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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1981-04-27 Board of Public Works Minutes April 27, 1981 Meeting of the Board of Public Works convened in Room 16, Muni- cipal Building at 7:40 P. M . Present were Chairman Cowell , Secretary Wood , Board Members DeHart, Barker and Superintendent Louanis. It was moved, seconded and voted 4:0:0 to accept the minutes of April 14th as written. The Board met with Mr . Papaluca of 49 Dividence Road who in- formed the Board that he and his family were without water as their well had gone dry . They are , however , being supplied with water by a neighbor by means of a hose on an emergency basis. Superintendent Louanis stated that Mr . Papaluca' s home is the only house on Divi- dence Road not currently serviced by the Town and that the cost of extending the main to accommodate the house in question as estimated by the Engineering Division would be $2 ,700 . Since the home was purchased recently the cost involved presents a problem to the homeowner. How- ever , the Superintendent reminded the Board that it is possible to ' extend a water main under the Betterment Act allowing a homeowner to spread the cost of construction over a period of years; the pre- sent rate of interest on the unpaid balance being 7. 20. Mr. DeHart noted that the proposed main extends beyond the point where Mr. Papaluca ' s service pipe connection will enter and also that the Engineering Division's plan calls for a new gate valve . While Mr. DeHart was in favor of extending the main , he did not feel a single homeowner should be assessed for a gate valve. Superintendent Louanis stated it was important to extend the main beyond the point of entrance to the property to prevent sedimentation from entering the service pipe. Too, the gate valve is necessary in order not to inconvenience five other property owners during the construction period. Mrs. Wood moved, it was seconded and voted 4:0:0 to extend the water main in Dividence Road to service house number 49 in accordance with the plan, and according to Town standards, the total cost of construc- tion, minus the cost of the gate valve, to be assessed in accordance with the Betterment Act. It was moved, seconded and voted 4:0:0 to approve Town Counsel 's bill for the month of February covering 5.50 hours at forty-five dollars per hour or two hundred and forty-seven dollars and fifty cents ($247.50) . The Board reviewed Town Counsel ' s bill for the month of March. Mr. Barker was concerned with the three hour charge on March 16th as it did not agree with the minutes. It was moved, seconded and ' voted 4:0:0 to approve Town Counsel ' s bill for the month of March for 59.30 hours at forty-five dollars per hour ($45.00) or a total of two thousand six hundred and sixty-eight dollars and fifty cents ($2,668 .50) subject to verification by the Law Committee of the charge for 3.00 hours on March 16th. The New England Telephone Company .has reviewed their records and has expressed a desire to validate poles placed in the past on pri- vate ways, since accepted by the Town of Reading as public ways. Superintendent Louanis stated that all pole locations have been checked and are acceptable to the department. Mrs. Wood moved, it was seconded and voted 4:0:0 to accept the existing poles located as indicated on the plans included with letters dated February 27, March 13, March 31, April 8 and April 21, 1961 and as requested by the New England Telephone Company . Meeting adjourned temporarily at 8: 15 P.M. and following a meet- ing as the Board of Survey reconvened at 8 :22 P .M. Mr. Fallon join- ' ed the meeting at 8: 16 P .M. during the Board of Survey meeting . The Board signed the following: Payroll for the period ending April 24, 1981 Billroll for the period ending April 24, 1981 Contract 81-4 Lawn Construction It was moved, seconded and voted 5 :0:0 that the Board sign commitment letter , in compliance with the provisions of the General Laws, Chapter 80, as amended by Chapter 63 of the Acts of 1933 for 70% sewer laterals in the amount of $532.00 and 10046 sewer lateral in the amount of $441.60 or a total of $973. 60 to the Tax Collector as provided by law. The Board reviewed letter from Richard C. Hart requesting per- mission to relocate the�School playground equipment currently located in the woods at the far end of the playground. Following a discussion, the Chairman requested the Superintendent draft a letter to the effect that the Board will be willing to assist in the relocation of the equipment providing a plan of the proposed loca- tion is agreeable to the Board of Public Works, the Recreation Committee and the School Department, indicating that it will be necessary to coordinate the activity so that the Public Works ' Barrow' s Minutes - continued April 27, 1981 ' employees will not be working on an overtime basis. Mr . Cowell informed the Board that he had been advised that the Reading Historical Commission has selected the Auburn Street water tower, now over ninety years old, as a Town asset to be added to their historical inventory . It was accepted as a point of information . Mr . Barker celled the Board ' s attention to the fact that he had observed a supervised group using a softball field currently under construction at Birch Meadow and while he realized it would be difficult to keep a few youngsters off the fields he felt an appeal should be made to those in charge to keep the organized groups off the fields recently seeded, etc. The Chairman re- quested the Superintendent draft a letter to be sent to the various groups using the fields in an effort to protect the work already accomplished on the fields. The Chairman requested that the Board go into Executive Session ' to discuss matters of Personnel not to reconvene in open session and polled the Board as follows: Mrs. Wood - In favor Mr. DeHart - In favor Mr . Fallon - In favor Mr . Barker - In favor Mr . Cowell - In favor Meeting adjourned at 8 :48 P .M. Rea/�l�itte� . sec etary DOUGLAS A. COWELL, Chairman OFFICE OF GAIL F. WOOD, S¢netary TOWN OF READING DON B. DeHAar JOHN L. FALCON, JR. BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS DOUGLAS$ L. BARKER MUNICIPAL BUILDING MS E. MGM LOUA , Sues ntene.at xtu..^•� READING, MASS, 01867 MASSACHUSETTS Middlesex, am The undersigned, Board of public k'orkc of the Tovre of Nesdinq, in compliance with the provi- ,iona of the Cer.er,l Laws, Chapter f01 ns amended by Chapi.cr 0 of the Acts of 1977* hereby certify that the lists herevith contain the names of persons arlsinet whom we have made betterment assessments to- ' tether with the l.ocatior of the land benefited by the improvement and the nature end amount of sunh better- Mart esaesement . Sever lateral (71:';) . . . . . .. . . . . .1 572.00 `.Sewer lateral ( 100%) .. . . . . . . . . . A41 .6n Total. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$ 977.5n Such list is certified to you for the pur- pose of rommittim) thn same to tte Tax Collector, as provided by low. FATNESS our hande In twenty-serventh day of April 19;11 A. D. irman Secretary See Commitment Sheet for List