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WEST WARWICK TOWN COUNCIL

ACTING AS SEWER COMMISSION

MEETING MINUTES

DATE: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2021 TIME: 7:00 P.M.

A. Meeting called to order at 7:40 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

SC2021-03:

RESOLVED, that the minutes of the January 19, 2021 Town Council meeting, acting as the Sewer Commission, is hereby accepted.

A motion was made to table the January 19, 2021 by Councilman Licciardi and seconded by Councilwoman Williamson. 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 January 2021.

• Average daily flow was 6.8 mgd with a maximum of 10.9 mgd and a minimum of 4.9 mgd.

• CBOD removal was 98%. DEM requirement is 85%.

• TSS removal was 98%. DEM requirement is 85%.

• Total Nitrogen is out of season so we are monitor only.

• Total Phosphorus was 0.33 mg/l. DEM requirement is 1.0 mg/l.

• Sludge to Synagro was 481.68 wet tons which is 112.95 dry tons. Sludge to Landfill was 31.5 wet tons which is 6.93 dry tons.

• There were 2 public line blockups:

1. Pawtuxet Terrace

2. Hepburn Street

• There were 6 private line blockups:

1. Providence Street

2. Silverwood Lane

3. Cold Spring Drive

4. Phenix Avenue

5. Home Street

6. Aster Street

• There were no odor complaints or facility violations.

• Councilman Licciardi asked Mr. Chapdelaine if he knew the reason(s) why we are turned away at Synagro. Mr. Chapdelaine replied they were turned away a couple of times in February because Synagro was down. He said if Synagro’s incinerator goes down or if they have too much sludge to process they will not accept any loads.

• Mr. Geremia stated he will check the percentages to Synagro and the Landfill against the budget and present it at the next meeting.

E-2: Industrial Pretreatment Program – January 2021

Significant Industrial Users

• Rhodes Technologies, Amtrol, Immunex and Bradford Soap and Warwick Ice Cream all submitted their quarterly self-monitoring reports and all were in compliance.

• New England Testing Laboratories, Ethide Laboratories, Cal Chemical, Dryvit, Rhodes Technologies at 500 Washington Street and Rhodes Pharmaceuticals all submitted their semi-annual self-monitoring reports and all were in compliance.

Private Wastewater Treatment Facilities

• Cowesett Corners conducted their semi-annual line cleaning of their sewer lines, force main and pumping station and was found to be in good condition.

• The Wolohoojian line which services Marketplace Center was also cleaned and found to be in good condition. There were a few areas of grease buildup but they were taken care of and there were no interruptions in wastewater flow.

Food Service Inspections

Six inspections were conducted this month and all but one were in compliance.

• Zeng's Kitchen, Inc. - 975 Main Street, West Warwick

• Applebee’s - 300 Quaker Lane, Warwick

• Masala, LLC - 35 Quaker Lane West Warwick

• Subin, LLC d/b/a Masala Pakistani and Indian Cuisine - 35 Quaker Lane, West Warwick

• Emilio's Bakery Inc. - 35 Quaker Lane, West Warwick

• Chick-fil-A, Inc. - 1500 Bald Hill Road, Warwick

• Zeng's Kitchen, Inc. did not have a wastewater permit application. Upon inspection we found one of their grease recovery devices was not functional and the second one had not been cleaned. The owner was instructed to submit an application. As of the end of January we have still not received their applications.

Maintenance and Repair Facilities

The following facilities were inspected this month and all were in compliance.

• Scrub-A-Dub - 1390 Bald Hill Road, Warwick

• Inskip Mini - 1515 Bald Hill Road, Warwick

• Inskip BMW - 1515 Bald Hill Road, Warwick

• Inskip Car Wash BMW - 1515 Bald Hill Road, Warwick

• Inskip Infinity - 1085 Centerville Road, Warwick

• Inskip Audi - 1515 Bald Hill Road, Warwick

• Inskip Auto Mall - 1515 Bald Hill Road, Warwick

Food Service Permits

• His Fruits of Coventry, LLC d/b/a Tropical Smoothie Café - 2350 New London Tpk., Coventry

• China Star - 1028 Tiogue Avenue, Coventry

• Wise Guys Deli House LLC - 289 Cowesett Avenue, West Warwick

E-Permitting Systems

• The Program continues to work with the testing laboratory at 153 James Murphy Highway. The company has hired an engineer to review the sewer design and make the necessary modifications to come in compliance with the regulations. We expect their submission next month.

E-3: Director of Administration

• Year-to-Date Operating and Debt Expenses for Fiscal Year 2021 as of January 31st totaled $5,380,899 which is 58% of the annual budget.

• Fiscal Year 2021 Sewer Usage collections through January 31st totaled $4,527,439 which is 66% of the total billed. Of the total collected, $71,379 represents interest.

• Fiscal Year 2021 Sewer Assessment collections through January 31st totaled $287,447 which is 104% of the total billed. Of the total collected, $1,708 represents interest.

• Cash and Investments through January 31st totaled $3,234,550.

• Councilman Licciardi asked Ms. Suvajian if she has started working on the budget. Ms. Suvajian replied yes, she’s been in touch with Pat from Synagro and they are working on something which she will discuss with the Subcommittee at the next meeting. She said they come up for renewal on July 1st.

F. Old Business

F-1: Providence Street Private Sewer Line Pricing

• Council President Gosselin stated he put this on the agenda and he attended the last Sewer Subcommittee meeting and spoke to everyone about all that has gone on at this location.

• He said the Town performed work in the manhole at this location and there was some damage done as a result of said work which caused problems for two of the residents. At the Subcommittee meeting they discussed the Town fixing these problems once and for all.

• Council President Gosselin said they received a quote from the contractor of approximately $7,650 to replace a portion of the main, two laterals and two backflows.

• Council President Gosselin stated he has discussed the costs and payment for the finish work, e.g., landscaping, loom, seed with the two homeowners and both homeowners have agreed to pay for the finish work if the Town will fix the sewer line.

• Council President Gosselin asked Solicitor Williamson to put together an agreement that states the Town will not be responsible for the sewer line once it’s been fixed.

• Council President Gosselin asked Ms. Suvajian if the money will be coming out of the Emergency Services account. She replied yes.

• Council President Gosselin asked for the Council’s approval so this matter can be resolved once and for all. He reiterated that the Town should not do any work on private property going forward.

• Councilwoman Williamson asked what the quote of $7,650 included. Council President Gosselin replied it’s the main from Ms. Padula’s property, both laterals and both backflow valves.

• Councilwoman Williamson asked why we are paying for the backflows. Council President Gosselin replied it’s a minor expense so we said we would take care of that if they took care of the landscaping, loom, e.g.

• Councilwoman Williamson said we need to make sure the backflow valves are included in the agreement. She asked how long the pipe is that we’re replacing. Mr. Chapdelaine replied about 150 feet.

• Councilwoman Williamson asked if we will have any issues attaching to the existing pipe. Mr. Geremia replied a transition coupling will be connected and inspected upon installation.

• There was some discussion about inspection of the slope which was found to have no issues and getting a small excavator and machinery in to do the work. Mr. Chapdelaine stated the contractor has talked to one of the neighbors about taking down their fence temporarily to get the machinery in.

• Council President Gosselin asked again for the Council’s approval. Councilman Licciardi stated he agrees with this plan but he would like to see the agreement before signing off.

• Council President Gosselin stated once the agreement is drawn up he wants to meet with both of the residents to discuss the agreement and have them sign it.

• Solicitor Williamson asked what the timeframe was for the agreement and the project. Council President Gosselin replied as soon as possible.

• Councilwoman Williamson asked if there will be a cap on this project. Council President Gosselin said he will not exceed $9,000.

A motion was made by Councilwoman Williamson and seconded by Councilman Messier to approve a $9,000 expenditure for said line, laterals and backflows subject to a legal agreement being signed prior to work commencing. All in favor, none opposed and unanimously voted to accept.

F-2: Questionable December Odor Complaint Procedure and Follow-Up Investigation

• Councilman Licciardi stated he put this on the agenda and it is why he made the motion to table the minutes of the last meeting. As the Sewer Subcommittee Chairman, he feels it is his job to bring information regarding the Sewer Plant back to the Sewer Commission.

• Councilman Licciardi said it was brought to his attention that an odor complaint was reported to the Plant in late December yet no odor complaints were reported to the Subcommittee. He said he could not get a straight answer when he asked about said complaint.

• Councilman Licciardi stated this information is reported to DEM and if we approve the minutes, they say there were no odor complaints. As of right now, he still doesn’t know if an odor complaint came in or if it was recorded properly. The Superintendent told him there were a lot of new staff at the Plant.

• Councilman Licciardi stated we need to get to the bottom of this and find out what the procedures are then we need to make sure everyone is aware of these procedures. He would like this matter investigated and he would like someone to be the point-person and find out what happened. He said if a complaint did come in but was not reported to DEM then a revision needs to made.

• Councilman Licciardi asked Solicitor Williamson if this is a legal matter and how to go about an inquiry into this matter. Solicitor Williamson replied have the Assistant Superintendent Chapdelaine and Director of Administration Suvajian gather all the evidence (phone calls, emails, etc…) regarding the alleged odor complaint then see what they come up with and go from there.

• Councilwoman Williamson asked that their findings be reported at the next Subcommittee meeting.

• Councilman Licciardi said he would like to know the proper procedures for odor complaints at the next Subcommittee meeting as well.

• Mr. Geremia stated there are Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) regarding odor complaints. Councilman Licciardi asked if there is a written procedure or manual. Mr. Geremia replied that is something the Superintendent would do and have though there are some SOP in the O&M Manual also.

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