The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My Public Portal AboutWater Commissioners -- 2020-02-28 Minutes Meeting was called to order at 8 : 35 AM by Cynthia Baran , member. Those present were : Sue Brown , Doug Wilcock , and William Porter as alternate , Sherry Theuret , Administrative Supervisor and Paul Anderson , Superintendent . Town / Citizen Participation . • CJ Management — 660 Villages Drive o Unable to obtain meter read since December 30 , 2015 . o Meter located in machine shop below CJ Management offices . o BWD inspected equipment and wire was damaged / cut making it unable to send out a signal for meter reading . o Meter was changed out by the water department for future meter reading . o Concerns by CJ Management was the amount of usage being higher in the past . o Office building contains four bathrooms and one kitchen o New meter installed January 17 , 2020 . Picture of transponder taken by Tom Monaghan of CJ Management . Usage on transponder indicated five thousand gallons since installation six weeks ago . ■ Usage during the period of December 30 , 2015 to January 17 , 2020 was 2 , 154 , 000 gallons . Over five years equals 430 , 800 gallons a year and 215 , 400 gallons per billing period . Usage in 2015 was 197 , 000 gallons and 2014 was 187 , 000 gallons for the year. ■ Office Manager Sherry Theuret billed the usage at a lower rate reducing the billing statement from $ 10 , 455 . 49 down to $4 , 949 . 58 . ■ Meter was tested by the water department and results indicated 100 % accuracy . ■ Commissioner Wilcock requesting more information about the history of the property over the past five years. Has anything been added? This building in the past was used by Ocean Edge to do laundry. • CJ Management to do further research before any further discounts are considered. • Water Commissioners to review at the next meeting on Friday, March 27th. • 28 Woodview Drive o Request for a one time reduced rate due to leak after meter pit . ■ Motion by Commissioner Wilcock to approve onetime reduced rate , 2nd by Commissioner Brown . 3 -0-0 • 57 Partridge Circle o Request for a one time reduced rate due to a frozen shower. ■ Motion by Commissioner Wilcock to approve onetime reduced rate , 2nd by Commissioner Brown . 3 - 0-0 BRU1 aTER inIlIN CLERK i 13 E .,. ba GF53 .t_c.e Q ..• m..c. ...ma .a . • 97 Captains Village Lane o Request by owners not to be charged for usage. ■ The water department upgraded the meter from the standard 5/8 " up to a 3/" on July 26 , 2016 . ■ Owners indicated water meter was noisy when the irrigation system was being used . ■ The water department upgraded the meter and would check back in a couple of days to make sure it would resolve the issue . On August 1 , 2016 the owner indicated they would like to keep the larger meter . ■ January 712020 the Office Manager reached out to the owners via : U . S . Mail and email to have access to the meter to check our equipment and confirm meter information . During meter reading it indicated the owners have not been charged for usage since the meter upgrade . ■ January 13 , 2020 the water department service technician was able to obtain access to the meter and confirmed the meter size and information . ■ January 13 , 2020 the Office Manager reached out to the owners via : U . S . Mail and email with history of owners not being charged for usage and not being charged for the meter upgrade . The Office Manager billed the owners for the meter upgrade and then billed the usage at the lower rate . • Motion by Commissioner Wilcock to keep the charges at the one time reduced rate, 2nd by Commissioner Brown. 3-0=0 • Superintendent Anderson to follow up with the owners based on the decision made by the Commissioners. • 23 Knoll Lane o Request for a one time reduced rate due to leak after meter pit . ■ Motion by Commissioner Wilcock to approve onetime reduced rate , 2nd by Commissioner Brown . 3-0- 0 • 64 Crescent Lane o Request by owner to forgive twenty five dollar NSF/Rejected payment fee due to incorrect information . ■ Motion by Commissioner Baran to deny the reversal of the twenty five NSF/Rejected payment fee , 2nd by Commissioner Brown . 3 -0-0 • Approval of meeting minutes o Commissioner Brown approved December 2019 minutes as amended , 2 "d by Commissioner Wilcock . 3. 0 -0 o Commissioner Brown approved January 2020 minutes , 2 "d by Commissioner Wilcock . 3 -0 -0 o Commissioner Wilcock approved February 7th minutes as amended , 2nd by Commissioner Brown . 3. 0.0 • Update regarding Weathervanes Way access / water main . o Superintendent Anderson would like to stop main prior to culvert , abandon the water main due to environmental , sensitive and vulnerable location due to sea rise . The Superintendent would like bring water main down the town road instead of doing easements . Water main installation approximately 800 feet . ■ Motion by Commissioner Brown to stay with original vote. • Drink Brewster Tap update by Mary Chaffee , Select Board Liaison o Mary Chaffee was unable to attend but , submitted a brief update on the water station project . *See attached for details ■ Update to be discussed at March 27th meeting. • Review 5 Year Capital Proposal and FY21 Proposed Budget o See attached for operating budget as presented at the joint Select and Fincom meeting . o Capital requests for ATM Warrant submitted for a new utility vehicle , well redevelopment project and well pump & motor replacements . o Superintendent did submit request to increase the checking of the wells from three hours to four hours on weekends and holidays . ■ Increase of time to improve the monitoring of facilities , safer work environment and less down time of wells and treatment facilities . • Review of Rate Study o Preliminary water rates submitted by Doug Gardiner. ■ Motion by Commissioner Brown to have formal presentation of water rate study at March 27th meeting . • Superintendent Anderson to set up presentation with Doug Gardiner to come into the water department on Friday, March 27th to make formal presentation to the water commissioners. • Report from the Office Manager o Office staff reviewing and updating job descriptions . ■ Office staff is reviewing and updating 2009 job descriptions in anticipation of meeting with consulting firm . The town has appropriated funds to have a third party evaluate pay rates/scales, steps, etc . They will speak to individual employees and union reps . o Completed and new projects in the office ■ The water department continues to improve the meter reading process . The Office Manager and Foreman have agreed to create a separate route for properties with meter pits . The radio frequency can be difficult at times to be obtained with the laptop . Creating a separate route for properties with meter pits and then uploading the routes to the handheld device will eliminate the data file to be downloaded from the laptop and then uploaded to the handheld device . Skipping this step will allow the two field staff to meter read at the same time . I i ( "_},g gy ,->'£_= r;xv�;_:� j ,. - �'r" �, = �.%�*fib . . ��(K�yr}�l". �" . ;fie b`�s�s , ., "a` y{per k - ` py 'r ` i -''.� "�zi:�` a..s , •: �.ar,�, r ' < k - �. ', * Topics the Chair did not reasonably anticipate . o Horsley Witten Group Is an engineering consulting firm from Sandwich , MA. ■ The Horsley Witten Group is working on a cyber security project and they are looking for water departments with medium to large size systems , This service would be free of charge to the water department as being a part of their research study, ■ Their goal is to find out what the water department exposed to ? * Example : Scada System — would someone be able to hack into our system and stop the flow of water , o Commissioner Wilcock raised the concerns of the Corona virus - protection of personnel . o Cell phone policy - hands free devices — The Superintendent to check with Town Administrator to purchase hands fee devices for vehicles . o Commissioner Brown inquiring about the status of the CCR Reports ■ Superintendent Anderson considering using and outside firm to assist with the completion and presentation of future CCR Reports . * Commissioner Brown to send information on the firm she uses for her reports . a Date of Next Meeting Friday , March 27th @ 9 : 00 AM Friday , April 24th @ 8"30 AM Commissioner Brown moved to adjourn the meeting at 9 : 51AM — 2nd by Commissioner Baran . Respectfully submitted , Sherry Theuret, Administrative Supervisor,