Tri-Town Board of Water Commissioners

TRI TOWN BOARD of Water Commissioners Braintree, Holbrook, Randolph MINUTES October 3, 2019 Present: Joseph C. Sullivan, Chair, Town of Braintree, Bill Alexopolous, Town of Randolph, Tim Gordon, Town of Holbrook. In attendance: Jim Arsenault, Stephen DeFrancesco, Lou Dutton, Paul Gabriel, Helen Gordon, Brian Howard, Robyn LaFrance, Anne Malenfant, Chris Pellitteri, Rhonda Pogodzienski, Bob Scherpf, Lorraine See , Janine Smith, and Mike Walsh. Mayor Sullivan opened the meeting at 1:14 pm. Mayor asked for an update on the water supply and Lou Dutton stated that it’s at 80% and he foresees no concern considering the cooler temperatures. PFAS Testing: Lou Dutton, Helen Gordon  Helen Gordon noted that Environmental Partners submitted a request to MassDEP for approval to test a carbon system at the Braintree water treatment plant.  Lou Dutton reported that they are starting daily PFAS testing today for one week, followed by weekly testing thereafter. It was explained that at this point they are collecting data. Chris Pelleteri said that Holbrook is not testing and instead is relying on Braintree’s samples since they share the same water supply.  There was brief discussion regarding Powdered Activated Carbon (PAC).  Helen Gordon gave a brief overview of the regulatory developmental process that MassDEP will follow concerning establishing a PFAS drinking water standard.  Brian Howard commented that while Tri Town is under the federal and state limit now for PFAS, he believed they would still be required to issue a public notice. Brian referred to the recent water supply issue that affected Randolph and Holbrook. Mayor Sullivan asked for clarification by Helen Gordon. Helen Gordon explained that the process is that the water supply goes through a water filtration process and then to homes. She explained that homes could be a different level depending on the use of faucet filter attachments and fire retardant products.  There was a brief discussion on this subject matter and it was stated that Tri Town will issue a statement on the water supply this month. Discussion and Vote for Tri Town Water Treatment Plant Designer Services: Tri Town Board Mayor Sullivan thanked both firms for their proposals and he asked the other board members if they wanted to comment. Bill Alexopolous thanked CDM and AECOM for their presentations and he expressed confidence in both firms. Tim Gordon agreed stating that both proposals were strong and he thanked all participants for their presentations. Mayor Sullivan stated that EPG provided a memo to the board and he explained that it was not an easy decision. Mayor asked EPG to comment and Helen Gordon responded. Helen explained that the process included 1) list of qualifications 2) a review/selection committee, and 3) scoring. Mayor stated that the final scoring was 88/76 in favor of AECOM. Helen Gordon said that they reviewed notes and recommendations and in every category AECOM was favored. Helen Gordon explained that the references were based on five checked references. Helen stated that it was very close pre-interview. Mayor asked if anyone else had comments and Tim Gordon asked if the OPM could comment. Paul Gabriel said that AECOM gave a strong presentation and Helen Gordon added that the dynamic of the AECOM team was favored by one point. It was agreed that without question both firms are qualified. Mayor further stated that in his review of the proposals he noticed that Keville Enterprises is used as a consultant. Mayor publicly disclosed that he did work for Keville many years ago. Mayor stated that he has not had communication about Braintree before, during or after he became Mayor. Mayor restated that the Tri Town Board’s vote was unanimous for AECOM. He again expressed thanks and appreciation to Mike Walsh and said it was a difficult decision as both firms were well qualified. Mayor Sullivan asked if anyone else had comments or questions and if not asked for a motion. MOTION: by Tim Gordon to award the Tri Town engineering project to AECOM SECOND: by Bill Alexopolous VOTE: unanimous On behalf of the Board, Mayor Sullivan again expressed appreciation to CDM and AECOM. Mayor explained that the next meeting will include an update on the legislation. As the OPM, Helen Gordon noted that their next steps will be to negotiate the scope of work and budget, and she clarified that today’s vote was for qualification. Minutes: The minutes of the September 26, 2019 meeting will be reviewed and accepted at the next meeting. The next meeting was scheduled for Monday, October 21 at 1pm at Braintree Town Hall. The meeting adjourned at 1:45 pm. Respectfully submitted, Robyn LaFrance Recording Secretary