue with easement clearing when weather permits. They've been tackling a lot of that. They still say that a few of them are pretty wet and they're afraid of getting the tractor stuck in it, so they're trying to avoid them to get a little dry weather, even though it's been pretty dry until, of course, this week we have some rain. They've also started, uh, sprucing up some of the pumping stations as, as well as the office here. You may have noticed some new mulch around that they did during the week and congratulate you guys for doing that and the appreciation that I have for that, for all the work they do around there keeping the place up.
Speaker 2:The charcoal media on the owner control unit has now been changed out. At the Route 44 puppet station. That product typically lasts one and a half to two years before needing replacing, so hopefully we get some time out of that. The new utility body truck which we got approval for in the May town meeting. That order has been placed and that is for the replacement of the utility body truck. This will be for model year 2026. I have not received the delivery date of the truck yet but I would have to assume probably sometime in December. The cost of that truck is $87,534, which is less than we were expecting Originally. When I got quotes on it they had me carrying roughly $95,000. Of course they included an escalation price because they weren't sure what the 26 models were going to come in at, and in town we actually acquired a hundred and twenty-five thousand because we weren't sure what was going to happen with tariffs and I guess maybe this could change, possibly with tariffs. So I don't know. On that end, if it's a Ford, it will. Okay, it is a Ford.
Speaker 1:Okay, puppey's.
Speaker 2:Restaurant. The inspection inspection work related to this project was completed last week with the jet washing and vacuuming of the existing sewer service so that the camera inspection could be completed. The camera inspection was then successfully completed and did not indicate any problems within. The line was most likely due to the minimal flow from what used to be a small jewelry store, but also the fact that the line hasn't been used in many years. So whatever was sitting in there just wasn't moving. Now, with Popeye's Restaurant expected to go in there and the added flow, everything should keep moving along once they get opened up. I was afraid there was going to be a sag in that line. That line runs down from, if you remember where the chalet is. It runs down to that first entrance at Shaw's and then across to the right of McDonald's and an easement out to our main line in the back there. I was afraid there might be a dip in that line going across 44, but luckily the TV inspection did not show that. Our regenerator project, tilton Electric, has completed the punch list on this project, with the project now being completely wrapped up. I have now received this middle for the last payment. I will mention that the new generators have been working flawlessly, with many of them running. Last week, during that stormy head roll through here on Thursday night, I think just about every generator in town was running with that. Once that rolled through. The old generators which were removed have been on the auction site for two weeks now, starting on June 26th, the auction date ending tonight being July 10th at 7 30 pm. Watching the bidding going on, I was afraid we were going to be stuck with a few of these, but today, being the last day, they really started to roll with some bidding. Not that it's a lot of money that's being bid on, they're still under $1,000, and one of them only being $110. So I know it'll be too late by the time anybody sees this video, but if anybody had an opportunity to bid on them, they're getting a good deal. But if anybody had an opportunity to bid on them, they'd get a good deal.
Speaker 2:Route 44, pump Control Project. The pre-construction meeting for this project was held on June 3rd. The contractor continues to work with Tynaborn with submittals and questions, as well as going over possible procedures to switch out the existing equipment while keeping the station operational. The contractor is considering working with the existing equipment while keeping the station operational. The contractor is considering working with the existing cabinets rather than removing and replacing which. Iwe're not sure how that's going to work out yet. We're waiting for some ideas from the contractor and how we might do that. I'll let you know when they come up with some ideas. I believe it's going to be difficult to keep two pumps running. We may be down to one pump at some point when they start this work, but I would stress on them it would have to be only for a day and we'd have to watch the weather. We do have the backup Godwin pump as well that runs on diesel fuel. So if they have to do any work like that, we'd probably ask them to do it at night when our floors are down.
Speaker 2:Route 44, spare pump replacement procurement. We have now received the full order for our replacement pumps for the Route 44 pumping station. This order includes three complete flight pumps along with three complete spare rebuild kits to also include new wear rings and impellers that was an extra order to include them. Typically when you get a rebuild kit, it's just bearings and seals kits as well. To also include new wear rings and impellers that was an extra order to include them, typically when you get a rebuild kit. It's just bearings and seals, but I wanted wear rings and impellers to be included. This purchase was funded through APA monies provided through Bristol County APA funds, that amount totaling $254,510. So that saved that department a lot of money. To get ahold of these pumps we started to realize we had a problem with one of them and the cost on rebuilding that pump was pretty outrageous and we were better off getting new ones and luckily half the money was sold with that.
Speaker 2:Sean and Joe have been fabricating dollies to mount the pumps onto Once they had dropped down into the bottom floor of the pumping station. That bottom floor is 30 feet down from ground level so we can use chain falls to get that down in there. The warranty requires that the impellers be rotated every few months while in storage and these dollies that the guys are building they will allow them to get under that pump and turn that on. You can see the new pump on the left that's still in the crate and there's Joe on the right hand side starting to build a couple of dollies. So they're going to be heavy-duty. The new pumps weigh roughly 1,200 pounds so they're a pretty heavy pump. South Street, east Oak, calling Bridge Replacement. There is a tentative date of July 30th for a virtual design public hearing on this project for the 25% design milestone, if you want to call that a milestone.
Speaker 2:The hearing is to provide the public with the opportunity to become fully acquainted with the proposed project. This date hasn't been confirmed yet. It was just a date that's been thrown around in an email. I'll keep you guys informed once I get a firm date on that. The Radium Highway Deposit Projects. The Highway Deposit Project on Mill Street continues to wait on Verizon to relocate YS to the new poles. The contractor cannot stop his work until that new poles. The contractor cannot stop this work until that is completed. The contractor has now been pushed off another month from the last projected start date. It has now a tentative start date of July 21st and as of today Verizon still had not moved them wires over. And I mention this today because we're gonna be involved in again, as I mentioned before, with a couple of animals needing to be privately lowered and a couple sewer services needing to be extended. Previously mentioned was the street resurfacing projects in the Elm Street East areas. The Highway Department plans on continuing the paving on Elm Street east from Hickory Drive up to 104. The sewer department will have a few manholes being replaced while this work is being done.
Speaker 2:West Pine Estates, known as Layla, the sewer main work on Pine Street and the remaining connected point into the phase one. Part of the development was completed a few weeks back. Sewer line pressure and manhole vacuum testing was performed last week. Two of the lines failed pressure testing and they just happened to be in the deepest part of the project so they got to dig back down about 17 feet to get to them. The manholes all passed the vacuum testing and the contractor was starting to excavate the fund and repair the leaks. So we're keeping an eye on them to see what it was. It was with the line. With that line being so deep, they were using what we call Blue Brew and Dekai Line T-fittings which uses a mega lug type of thing where you've got to tighten bolts down. We're thinking maybe they didn't tighten bolts down on one of the sides of the tee. Constructing of the sewer manhole inverts was also being performed this week and is nearly completed. The next phase of the development is scheduled to be in front of the planning board again on july 17th.
Speaker 2:Lockwood, formerly known as the iran Riverwalk 40B project. This is off of Church Street in 44 in that corner there. This project was in front of the Board of Appeals on June 25th requesting a project change to add an additional 18 units to the development, explained that even though they are adding units to the project, the impact will be less due to the fact that they were actually reducing bedroom count on the project. That meeting was continued to Wednesday, july 9th. Well, that got canceled, so now it's rescheduled for July 23rd.
Speaker 2:Britain Street, water Main this is a North Rainier water project over there. The state permit has now been issued for the remainder of that work. The water department is now awaiting the contractor to return. They expect that to happen within a couple weeks, so they'll be wrapping that up soon. One thing of interest the North Rainier Water superintendent has announced his retirement and will be leaving in December. They advertised the position in the New England Water Works Association with no applicants responding, so they're determining how to go forward. We're trying to find a replacement for Arthur Benendelli over there. And while speaking of retirements, deb Dooney, the executive assistant in the select board's office, has also announced her retirement, I believe leaving in August, although not far from that.
Speaker 2:And the Route 138 construction, the gas company project over there. They continue to work on their services and they've been sporadic this past week. I'm not sure why, what's going on, but they haven't been out there straight every day that I've seen, and a special time meeting. A special time meeting will be held in early August to approve an additional 158,000 to fund the Bridgewater-Radiance school budget. And I also have one other thing for you. This is related to articles that are gonna be closing out this year for Chris LaVey-Latt. You may recognize them because we had attempted to close these out last year that Chris had overlooked it, so they're still on the books.
Speaker 1:So again, the accounts that I'll be looking to close out, these were all through Town.
Speaker 2:Articles FY20, improvement to the sewer, main easement this was the easement behind so many may have been the one behind Rich Music World. That's in the amount of $17,676. Another one, article 17, sewer easement improvement again, and that was $37,560.75. And then Article 8 in year 22,. That was the generator for the office here and we'll be returning $215,437.55. And Article 23 of year 23 was for a utility body truck that we didn't use all the money on, returning $3,829, and diesel tank replacement. We had a range of $878.05 remaining in that account. One thing about that diesel tank replacement that we actually had got some money refunded to us for that whole project, um from alpha. So there was some monies that came available through the town and they reimbursed us for that project once we were done with that. So so we'll be returning roughly 275 382 dollars to uh, to their uh retain earnings very good.
Speaker 1:Did he finally get the ones that he was supposed to have done last year, that's these huh, that's these.
Speaker 2:These are the ones that he will look last year, so that's that basically all of them. Never doing it again, so we never put anything no, that's these here.
Speaker 1:so that's that's still sitting. Yes, in the account number Correct, and you said this is 275? 275, 275, 382. Well, I'm not gonna worry about the dollars and cents, but that would be a number that I'm gonna be looking forward to putting in a stabilization account. Christmas in July we have Christmas every day of the year. We just have to move it from one shelf to another. We still haven't got anything off of Broadway.
Speaker 2:No, I know there's some plumbing work inside.
Speaker 1:that I want you to do for me is to tell me what we got from theother than the budget revenue.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 1:You know the incidental ones, because that's another amount that will show up in free cash and we don't want it to stay in retained earnings. We want to be specific. Yep, maybe we will add that to Stabilization. Well, this I think we'll go to stabilization. This would bring us to give or take a million-four, a million-three, and we still have five that we have to put into the taunting kettle.
Speaker 2:Very good, that's all I got for you.
Speaker 1:Thank you Good job you did a good job this past fiscal year, mr Curry and compliments you on your astuteness and service that you have done for the town and for this board. Okay, any new business? No, no old business.
Speaker 1:There's no emergency business, no commission reports unless you, gentlemen, have anything to offer. We don't have public forum, there's nobody here for press time and, as usual, the chair always has a mouthful of words that he wants to speak. I hope everybody is enjoying their summer, staying healthy. Summer goes by awful fast and, even though we know this town meeting is next month, there may be a few people who will see this meeting and I want to remind them that we need to get to that special town meeting to support the request for the additional funds for the school budget, for the school budget. That affects everybody, but don't forget that it's only our share. I don't know what Bridgewater's gonna come up with and I'm assuming and this is an assumption that Bridgewater will be able to do their share, because we approved this. Uh, historically, if we approve that and bridgewater doesn't approve theirs, this can be designated strictly to k8 and rain. So strictly to K8 and Rainham. So I don't want anybody to think that gets into a black hole. That being said, I will entertain a motion to adjourn for the specific item of just taking care of administrative duties and no other formal activity.
Speaker 1:Moved Second. Moved by Mr Bicle, seconded by Mr Kelleher. All those in favor. Aye, aye, we are adjourned at 6.20. See you next month.