May 8, 2006
Present: Ed Melanson, Chairman; Ellen Friedman, Member; Dan Winslow, Member. Absent were Harvey Nasuti, Vice Chairman; Vida Holmes, Member.
Ed Melanson called the meeting to order at 7:20 p.m. at the Town Hall in Room 124.
Mr. Melanson opened with the Open Public Forum portion of the meeting and with no one from the public in attendance at this time he deferred the Open Public Forum to later in the meeting.
Mr. Winslow made a motion to accept the meeting minutes of April 24, 2006. Ms. Friedman seconded, and it was so voted.
Mr. Melanson continued with the Report from the Director of Public Works: Mr. Vito informed the Board that the Spruce Road Well was not functioning properly causing the department to decrease the output volume until the problem is resolved, noting that the potential problem could be an issue with the probe or a clogged screen. He assured the Board that the Department of Pubic Works and its consultant were working to correct the problem and would keep them informed. He also noted that the well may have to go off line for about a week and that the spring or fall would be the best time to make the repair with a minimal impact on available water; Gold Street Site - Dufresne-Henry has are reviewing four to five areas for test drilling. Rockwood Road – has been repaved, we had inspectors at
the asphalt plant and the contractor did a good job installing the pavement. The Department of Public Works will be completing the had work with in a couple of weeks, including loaming and seeding the shoulder areas and around the sidewalk as well as the installation of pavement markings on the new pavement; Water conservation inserts for billing - unable to secure the information for this billing period. Mr. Vito did agree with the Board regarding the billing inserts to educate residents about water conservation. The inserts would be ready for the next billing cycle; Route 115 TIP Project – Attended a meeting in Boston with the MPO on April 27th and have not heard whether Norfolk is included on the next year TIP. The project cost estimate would increase from $2.8 million to $6.5 million. Oil based products were increasing causing the bituminous mix costs to increase from $48.00 /ton to $60.00/ton.
Mr. Vito informed the Board that a Norfolk Day was scheduled for September 9th on the Town Hill. He noted that he was on the organizing committee to set up booth space for interested organizations. The Board agreed it would be a good idea to include a booth for the DPW and offer educational materials to the public. Mr. Melanson also reminded Mr. Vito and the Board of the Community Day scheduled by the Lion’s Club on June 10th where similar material should be made available.
Mr. Vito informed the Board that Dufresne-Henry submitted a report regarding attachments to the tank and determined it would cause no problem. The Cingular Wireless agreement was submitted to Mr. Melanson for his review and noted that he would contact Mr. Vito to discuss. The agreement will be submitted to Cingular for final approval. Mr. Vito informed the Board that he had not heard back for Town Counsel regarding the revisions to the Wireless RFP and that he had met with Nextel, who was interested in submitting a proposal. He recommended that Nextel submit a proposal based on the old RFP with $28,000.00 at a minimum, if they agreed.
Mr. Melanson continued with Board Business: and the first item Draft RFP for the water rate study which was prepared by Board members Dan Winslow and Ellen Friedman. Firms would submit qualifications and scope of work based on the goals outlined in the RFP. The Board would review the submittals and based on qualifications interviews would be scheduled. The fee for service would be a secondary issue. The timetable for submittals was discussed but would be finalized at the next meeting.
Mr. Melanson continued with a discussion of the Meter Replacement Program Presentation for Town Meeting. After a brief discussion it was decided that a power point presentation would be prepared noting the benefits of the meter replacement program.
The discussion continued with respect to the Vehicle Stabilization Program which was also on the Town Meeting Warrant; a presentation has been prepared by the Capital Outlay Committee; the Board agreed that this would be a fiscally prudent mechanism to manage capital expenses for vehicle and equipment replacement.
The discussion continued with Mr. Vito presenting a “draft” Non-Emergency Hydrant Use Policy to the Board for review, which he had been discussing with the Fire Chief. Mr. Vito outlined the items on the policy for the Board. They agreed with the concept and after a few minor changes suggested that Mr. Vito contact the Fire Chief for his comments and finalize by the next scheduled meeting.
Mr. Melanson formally closed the Open Public Forum which was deferred from the beginning of the meeting, since no one from the public was in attendance.
At 8:35 p.m. being no further business Mr. Winslow made a motion to adjourn the meeting; Ms. Friedman seconded and it was so voted.
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