WEST WARWICK SEWER COMMISSION
SEWER SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
DATE & TIME: MARCH 5, 2020 - 3:00 P.M.
LOCATION: WEST WARWICK REGIONAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY
ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
1 PONTIAC AVENUE
WEST WARWICK, RI 02893
MEMBERS PRESENT
Councilman Licciardi
Councilwoman Williamson
Town Manager Ernie Zmyslinski (Absent)
Superintendent Harrison Songolo
Director of Administration Christine Suvajian
James Geremia, James Geremia and Associates
Jennifer Ludwig, Town of Coventry (Absent)
Assistant Superintendent Michael Bedard
A motion was made to approve the February 6, 2020 minutes by James Geremia and seconded by Councilman Licciardi. All in favor none opposed.
The following is taken from the Plant Manager’s report data through February 23, 2020.
· Average daily flow was 5.7 mgd with a maximum of 7.94 mgd.
· CBOD removal was 98%. DEM requirement is 85%.
· TSS removal was 97%. DEM requirement is 85%.
· Total Nitrogen is out of season so we are monitor only.
· Total Phosphorus was 0.72 mg/l. DEM requirement is 1.0 mg/l.
· Sludge removal to Synagro was 422 wet tons which is 107 dry tons.
· There were 4 private line blockups:
1. Berkley Street
2. Cone Drive
3. Petti Drive
4. Harley Street
· There was 1 public line blockups:
1. On Main Street, the sewer line was cleaned and some bricks were retrieved.
· An in-house training was conducted on chemical usage with Fusion.
· There were no odor complaints or facility violations.
· Mr. Songolo stated he put out a memo to all employees regarding the Coronavirus suggesting everyone take all necessary precautions to stay healthy.
· Year-to-date operating and debt expenses as of February 29th totaled $5,761,512 which is 64% of the annual budget.
· Sewer Use and Sewer Assessment Revenue collected as of February 29th totaled $5,063,355.
· I will report the updated Cash and Investment balance as of February 29th at the next Sewer Commission meeting.
· Ms. Suvajian stated, at the next Sewer Commission meeting they will see a resolution approval for the Contract Extension (Contract 2017-15) for Emergency Generator Preventative Maintenance, Testing and Repair Services with Generator’s M.D. formally known as Charlie’s Diesel. The current contract expires March 30, 2020.
· Plant Chemicals will be expiring June 30th with an option to extend for another year as well as our Uniform Contract with Cintas. Cintas has already expressed an interest to extend for an additional year.
· There was further discussion about the expiration of upcoming contracts and whether or not they will be going out to bid.
Significant Industrial Users
· This month Rhodes Technologies (498 Washington St.), submitted a self-monitoring report this month. The results were within the permit limits.
· New Permits were issued to Warwick Ice Cream and Amtrol.
Private WWTF
· The property managers for 1600 Division St. submitted a draft O&M for the Wasserman Private Wastewater Facility. The O&M did not include a majority of the required information. A letter was issued. The Company plans to bring a medical waste incineration company into the facility but has not submitted applications or plans.
Food Service
The following food service facilities were inspected this month for compliance with the grease removal standards:
1. Tavern on the Lake Inc. (d/b/a Morse Tavern), 446 Tiogue Avenue in Coventry
2. Outback Steak House, 1000 Division Street in East Greenwich
3. TGI Fridays, 989 Centerville Road in Warwick
4. Benny’s Clam Shack, 1152 Main Street in Coventry
5. Li’l Rhody Ice Cream, 283 Quaker Lane in West Warwick
· Morse Tavern inspection showed the grease recovery device had been neglected and was not working at the time of the inspection. A Notice of Violation was issued requiring the company to clean the GRD, report the cleaning on a monthly basis, and submit a $100.00 fine.
· Outback ceased operation this month. The company cleaned the grease interceptor and the unit was inspected. Repairs will be needed before a new tenant occupies the space. The Newport Group will be taking over the facility. The Property Manager was notified that the new owners would need to file plans and applications. East Greenwich DPW was also notified not to issue any permits until the plans were approved.
· TGI Fridays closed this month. The grease interceptor was cleaned after the closing.
· Li’l Rhody Ice Cream (283 Quaker Lane, West Warwick) submitted an application this month. The facility was inspected and they did not have a grease removal system. The facility will submit a plan to install a grease recovery device.
Plan Reviews
· Plans were submitted for a 6-unit strip mall at 294 Cowesett Avenue. The plans were found to be generally consistent with requirement and a letter was issued.
New Connections
The construction has stopped this month, it is expected to continue mid-March.
1. Mid- Town Square, 35-55 Sandy Bottom Road in Coventry.
2. Coventry Plaza, LLC, 1026-1050 Tiogue Avenue in Coventry.
3. 1200 Quaker Lane Development, LLC in East Greenwich.
Maintenance and Repair (M&R)
· Providence Street Group, Inc. d/b/a Ocean State Truck & Equipment Sales was inspected as part of a business application. The company moved to 334 Providence Street in West Warwick and did not file plans or applications. The inspection showed the facility has several floor drains exposed to hazardous material and does not have an oil/water separator. The facility will be required to submit applications.
· Ms. Suvajian stated she currently working on the budget. She said the Sewer Billing Clerk is behind implementing revenue due to issues with the lockbox for tax payments.
· There was additional discussion regarding the lockbox issues and how payments are being applied.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked if the Finance Department is aware of the issues with the lockbox. Ms. Suvajian responded yes and they are working to rectify the problems.
· Ms. Suvajian discussed the increases in the budget which are administrative fees, health insurance, workers compensation, property and liability insurance and pension.
· Ms. Suvajian stated Mr. Songolo and Mr. Geremia are working on the numbers for the Capital budget.
· Mr. Geremia suggested it is a good time to review the Wastewater Fees and Charges for changes during the new budget.
· Mr. Geremia said to keep in mind there are some upcoming bonds that will be paid off in the near future.
· Mr. Songolo stated he is still moving forward to better coordinate a web-based checklist with the Fire Department for all departments to access.
· Ms. Suvajian stated she has an email into Lieutenant Houle requesting the status of the setup of said database.
· Mr. Geremia stated we only received one bid for the Centrifuge project and he recommended we go with it.
· Ms. Suvajian said she will prepare a Resolution for the next Sewer Commission meeting.
· There was additional discussion regarding how the project will be financed.
· Mr. Geremia discussed the aluminum requirements for the wastewater discharge.
· Mr. Geremia stated on or about March 1, 2020 the Town of West Warwick received a draft Consent Agreement in response to its request for a judicatory hearing to place a specific timetable for RIDEM’s imposed permit conditions for aluminum on hold. The proposed Consent Agreement has dates when RIDEM requests specific tasks are to be completed and forwarded to their office for review and approval. After reviewing the timetable, I believe it would not allow the full Commission time to assess the costs associated with the project, or make the proper recommendations and approvals. A key element in the Consent Agreement requests the Town to provide detailed analytical testing in the River. This task will require the Town to solicit proposals for analytical services.
· Mr. Geremia said the three dates he proposes changing are:
1. April 10th - RIDEM requests the Consent Agreement be signed and sent to their office. My recommendation is that this date be changed to April 30th to allow the Sewer Commission approval at the April 17th meeting.
2. June 30th - This is the date for the Town to submit the Sampling and Analytical Plan (SAP). Based on the Town’s procurement process and ability award the contract for analytical services, it is my recommendation that the SAP be submitted on or about September 30th.
3. The final ambient monitoring report is to be submitted 21 months from RIDEM’s approval of the SAP. Since the analytical program is 18 months, this time should be extended to 24 months.
· Mr. Geremia said based on the approval of the Subcommittee, JGA will prepare a draft letter for the Town Manager’s signature requesting that RIDEM modify the dates as previously discussed. JGA will prepare a bid package to determine the costs associated with the SAP. It is also recommended that these costs be distributed over the next two fiscal years.
· Mr. Geremia stated the objective of the Consent Agreement is to determine the actual amount of aluminum that can be discharged from the Plant without impacting the water quality of the Pawtuxet River. This will also allow time for EPA and RIDEM to adopt the new ambient water quality criteria for aluminum. The ultimate goal of this is the hopes to increase the allowable aluminum to be discharged from the Plant to avoid costly modifications to the Plant.
· Ms. Suvajian stated we still have two existing appeals from August of 2019 that have not been heard and she was informed of a new appeal coming up in the new fiscal year.
· Ms. Suvajian stated currently on the Town’s website there are other Board vacancies being advertised but not the Sewer Appeals Board vacancies. Councilman Licciardi and Councilwoman Williamson said they will look into that.
· Councilman Licciardi stated he thought this was advertised in the newspaper. Ms. Suvajian said it is not.
· Ms. Suvajian suggested handling the Appeals in-house and having them heard and approved by the Town Council until the Board vacancies are filled. There was some discussion regarding this.
· Mr. Songolo stated he has a possible candidate. Councilwoman Williamson said this individual also applied for another Board and a person can only be on one Board at a time. There was additional discussion on whether or not this person would be able to serve.
· Mr. Songolo stated the process to fill a vacant position takes a very long time and is continually leaving us understaffed. He said he would like to handle the hiring process in-house with Director of Administration Suvajian and the Personal Director working together to hopefully speed up the process.
· There was additional discussion regarding the job posting process and how long it takes.
· Councilman Licciardi asked who would be responsible for the repair if someone were to install and connect to an existing Town-owned main sewer line if that line were to become faulty due to this new connection. Mr. Geremia responded the Town would be responsible.
· Mr. Songolo stated when someone connects it is always inspected before it is approved.
A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by James Geremia and seconded by Councilwoman Williamson. All in favor none opposed.
We experienced technical difficulty during this meeting.