Water & Wastewater Commission

Water/Wastewater Commission Meeting Minutes April 19th, 2023 Legislative Building, City Hall Campus 700 Main St, Fitchburg MA 01420 ______________________________________________________________________________ A meeting for the City of Fitchburg Water/Wastewater Commission was held on Wednesday March 29th, 2023 at the Legislative Building, City Hall Campus, 700 Main St. Fitchburg, MA 01420 The meeting commenced at 5:10 PM Members present: George Seiner, Commission Member Rick Healey, Chairman Nicholas Erickson, Commissioner of Public Works Michael McLaughlin, Commission Member Others present: John Deline Jr, Deputy Commissioner Water Division Mark McNamara, Deputy Commissioner Water Division Absent: Stephen Bodurtha, Commission Member Colby O’brien, Commission Member Mark Piermarini, Commission Member Item #1 Approval of meeting minutes: Motion to approve minutes from March 29, 2023 meeting was granted by unanimous vote. Item #2 Public Forum: None Item #3 Water Division  FY24 Water Division Budget – City Auditor Calvin Brooks asked us to hold off on presenting the budget until we finalize everything with City Council regarding the increase of water/sewer rates. Once this is completed we will put together the final numbers for our budget and forward  via email to Commission Members to look over before we present it at the May Commission Meeting.  Water Rates / City Council Meeting – Water/Wastewater rate changes should be approved by the City Council the first or second week of May. Needs to go through proper channels, and once approved new rates will take effect on June 1, 2023.  5yr Capital Plan – Informational sheet given to Commission Members outlining projects that will be taking place through the next 5yrs. Some are mandated, as they are part of the ACO. See attachment.  Oak Hill Tank Replacement Project – Tank has been demolished completely. Concrete from the old tank has been removed. They’ve poured some of the bottom of the tank and will pour the rest next month to get the full thickness at the bottom. Steel work on the bottom is also moving along fairly quickly and we anticipate the project to be fully complete with the tank back on-line by the end of July.  Staffing update – With the laborers contract finally settled, we have advertised for open positions. We have eight open positions and have recently just hired three new employees. We will also send out offer letters to three additional persons of interest that have been interviewed. This will leave us with only two open positions and we may have those filled as well. Item #4 Wastewater Division:  FY24 Wastewater Division Budget – Discussion on WW budget on hold until City Council approves the water/sewer rate increases. Also waiting for the debt service numbers. We did receive new chemical bids showing market is stabilizing.  Great American Rain Barrel Program - Find more about the barrels and participation in The Great American Rain Barrel Program by visiting www.greatamericanrainbarrel.com and selecting your town. Barrels are offered for $89. Barrels will be available for pick up on Saturday, June 24th, 9:00-11:00 am at the Fitchburg Easterly Wastewater Treatment Facility, 24 Lanides Lane, Fitchburg, MA 01420. Deadline for purchase is June 11th, Midnight.  Upcoming Projects – CSO 10 – Funding has been approved by the state. Bids have been set up and sent out. We had 5 bidders. Lowest bidder was J. Polito & Sons. Looks like the start date will be mid-June. Before the start date we will be sending out information to residents on the scope and longevity of the work that will be taking place. This work will be taking place at the end of River St. @ Main St. at the rotary.  Staffing update – Many openings last time we discussed staffing issues. We have since hired a number of new employees. A couple of vacancies have been filled in-house. We still have other openings with job descriptions posted. We are hoping to get more qualified candidates. Item #5 Other Business:  The Water/Wastewater Commission will next meet at 5:00 pm on Wednesday May 17, 2023 at the Legislative Building, City Hall Campus 700 Main St. Fitchburg, MA. Meeting adjourned at 5:48 pm