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WEST WARWICK TOWN COUNCIL
ACTING AS SEWER COMMISSION
MEETING MINUTES
DATE: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2020 TIME: 7:00 P.M.
A. Meeting called to order at 7:05 p.m. by Town Council President Gosselin 
B. Roll Call
Members present:
Council President Gosselin
Council Vice President D’Amico
Councilman Messier
Councilman Licciardi
Councilwoman Williamson
Participating communities:
Town of Coventry
Town of Scituate
City of Cranston
City of Warwick
Town of West Greenwich
C. Commission Clerk determined a quorum on record.
D. Minutes of previous meeting
SC2020-26:
RESOLVED, that the minutes of the September 15, 2020 Town Council meeting, acting as the Sewer Commission, is hereby accepted.
Resolution moved by Councilwoman Williamson and seconded by Councilman Messier.
All in favor, none opposed and unanimously voted to accept.
E. Reports
E-1: Plant Manager
The following is taken from the Plant Manager’s report data from September 2020.
· Average daily flow was 3.2 mgd with a maximum of 6. mgd.
· CBOD removal was 99%. DEM requirement is 85%.
· TSS removal was 99%. DEM requirement is 85%.
· Total Nitrogen was 7.4 mg/l. DEM requirement is 7.6 mg/l.
· Total Phosphorus was 0.01 mg/l. DEM requirement is 1.0 mg/l.
· Sludge sent to Synagro was 398.69 wet tons which is approximately 101.64 dry tons. Sludge sent to the Landfill was 72.44 wet tons which is approximately 18.11 dry tons. Total wet tons were 471.13. Total dry tons were 119.75.
· There were 6 private line blockups:
1. Cone Drive
2. Clyde Street
3. Dawes Street
4. Pawtuxet Terrace
5. Crompton Avenue
6. Providence Street
· There were no public line blockups:
· There were five odor complaints, one from Maisie Quinn pump station on Duke Street.
· There were no facility violations.
· We have been looking into working with the Building Department in regards to permitting and inspections. We have joined the View Point Cloud program so we can now coordinate with the Building Department to ensure inspections are done in a timely manner.
· Councilman Licciardi inquired about the amounts of sludge being sent to the landfill. Mr. Songolo replied it depends on what’s happening at Synagro. Last month we sent five truckloads to the landfill because Synagro was overloaded with the amount of sludge they were receiving.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked if we are still within the budget for sludge removal. Mr. Songolo replied we are within the ten percent.
E-2: Industrial Pretreatment Program – September 2020
Significant Industrial Users
· Rhodes Technologies submitted their self-monitoring report All perimeters were in compliance.
· Rhodes Technologies did take down one of their processors for maintenance. They have completed and are now are back online.
Food Service Inspections
Five food service facilities were inspected this month.
· Tavern on the Lake d/b/a Morse Tavern in Coventry had an outstanding notice of violation. The company completed the requirements and submitted a check for the penalty. A new permit was issued. We since found the check submitted did not clear so we will be following up on that.
· The permit for Club Frontenac, Inc. in West Warwick will expire next month. The Program provided them an application for renewal.
· During inspection of the Westcott House, Inc. we found their grease recovery device was not functioning. The facility manager corrected the situation and got the system up and running.
· Fresco Also, Inc. d/b/a Fresco and the Portuguese American Citizens Club, Inc. were both inspected and found to be in general compliance.
Plan Reviews
· Miss Vegan, a proposed bakery on Bald Hill Road in Warwick submitted plans and a letter of approval was issued.
New Connections
· 272 Cowesett Avenue in West Warwick (O'Reilly Automotive Stores, Inc. and Dollar Tree Stores, Inc.) was substantially completed this month.
· Mid-Town Square on Sandy Bottom Road in Coventry resumed construction this month. The laterals were completed and the connections to the building have been started.
· Anthony Fire Station on Washington Street in Coventry began construction this month. As of the end of the month, the project was not completed.
· The demolition of Ruby Tuesday’s in East Greenwich Square has occurred. The new building will house a JP Morgan Chase Bank. The plans for the bank have not been completed. We expect to have the completed plans next month.
Other
· House of Liquors on Quaker Lane in Warwick cleaned their line and we observed the invert needed repair. The facility was notified and the repair completed.
· The Program met with the new owners of 1755 Bald Hill Road. They have submitted the plans and application for a proposed adult daycare center at that location.
E-3: Director of Administration
· Year-to-Date Operating and Debt Expenses for Fiscal Year 2021 as of September 30th totaled $3,718,813 which is 40% of the annual budget.
· Fiscal Year 2021 Sewer Usage collections through September 30th totaled $3,049,196 which is 46% of the total billed. Of the total collected, $41,863 represents interest.
· Fiscal Year 2021 Sewer Assessment collections through September 30th totaled $209,120 which is 75% of the total billed. Of the total collected, $975 represents interest.
· Cash and Investments through September 30th totaled $3,232,544.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked if there is any concern about expenses being at 40% when we’re only a quarter of the way through the year. Ms. Suvajian replied not at all, a lot of our debt service was paid in September which brought the percentage up.
F. New Business
F-1: Progress Report from O&M Solutions
· Councilman Licciardi addressed why we are having another organizational review. He stated this is a follow-up to the initial report done by Charles Lombardi two years ago at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Mr. Lombardi has been approved for 100 hours.
· Councilman Licciardi stated the focus of this follow-up is efficiency and safety. Mr. Lombardi has been meeting with administrative and union staff members as well as himself and Councilwoman Williamson as representatives of the Sewer Subcommittee. Mr. Lombardi will also submit periodic progress reports with suggestions which will culminate in a final report at the end of the year.
· Councilman Licciardi stated in regards to the budget, the Superintendent submits a budget to the Sewer Subcommittee for review and recommendation only, then the budget is submitted to the Sewer Commission for approval. Any breaks in equipment, emergency repairs or safety hazards that come up after the submission of the budget are brought before the Subcommittee for review but are handled within the department.
G. Resolutions
RESOLVED, per recommendation by the Superintendent of Sewers and Sewer Subcommittee, in response to the Request for Qualifications and subsequent Proposal for Engineering Services for the Pretreatment Program and General Sewer System Analysis, Contract 2021-05, to the engineering firm of James J. Geremia & Associates, Inc., of Providence, Rhode Island in the amount of One Hundred, Twenty-Three Thousand and No Cents ($123,000.00) per year for the Pretreatment Program and the following hourly rates for General Sewer System Analysis.
Resolution moved by Councilwoman Williamson and seconded by Council Vice President D’Amico.
All in favor, none opposed and unanimously voted to accept.
H. Consent Agenda
RESOLVED that the consent agenda, having been posted, all matters having been referred to proper departments and being disposed of or awaiting recommendations the same is hereby approved.
Resolution moved by Council Vice President D’Amico and seconded by Councilwoman Williamson. All in favor, none opposed and unanimously voted to accept.
I. Public Comment
· Councilman Licciardi asked for the status of the BAF pump repair. Mr. Songolo said it should be completed in a couple of weeks.
· Councilman Licciardi asked what the plan is after the repair. Mr. Songolo stated they will put the repaired pump online then have the riggers pull out the third pump and install the second pump at the same time.
· Councilman Licciardi asked if we are budgeted for all of this. Mr. Songolo responded yes.
· A question was asked regarding why we don’t compost the sludge versus sending it to the dump. Mr. Songolo replied composting was suspended for a few reasons. In the warmer weather a few farmers would take the compost but in the colder weather they don’t. When we added the Phosphorus Building we ran into problems with space and storing the compost. There is also a DEM limit on the amount of compost that can be stored, going over the limit would result in violations. Lastly, no longer storing compost is also very helpful in reducing the odors coming from the plant.
· Mr. Geremia stated there are no private companies within our region that compost sludge and DEM puts a lot of restraints on what we can do with the composted material.
J. Adjourn
A motion to adjourn was made by Councilwoman Williamson and seconded by Council Vice President D’Amico. All in favor, none opposed and unanimously voted to accept.
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