UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING
NOVEMBER 1, 2021
Mayor Foster called the meeting to order at 6:32 p.m. In attendance were Council members Sam Shoge, Tom Herz and Meghan Efland, Bob Sipes (Utilities Manager), Jennifer Mulligan (Town Clerk) and guests.
Mayor Foster asked if there were any additions or corrections to the Utilities Commission meeting minutes of October 4, 2021. Mr. Herz moved to approve the minutes of the Utilities Commission minutes of October 4, 2021, as submitted, was seconded by Ms. Efland and carried unanimously.
Mayor Foster stated that cash on hands for the Utilities Commission was $2,600,810.18 with $1,130,723.68 set aside for capital projects.
Mayor Foster asked for a motion to pay the bills. Ms. Efland moved to pay bills as submitted, was seconded by Mr. Herz and carried unanimously.
Mr. Sipes stated that they were working on extending the line on Mill Street and there were a couple issues, one of which is that the tracks are still in place. He said that he was going to try to cut them with a torch.
Mr. Sipes stated that a truckload of lime was delivered, a bill for the patching around Town and miscellaneous parts, all of which were larger expenses that the Council would typically find in the bills. Mr. Shoge asked if there were backlogs for items required by the Utilities Commission due to Covid. Mr. Sipes stated that he has run into some issues with long waits but has been fortunate finding alternatives. He said that his largest concern was chemicals, but it has not been an issue to date. He said that prices were increasing as well in most areas.
Mr. Sipes stated that the building at the water plans is in bad shape and repairs that have been done over the years are no longer holding. He said that he was trying to come up with budget numbers to move and replace the generator and relocate electrical equipment. He said that the engineer he hired said he needs a new building which should be in place and running before the old building is demolished. He said that he was looking at different locations on site. Mr. Shoge stated that could be a good fit for the ARPA funding. Mr. Sipes stated that he should be hearing back from the engineer on an estimate.
Mr. Shoge asked about viable options for electrical generators. Mr. Sipes stated that at this time the electrification of the plant was not something that was available due to the amount of energy that was required for the plant.
Mr. Sipes stated that he and Mr. Forlini met with Apex and the comments in the report were not really discussed, but they did talk about a timeframe for the suggested work. Mr. Sipes stated that he would also like to discuss the viability of Well 8.
There being no further questions or comments, Ms. Efland moved to adjourn the meeting at 6:55 p.m., was seconded by Mr. Shoge and carried unanimously.
Submitted by: Approved by:
Jennifer Mulligan David Foster
Town Clerk Mayor