WATER POLLUTION CONTROL COMMISSION MEETING
WEDNESDAY, 9/18/2019
TOWN HALL HEARING ROOM
Filed subject to approval.
Present:
Amy Atamian, Chair
Todd Eubanks, Vice Chair
David Pattee
Jim Miller
Rich Regan, 7:39PM
Also Present:
Katherine Stauffer, WPCC Administrator
Eugene Burke, Veolia Water
Matt Bernardini, Veolia Water
Carlos Paiva, Veolia Water
John Oatley, Veolia Water
Jason and Annie Stevens, 23 Brookside Road
Chair Atamian called the meeting to order at 7:35PM.
1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2019 MEETING
Mr. Miller said on Item 4, in the last paragraph, the term “council” should be spelled as “counsel”.
MOTION:
Mr. Pattee made a motion to approve the minutes from the Wednesday, August 21, 2019 meeting. Mr. Eubanks seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous, and the motion carried.
2. REPORT FROM VEOLIA WATER PLANT MANAGERS
Eugene Burke and Veolia Water addressed the WPCC.
Noteworthy Operational Information/Maintenance and PM
– Weekly power washing of the on-line primary drum screener.
– Wasted 45,826 gallons of sludge from recycle wet well to the GBT.
– Replaced all UV lamps, sleeves, and sensor on on-line bank.
– HACH completed yearly service to UV intensity meter.
Regulatory & Compliance
– There were no permit violations for Redding in the month of August 2019.
Health & Safety
– Veolia Water monthly safety training topics conducted in August 2019 included:
Fall Protection
– The project has completed 17 years with no safety incidents.
Alarms
– Power loss for a half hour. No reason found.
CBYD
– No CBYD
Points for Discussion
– Primary drum screener quote
– Company safety inspection
Mr. Burke said that paper towels and gloves are still being captured on the drum screeners. Mr. Miller asked Ms. Stauffer to include a note in her October billing about proper disposal of gloves and wipes.
Mr. Burke said the yearly UV intensity meter service was completed.
Mr. Burke said there was a power loss. He said the plant was off street power for a half hour. Mr. Eubanks asked if the generator kicked on. Mr. Burke said it did kick on. During a previous power interruption, the generator did not kick on. Mr. Burke said that this was an actual power loss versus the power interruption.
Mr. Burke said there was an intra-company safety inspection. He said this occurs annually, switching between a self-audit and an outside audit.
Mr. Burke discussed the Municipal Maintenance Co. quotation for the Primary Drum Screener.
Mr. Burke said the plant’s PAC usage is low and another delivery will not be necessary until 2020. Mr. Burke said that a heater is on the storage tank preventing it from freezing, although the low temperatures reduce the strength of the PAC.
3. UPDATE ON 23 BROOKSIDE ROAD REQUEST FOR SEWER HOOKUP
Mr. Burke brought a map of the land near 23 Brookside Road for the WPCC. Discussion followed concerning the location of the home and the feasibility of hooking up to the sewer system.
Mr. Stevens provided a letter to the WPCC formally asking to hookup to the Sewer District.
Mr. Pattee asked Mr. Stevens who he was planning on using for the hookup. Mr. Stevens said Don Butterworth is his contractor. Mr. Pattee suggested contacting John Palazzo as a potential contractor.
Mr. Miller suggested that Mr. Stevens have a conversation with Shaun Donnelly, the Building Department Official. He said that he could give advice on this project.
Chair Atamian asked Mr. Stevens if he received an estimate for the work to be done. Mr. Stevens said he doesn’t have a specific number, but he was told it would cost at least twice as much as a normal septic system installation.
Mr. Regan said that Mr. Stevens should talk to the Highway Department Superintendent, Jeff Hanson, about the right of way/shoulder issue.
Ms. Atamian said Mr. Stevens should visit the Town of Redding GIS website. She said he can overlay a map of his property with the sewer lines and topography to have a clearer picture of how the project could be completed.
Mr. Eubanks asked if the WPCC will vote on approving Mr. Stevens’ application. Chair Atamian said that there will be a town meeting to approve the addition of Mr. Stevens’ property to the district.
4. HOOKUP FEES
Mr. Pattee said the Hookup Fee Assessment would exist if the sewer existed in front of someone’s property. He said that because Mr. Stevens home is away from the sewer and the cost of hooking up to the system, the Assessment should be waived.
Mr. Eubanks asked if there was a discussion with Pat Moisio about Sewer Assessments. Mr. Regan said he did not talk to her about this.
Mr. Regan said that the Assessment percentage of 5.7% may be too steep for Mr. Stevens’ situation.
Mr. Eubanks said the costs of hooking up to the sewer will exceed the 5.7% assessment. He said that there needs to be some sort of fee to demonstrate the value of the sewer system and the capital costs incurred by the town to implement it.
Mr. Miller asked Mr. Stevens if he could get a new septic system, would he abandon his well and get his water from Aquarion. Mr. Stevens said Aquarion’s estimate was $70,000 as they would need to extend their lines under the bridge on Brookside.
Mr. Regan said that allowing Mr. Stevens to connect to the district is correcting an oversight but the WPCC should not be expected to bear the cost of connection to the district. He said he wants to avoid setting a precedent. The WPCC is not expanding the district.
Mr. Miller said that the Mr. Regan should contact Town Counsel and Ms. Moisio about Sewer Assessment Fees.
Ms. Stauffer said she has the original assessments of the Georgetown Sewer District. She said they were actually 3.98% of the assessed value of the home.
John Oatley from Veolia addressed the WPCC about State regulations concerning Graded plant operators. He said there is a requirement to have a Grade 4 and Grade 3 operator at the plant. Currently, there is a Grade 4 operator (Carlos Paiva) and two Grade 2 operators (Eugene Burke and Matthew Bernardini).
Mr. Oatley said that Mr. Burke and Mr. Bernardini need to pass their exam to become Grade 3 operators. He said in the meantime, there will be a Grade 3 operator being brought in for the plant. Their next test will be in January 2020.
Mr. Pattee asked if this Grade 3 operator has experience with a membrane plant. Mr. Oatley said this operator does not have experience with a membrane plant. He said there is a difference between practical experience and a “license”.
Mr. Oatley said the operator’s name is Trevor Steeprock.
Mr. Paiva said that the exams are difficult and that there are not classes nearby. He discussed regulations concerning wastewater treatment and certifications.
Chair Atamian said the minutes from the August 21, 2019 meeting need to be amended. She discussed item 3.
MOTION:
Chair Atamian made a motion to amend the minutes of the August 21, 2019 minutes. The sentence, “Chair Atamian made a motion to approve purchase and installation of the drum screener for the quoted price of $18,670…”, should be changed to, “Chair Atamian made a motion to approve purchase and installation of the transfer pump for the quoted price of $18,670…”. The vote was unanimous, and the motion carried.
Mr. Miller said that in item 3 of the August 21, 2019 minutes, any mention of drum screener should be replaced with transfer pump.
MOTION:
Chair Atamian made a motion to revise her prior motion and amend the minutes of the August 21, 2019 minutes. The sentence, “Chair Atamian made a motion to approve purchase and installation of the drum screener for the quoted price of $18,670…”, should be changed to, “Chair Atamian made a motion to approve purchase and installation of the transfer pump for the quoted price of $20,507.00”. Mr. Regan seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous, and the motion carried.
MOTION:
Mr. Eubanks made a motion to accept the quote of $20,240.00 from Municipal Maintenance Co. for a Lakeside Raptor Rotating Drum Screener. Mr. Pattee seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous, and the motion carried.
Mr. Oatley spoke to Matt Johnson and Roy Pearson. He said Roy Pearson is committed to bringing down costs, and they will have a quote in two weeks. Mr. Miller said that the WPCC needs three quotes to bring to the BOF.
5. FY 2019 USAGE REVIEW
Ms. Stauffer said the Tax Collector’s office is working with a new collection agency.
Chair Atamian asked how the collection agency works. Ms. Stauffer said the company’s name is TaxServ, and that they add a 15% fee to the taxpayers that are delinquent. There is no cost to the WPCC to use the collection agency.
Mr. Regan asked about the dates provided in the delinquency report. Ms. Stauffer explained that there is one list for current delinquent accounts and the other, which would be sent to collection, dated from 2003-2017.
Discussion followed concerning the usage fees.
Mr. Eubanks said that everyone on the list excluding GLDC should be sent to the collection agency.
MOTION:
Mr. Eubanks made a motion to send the entire list of delinquents from 2003-2017 to the collections agency TaxServ. Mr. Regan seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous, and the motion carried.
Chair Atamian asked about the usage volumes. Mr. Eubanks said nothing jumped out at him.
Ms. Stauffer said 20 Portland Avenue is opening a karate studio and asked if the owners should come to the next meeting. The commission said yes to know if the usage will change.
6. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ON INVOICES AND FINANCIAL STATUS
MOTION:
Chair Atamian made a motion to transfer $80,000 from the General Fund to the Georgetown Sewer Usage Fund. Mr. Regan seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous, and the motion. Carried.
MOTION:
Mr. Pattee made a motion to pay all invoices except Veolia Monthly – September 2019. Mr. Regan seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous, and the motion carried.
The bills to paid are as follows:
Aquarion Water, $177.29
Eversource, $4,813.22
Frontier, $316.81
Hocon Gas, $15.00
Oak Ridge Hauling, $160.37
P.O. Box Renewal, $64.00
Veolia Reimbursable – July 2019, $5,638.39
Veolia Monthly – August 2019, $28,245.42
7. COMMISSION MEMBER COMMENTS
Mr. Miller said that the WPCC was successful in its Small Claims Court case. He said that the WPCC will receive $35 a month until the debt is paid.
8. PUBLIC COMMENT
Chair Atamian opened the floor to public comment. No members of the public were present to comment.
9. ADJOURNMENT
MOTION:
Mr. Eubanks made a motion to adjourn. Mr. Pattee seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous, and the motion carried.
Submitted by,
Zachary Smith