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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-12-13 Board of Selectmen Minutes Board of Selectmen Meeting December 13,2005 For ease of archiving, the order that items appear in these minutes reflects the order in which the items appeared on the agenda for that meeting, and are not necessarily the order in which any item was taken up by the Board. The meeting convened at 7:00 p.m. in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, 16 Lowell Street, Reading,Massachusetts. Present were Chairman Camille Anthony, Vice Chairman Richard Schubert, Secretary Joseph Duffy, Selectmen James Bonazoli and Ben Tafoya, DPW Supervisor Ted McIntire, Water Treatment Plant Supervisor Peter Tassi, Assistant Town Manager Bob LeLacheur, Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner, Paula Schena and the following list of interested parties: Bill Brown, Stephen Crook, Tom Ryan, Tom Gardiner, Gina.Snyder, Michael Hornbrook, Patricia-Filippone, Pam Hidell, John Wood, Jamie Maughan, Richard Moore, Will Finch. Reports and Comments Selectmen's Liaison Reports and Comments — Selectman Ben Tafoya noted that. the draft agreement with Verizon gives them three years to wire the Town. Verizon had indicated that most of the Town is already wired so they shouldn't need so much time. Selectman Tafoya also noted that businesses would like to have the service. Public Comment—Tom Ryan noted that it is improper to shovel snow into the street, so why is it okay for Public Works to throw snow, ice and sand onto his lawn? Ted McIntire indicated that he will follow up with him on this matter. Town Manager's Report The Town Manager gave the following report: He thanked DPW for their work on the Christmas lights, and the Chamber of Commerce for planning the lighting events to go with it. o The snow will be cleared tonight in Downtown—we had to find a new place to put the snow. 0 He has received complaints from Summer Avenue residents regarding not plowing the sidewalks on both sides. He encourages citizens to clear their own sidewalk. The Town clears the school routes. o Bob LeLacheur noted that he wants to schedule two Saturdays to review the budget. The dates of January 21st and January 28th were set for budget review at 9:00 a.m. Discussion/Action Items Meet with MWRA re: Water— MWRA Chief Operating Officer Michael Hornbrook, MWRA Treasurer Patricia Filippone and Pam Hidell were present. Mr. Hornbrook noted that Reading would be more than welcome as a full member. They are a wholesale provider of water and sewer and are governed by an 11 member Board of Directors. He reviewed the organizational structure of the MWRA, and noted that Reading is already admitted as a partial user, and an increase will require revisions to the entry fee and the contract. Board of Selectmen Meeting—December 13, 2005 —Page 2 Mr. Hornbrook noted that there will be three major reviews. The Town will need to obtain enabling legislation and obtain a finding from the DEP that the Town is not abandoning but protecting the water supply and will keep the wells as an emergency backup. The Town will also I have to abide by applicable conditions, and a notice of project change has to be filed with MEPA. He also noted that the Town is already a member so the timeframe should be considerably shorter — perhaps one year. The Town Manager noted that MEPA was the longer process. Chairman Camille Anthony asked about the role of the Water Resources Commission. Mr. Hornbrook noted that the Water Resources Commission give the interbasin transfer and sets the amount. He also noted that the donor basin has plenty of water and the receiving basin is very stressed, and the Quabbin Reservoir is full and spilling over. Consumption'has gone down considerably due to leak detection, cost and plumbing codes. Mr. Hornbrook noted that Reading is the first community to request 100% usage. The MWRA will be available for consultation if needed. Selectman Ben Tafoya asked if the Town chooses to go to MWRA 100% if we still have rights to the Ipswich River. Mr. Hbrnbrook indicated that we would and we would maintain and run a local system. John Wood asked if there was any group who could say no. Mr. Hornbrook indicated that the DEP could say no. If they do, then the Town can go for legislation. He indicated that it is logical to go to DEP first. John Wood asked about water restrictions. Mr. Hornbrook noted that the WRC might place restrictions on the Town. Mr. Hornbrook noted that regarding quantity, there is more than enough water. Regarding quality, they meet all EPA and DEP rules. They just opened a new ozone plant and in the future, there will be the ultraviolet. They will be meeting all existing and future regulations. Ultraviolet has been programmed into the future. They have extensive emergency response plans and bioterrorism.plans. The capital plan includes covered storage and the rehab of transmission lines. They are not planning on doing filtration. The Town Manager noted that there were complaints of bad taste in 1992. Mr. Hornbrook noted that they were using a lot of chlorine then before going to ozone. Bill Brown noted that there was an article in the Globe regarding Woburn taking partial water, but there was a conflict with the chemicals used. Mr. Hornbrook noted that he did not hear of a problem in Woburn. Sometimes there's a problem with melding but he has looked at Reading and does not anticipate any problems. Selectman Ben Tafoya asked if at anytime the MWRA has shut down the water supply to the Boston area, and Mr. Hornbrook indicated that it has not. He noted that the Holman aqueduct failed so they built the Metrowest Tunnel. They will then go back to the Holman aqueduct and restore that for redundancy. Board of Selectmen Meeting—December 13 2005 —Page 3 . Selectman Ben Tafoya noted that the MWRA supplies water to 61 communities and asked what percentage of the State that was. Mr. Hornbrook noted that is 1/3 of the State. Selectman Tafoya asked about covered storage, and Mr. Horinbrook noted that they completed the one day covered storage in the Mass. Turnpike Area. They are looking to put covered storage in the area of Reading. That will be a system wide cost. John Wood noted that years ago,the MWRA did not meet the DEP regulations and they received a waiver. Mr. Hornbrook noted that DEP put them on a schedule to complete the work and that has been done. Tricia Filippone, Treasurer of the MWRA, reviewed the annual operating budget and debt. She noted that they have an $82 million operating budget, $102 million in financing, and $20 million in revenue and investment income. They are looking at receiving $1.1 million in relief from the State. They have two reserve funds to mitigate. The rate setting is done annually based on the approved budget. Assessments are based on the flow from the previous year. Flow data is given out monthly for leak detection purposes. They don't see any future large expansions, only the addition of the ultraviolet and the covered storage. Mr. Hornbrook noted that the annual expenses are$180 million- $200 million per year. Chairman Camille Anthony asked what is the value of the system, and Ms. Filippone indicated that it is $7 billion. The Town Manager asked how much debt per year they have,.and Ms. Filippone indicated $1.6 billion is in the 10 year plan. Mr. Hombrook noted that a cap has been put on capital spending. The Town Manager asked what is happening to their current debt over the next 10 years, and Ms. Filippone noted that it is growing at$25 million per year and peaks out around the year 2020. The Assistant Town Manager noted that in their rate forecast, the rates drop after six years and he asked if that was due to their planning on an increase in the customer base. Ms. Filippone indicated that it was not but they encourage new users. The Assistant Town Manager asked how much of the reserves has been spent, and Ms. Filippone noted that $80 million has been used since debt relief stopped in 2003. Selectman Ben Tafoya asked why the State will pay for sewer but not for water. Ms. Filippone noted that the only water project that was eligible was the Metrowest Tunnel. Mr. Hombrook noted that the MWRA 'is looking for additional storage in the Reading area — perhaps a storage tank with or without Reading in 100%. The impact on the Quabbin is none— they have been dumping excess water for the past two months, and they welcome Reading as a 100% user and would assist if needed. The Town Manager asked what type of assistance they are offering, and Mr. Hornbrook noted that they can help in any technical matter. Ms. Filippone noted that they offer educational material on conservation, they serve as a contact for leak detection, and offer a loan program for unlined pipes. Board of Selectmen Meeting—December 13, 2005 —Page 4 Jamie Maughan asked if their technical people can help with DEP and MEPA. Ms. Filippone indicated that they can review the draft applications. The Assistant Town Manager asked what was the biggest risk to cause rates to go up, and Mr. Hornbrook noted that would be any unknown or unforeseen emergency response requirements. He also noted that they have spent considerable money in security. Richard Moore asked how much the stabilization fund was reduced in 2003 and if there are any plans to rebuild it. Ms. Filippone noted that it was reduced by $14 million in 2003, and there is no surplus to rebuild this year. She also noted that utility costs and interest costs are increasing. Richard Moore asked about the lifespan of their capital, and it was noted that Deer Island is 50 years, the tunnels are 100 years, the new treatment plant is 40 years, and equipment is 10-15 years. John Wood noted that the MWRA is using ozone treatment now when most water treatment plants use filtration, and he asked how many other providers don't use filtration. Mr. Hornbrook noted that ozone, ultaviolet and chlorination will meet all requirements and kill any virus. He indicated that he will get a list of the other cities who don't filter. It depends on the source of supply and they don't need filtration for their water supply. He does know that both New York and Portland,Maine do not filter. Gina Snyder asked when the, ultraviolet will be in place along with the cost to install and the energy to run. Mr. Hornbrook noted that the ultraviolet will be in place and operating in 2012, the cost for the installation will be $24 million, and he doesn't know the impact on the energy use. Will Finch asked if there were any legal barriers that might cause delays, and Ms. Filippone noted that they proposed to the Water Resources Commission that they relook at their policy. The Town Manager noted that a representative of the Water Resources Commission spoke to him today and noted that they are looking at their policies this week. Water Treatment Plant Supervisor Peter Tassi asked if the MWRA relies on communities to have their own water supply as redundancy, and Mr. Hornbrook noted that they do but that depends on where it is. The Town Manager noted that he will try to get the DEP and Water Resources Commission to come in to meet with the Board. A motion by Tafoya seconded by Duffy to adjourn the meeting of December 13, 2005 at 9:15 p.m. was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. Respectfully submitted, e S c et ry