HomeMy WebLinkAbout1979-10-29 Board of Public Works Minutes October 29, 1979
Meeting of the Board of Public Works convened in Room 16,
Municipal Building at 7:30 P. M.
Present were Chairman Price, Secretary Cowell and Board
Members DeHart and Wood together with Superintendent Louanis.
Minutes of the meeting of October 22d were accepted with
correction.
Superintendent Louanis read petition from nine of the abutting
property owners on Dividence Road requesting their street be
accepted as a public way. A small portion of the street was
paved by the residents in the past but the greater part of
the street is a dirt roadway. Superintendent Louanis stated
it would probably cost somewhere in the neighborhood of ninety
thousand dollars to construct the street. At the suggestion of
Chairman Price the Superintendent was instructed to proceed with
the necessary engineering and set up a public hearing in order
that the abutters may be made aware of the work involved as well
as the costs and how these costs may be apportioned over a period
of time.
Secretary Cowell read notice of public hearing wherein the
New England Telephone and Telegraph Company and the Town of Read-
ing Municipal Light Department request permission to install two
poles on the westerly side of Main Street (Route 28). Mr. George
Cooley, representing the New England Telephone and Telegraph Company,
indicated that three homes were being constructed and the poles were
needed to provide service to these locations. Power lines servic-
ing homes on Main Street are located on the easterly side of the
street and it is necessary to run power lines across the highway
except in cases of corner lot homes when power is brought in from
the side street. Mr. Cowell moved, Mr. DeHart seconded and it was
voted to close the hearing. Mr. DeHart moved, Mrs. Wood seconded
and it was voted to grant permission to the utility companies to
erect poles on the westerly side of Main Street southerly of Forest
e Street (poles 54/123A and 54/124A) on the lot lines of property
currently owned by R. Joseph Bitto, 254 Lebanon Street, Malden, Ma. ,
as indicated on Petition Plan No. 4-3313.
Proposals were received on October 25, 1979 concerning an
engineering proposal for Leakage Survey from three companies,
as follows:
Pipe Line Testing Service, -Inc. . . . . . . $ 7,500.00
Pitometer Associates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,500.00
Heath Consultants, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,200.00
Assistant Superintendent Bergeron reported that previous exper-
ience with Pipe Line Testing Service, Inc. on the last leakage
survey was very good and recommended that the new contract be
awarded to them for the proposed amount of $7,500.00. Mr. Cowell
questioned the rather large difference in the bids. Superinten-
dent Louanis stated that Pipe Line Testing Service, Inc, was able
to locate a leak in the square recently with the type of equipment
they use but indicated the other two companies have more sophisti-
cated equipment and therefore their fee would be considerably higher.
Mr. Price questioned the need for a performance bond. Superinten-
dent Louanis stated one was not needed as this is a service. Mr.
Cowell moved, Mr. DeHart seconded and it was voted to award the
contract for services to Pipe Line Testing Service, Inc. in the
amount of $7,500.00.
The Superintendent reported to the Board that he had met with
the Finance Committee on October 23d to discuss Article 11 regard-
ing the gypsy moth in the Town and the Finance Committee voted in
favor of $13,800 by a vote of 11 to 1 . Mr. Cowell moved, it was
seconded and voted that the Board postpone a review of Motions for
Town Meeting under Articles 11 , 12 and 13 until the next meeting.
The Board met with Messrs. Greenwood and Anderson of Browning
Ferris, Inc. to discuss the Town of Readings solid waste disposal
problem. Mr. Greenwood informed the Board that his company had
acquired a transfer station near Prison Point Bridge near Route
93 recently and therefore they would have no interest in the John
Street site at this time. The present haul out-of-town is a forty-
five minute run and their cost is approximately $60 an hour there-
fore if they were to use the John Street site as a "drop" costs
would be reduced accordingly. Mr. Greenwood could not give the
Board a cost on taking refuse to RESCO as he had no way of know-
ing what the waiting time would be at their plant. The dayls start-
I
Minutes - continued October 29, 1979
Ing time was discussed at some length and it was concluded that
to begin pickup of the Town ' s trash at 7:00 A.M. would result in
no extra charge but to delay until 8:00 A.M. would necessitate
the addition of an extra truck and would cost thirty-eight or
thirty-nine thousand dollars more per year. Mr. Testa arrived
at 8:30 P.M. The Board reviewed the varied complaints from citizens
under the present rubbish collection contract with Mr. Greenwood
and it was agreed that every effort would be made to correct the
problems. Chairman Price asked what effect an allowance of un-
limited bags or barrels per residence would have on the contract
price and on the complaint problem in general . Mr. Greenwood felt
that as far as complaints were concerned unlimited bags or barrels
was the easy way out and went on to state that in the long run the
unlimited allowance would result in a heavy collection in the
spring and fall for a total of ten to twelve weeks in a year.
Superintendent Louanis suggested that the starting time remain the
same and that Mr. Greenwood present the Board of Public Works with
cost figures for unlimited pick-up of bags and/or barrels and one
bulk item per week per residence by Wednesday, October 31st. Mr.
Greenwood agreed to comply with the request and the meeting was
concluded.
The Board met with Arnold Rubin and Gerry Sweetland of the
Atlantic Realty Trust to discuss the plan developed by Mr. Rubin' s
engineer and tentatively approved by Mr. Bergeron of the Public
Works' Engineering Division. The plan indicates a twenty-four
inch drainage pipe on Haven Street from the Atlantic Mall to High
Street. The roof drain on the Atlantic Food Mart will be connected
to a fifteen inch drain pipe which will go from the back of the
building at Brande Court through the Mall and enter the twenty-four
inch pipe on Haven Street. The expense of the work on private
property will be borne by the Atlantic Realty Trust and they pro-
pose to do the construction in the public way and furnish a per-
formance bond in the amount of $15,000. The Board noted that
other commitments had been made to residents on Mark Avenue,
Longwood Road and further drainage work has been scheduled for
Franklin Street during the coming fiscal year. Mr. Testa suggested
that the Board accept the offer as presented and give the project
1
a high priority. It was moved, seconded and voted to grant per-
mission to the Atlantic Realty Trust to proceed with the installa-
tion of the twenty-four inch drainage pipe on Haven Street and
that when the budget for FY-81 is considered the extension of
this pipe up Haven Street into the Haven Street entrance of
Brande Court and tie into the existing pipe presently located
in the Brande Court parking area be given a priority rating. If
funds are not adequate to accomplish the project in FY-81 the
priority rating be carried forward into FY-82.
The Board discussed the solid waste problem and Mr. Cowell
stated that of all the possibilities open to the Town NESWC is
the most viable, but that he could not vote for it as the contract
presented is not equitable and therefore concluded the best option
available to the Town is to put the rubbish collection project
out on contract again on a short term basis, keeping it competi-
tive and perhaps the Town would be better off. The Board of
Public Works' contract for rubbish collection does not expire
until June 30, 1981 and it was agreed to inform the Finance
Committee that the Board is not willing to enter into a contract '
such as that presented by NESWC as it is too one sided.
The Board signed the Pay Roll for the period ending October
29th and the Bill Roll dated November 2, 1979.
Zeetar
Lu mitted�
^'
J