WPCA Minutes 3/12/2020
WATER POLLUTION CONTROL AUTHORITY
REGULAR MEETING
MARCH 12, 2020
“Subject to Vote of Approval”
1. CALL TO ORDER
Jay Sheehan called the regular meeting of the Water Pollution Control Authority to order at 7:00 p.m. in the Conference Room at the Water Pollution Control Facility, 36 Drake Hill Road, Simsbury. The following members were present: Michael Park, Tom Hickey, Jacques Brignac, and Lucian Dragulski. Also present were Tony Piazza, Superintendent, Tom Roy, Director of Public Works, and Alison Sturgeon, Clerk.
2. SAFETY BRIEF – Mr. Sheehan gave a safety brief noting the exits in case of an emergency.
3. PUBLIC HEARING - WOODLAND / HOPMEADOW STREET AREA SEWER UPGRADE
LEGAL NOTICE
TOWN OF SIMSBURY
WATER POLLUTION CONTROL AUTHORITY
The Simsbury Water Pollution Control Authority will hold a public hearing on Thursday, March 12, 2020, at 7:00 pm in the Conference Room at the Simsbury Water Pollution Control Facility, 36 Drake Hill Road, Simsbury, CT. The purpose of this hearing is to review a proposal and possibly take action for upgrading the sanitary sewers, which serves 21-85 Woodland Street and 552-660 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, CT. All interested property owners shall have the opportunity to appear and be heard.
WATER POLLUTION CONTROL AUTHORITY
Paul Gilmore, Chairman
Mr. Sheehan read the legal notice.
Mr. Dragulski made a motion to open the public hearing. Dr. Park seconded the motion, which was unanimously approved.
Mr. Roy stated that a presentation like this is usually given to homeowners with septic systems. For this project, the homeowners are already connected to the Town’s sewer system through Ensign Bickford. He stated that the homeowners will benefit from this project at no cost, although there will be some disruption. Homeowners will continue to pay a user fee to the Town; the only difference is that there will be dedicated Town staff if there is a problem.
Mr. Roy gave a presentation including an overview of the Water Pollution Control. He stated that at full capacity, the treatment plant can handle 3.8 MGD, although it is currently only half utilized. This plant serves Simsbury as well as portions of Avon and Granby; approximately 4,500 residential customers are serviced. He stated that most times, the reason for sewer installation or replacement is when new developments come into Town within the sewer area, or at a neighborhood’s request. Mr. Roy stated that funding for this project, if approved, will be between Dyno Nobel and the WPCA. The WPCA has funds available to pay the cost up front; Dyno Nobel would reimburse the Town.
Mr. Roy showed an aerial view of the project site, which showed all of the existing sewer connections. Mr. Piazza stated that some of the sewer pipes run through several house foundations as well as under porches. Mr. Roy stated that the Town cannot accept the current sewer because they cannot maintain a sewer that was built that way. If this project is approved, they will build an up-to-date modern system. Mr. Piazza stated that they will be replacing the laterals as close as practical to the houses. They will also be videoing and taking pictures of the entire area, which will be restored to current conditions.
Mr. Roy stated that the current preliminary cost estimate for the survey, easements and main line construction is $1,350,000 to $1,650,000. The design presented tonight is only one potential design. Town staff continues to look at the best alternative that is the least costly. Some of the topography in this area makes this project challenging. They are looking at making this project the best it can be, functioning for the long term as well as be constructed in a way to not damage any of the properties and minimize the impacts.
Mr. Roy stated that because the laterals will be replaced, they will need access to properties. This will require documentation so the WPC as well as contractors have a right to enter properties. An easement will also need to be obtained for areas that sanitary sewers are crossing over private property.
Mr. Sheehan opened the public hearing to comments and questions.
Mr. Gaucher, 21-23 Woodland Street, stated that the current sewer line goes from behind his house to across the street connecting to a house and then goes behind that house toward Ensign Bickford. He stated that there is a retaining wall and a set of steps that are on top of the sewer line. He questioned how this would work. Mr. Roy stated that generally, they do not like to disturb retaining walls since they will have to repair any retaining wall to modern engineering standards. If this is the case, there may be an option to do some plumbing inside of his house to bring the lateral out the front; the other option is to stop the replacement of the lateral just short of the stairs and retaining wall.
Elizabeth Grande, 605 Hopmeadow Street, questioned if these sewer improvements would increase property taxes. Mr. Roy stated that although he cannot speak for the tax assessor, he would highly doubt it. Ms. Grande stated that this project consists of replacing the main line as well as the laterals. She questioned if the old line would be removed. Mr. Piazza stated that they will be removing the old lines where possible; most times the old lines get sealed and capped in place. For clarification, Ms. Grande stated that they will be responsible for any issues within their lateral on their property but not on the street. Mr. Roy stated that this is correct, which is the same for all customers within the Town.
Jill Paddock, 581 Hopmeadow Street, questioned if her lateral would cross down the front yard. Mr. Piazza stated that this would depend on the sewer design as well as the flow.
Nord Christensen, 32 Woodland Street, stated that he had two lines coming out of his house, although he tied everything into one line several years ago after several reoccurring issues. Mr. Roy stated that the current issue with his lateral may be that it does not have enough pitch or the problem may be roots. Mr. Christensen questioned what the timeframe for construction would be. Mr. Piazza stated that the survey has already begun; best case would be 2021 construction.
Mr. Gaucher stated that since the main line would be coming down the street and then it would branch off to his property, if part of that line is on private property, where would the start of his responsibility be. Mr. Roy stated that this is a good example of where an easement would be required. He stated that the Town is responsible for the main line, even when it is on private property; the homeowner is responsible for the full length of their lateral.
Mr. Sheehan read a letter dated February 21, 2020 into the record from David Litchfield stating that he is in favor of this sewer upgrade. Mr. Piazza stated that Ms. Swanson, 635 Hopmeadow Street, did leave him a voicemail stating that she could not attend this meeting but that she would prefer that her backyard does not get ripped up.
Mr. Christensen stated that he is in favor of this project.
Dr. Park made a motion to close the public hearing. Mr. Hickey seconded the motion, which was unanimously approved.
Mr. Sheehan stated that he is very impressed and thanked Dyno Nobel for being a good neighbor and partner.
Dr. Park made a motion to approve the Woodland / Hopmeadow Street area sewer upgrade project as presented. Mr. Hickey seconded the motion.
Mr. Piazza stated that if the estimates or projected costs come in too high, there is still the option not to go forward with the project. Mr. Roy stated that if the bids come in that are beyond a reasonable number, the Town will not award the bid. Although he noted that once construction has started, nominal change orders may occur.
Dr. Park amended the motion to include these cost provisions as described. Mr. Hickey seconded this amendment. The motion was unanimously approved.
4. SEWER USE FEES FOR FY 2020/21 – DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLY SET PUBLIC HEARING DATE
Mr. Piazza stated that there are two projections for the Authority members to review; both go out to 2028 which is when the Clean Water Fund Loan gets paid off. He stated that when rates were discussed last year, the Authority members discussed having a cost of living increase every year.
At the last meeting, there was a question on why the sewer use fund and the sewer assessment fund were separate funds. Mr. Piazza stated that other Towns have one fund and do not separate these out. With his model, he stated that he has combined the two funds. As of last July, the funds totaled $7.5 million. When projected, the only year that the fund goes down drastically is during the Woodland Street project. Year 2028, once the Clean Water Fund Loan is paid off, the fund goes back up to $7 million. At that point in time, the money that was used to pay the loan will be going directly into the sewer use fund, which is approximately $1 million per year. Mr. Piazza stated that the other projection shows a 3% increase in the sewer use rates every other year. This shows the reserve fund would be at $8.5 million during that same time period.
Mr. Piazza recommended not raising the sewer user rates for FY 2020/21. There was a consensus among the Authority members to not raise rates.
Mr. Hickey made a motion to not raise sewer user rates for FY2020/21. Dr. Park seconded the motion, which was unanimously approved.
5. STATUS REPORT ON SEWER EXTENSION PROJECTS, ETC.
Mr. Piazza stated that the sanitary sewers are in on Hendricks Lane, which is off of Climax Road. The contractor has started pulling permits for houses connections, although the video inspection is still needed. No certificate of occupancy will be issued until these outstanding issues are settled. Regarding Hoskins Road, the bond will be released for the first phase, which was for approximately 300FT of sewer. The only outstanding issue is that drawings are still needed. Mr. Piazza stated that The Ridge at Talcott Mountain is eliminating 13 townhomes and will be putting in another 32 unit apartment building. They will need to change the sewer line in order to accommodate this change. An additional $57,000 will be paid to the Town for the change in the facility connection charge.
6. TREATMENT FACILITY REPORT
Mr. Piazza stated that all permit requirements were met for the month of February. Staff has started the replacement of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC). Staff is coordinating with the computer integrator from Tighe & Bond for installation. Work has begun and will continue for the next several weeks. Staff is also continuing work with AECOM for the update of the Water Pollution Control Plan, the Water Pollution Control Facilities Plan, Analysis of the protective berm with the updated flood plain mapping, and an update on the phosphorous removal plan. AECOM engineers visited the site to perform an overall assessment for potential system upgrades.
Mr. Piazza stated that the bid for sanitary sewer lining has been awarded to Granite Inliner. The Town Attorney is reviewing the contract documents. The work is anticipated to start in April. Staff is prioritizing the lining of the clay tile pipes within the Town. We will also investigate the possibility of lining the Tunxis Pump Station force main as part of this project. This force main is made of asbestos clay pipe and several repairs have been made in the past.
Regarding the plant water system, Mr. Piazza stated that it has been delivered and installation is schedule in the coming weeks.
7. CORRESPONDENCE
The Authority members reviewed a memo from Mr. Piazza to Michael Glidden, Director of Planning and Community Development, regarding the changes for The Ridge at Talcott Mountain. They also reviewed the notice of award as well as a notice of rejection for the on-call sewer rehabilitation.
8. POSSIBLE NOMINATIONS / ELECTIONS OF CHAIRMAN AND VICE-CHAIRMAN
After a short discussion, there was consensus among the Authority members to keep officers of the WPCA the same.
Mr. Dragulski made a motion to keep Paul Gilmore as Chairman and Jay Sheehan as Vice-Chairman of the Simsbury Water Pollution Control Authority. Mr. Brignac seconded the motion, which was unanimously approved.
9. FEBRUARY MEETING MINUTES – POSSIBLE APPROVAL
Mr. Hickey made a motion to approve the February13, 2020 minutes as written. Mr. Dragulski seconded the motion, which was approved. Dr. Park abstained.
Mr. Piazza stated that the Finance Director and the Bond Council are potentially looking at refinancing the Clean Water Fund Loan since bond rates are currently very low. There is the potential to save approximately $250,000 total for the last 8 years of the loan. He stated that the WPCA would not have input in this since the bonding was done by the Town.
10. ADJOURN
Dr. Park made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:05 p.m. Mr. Hickey seconded the motion, which was unanimously approved.
_________________________
Jay Sheehan, Vice-Chairman