WEST WARWICK SEWER COMMISSION
SEWER SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
DATE: MAY 7, 2020 TIME: 3:00 P.M.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Councilman Licciardi
Councilwoman Williamson
Town Manager Ernie Zmyslinski (Arrived late)
Superintendent Harrison Songolo
Assistant Superintendent Michael Bedard
Director of Administration Christine Suvajian
James Geremia, James Geremia and Associates
Jennifer Ludwig, Town of Coventry
A motion was made to approve the March 5, 2020 minutes by James Geremia and seconded by Councilwoman Williamson. All in favor none opposed.
The following is taken from the Plant Manager’s report data for March 2020.
· Average daily flow was 5.8 mgd with a maximum of 10.6 mgd.
· CBOD removal was 99%. 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 0.6 mg/l. DEM requirement is 1.0 mg/l.
· Sludge removal to Synagro was 453 wet tons which is 99.6 dry tons.
· There were 3 private line blockups:
1. Main Street
2. Riverdale Avenue
3. New London Avenue
· There was 1 public line blockups:
1. There was an overflow between Church Street and Nestor Street reported by Councilman Licciardi.
· Due to Covid-19 all trainings are postponed.
· There were no odor complaints or facility violations.
· In regards to Covid-19, all plant staff spend one hour every morning disinfecting high-contact areas and all working spaces.
The following is taken from the Plant Manager’s report data for April 2020.
· We experienced a lot of rain in April which caused a few problems with pretreatment, especially with Phosphorus removal.
· Average daily flow was 5.9 mgd with a maximum of 14.6 mgd.
· CBOD removal was 95%. DEM requirement is 85%.
· TSS removal was 89%. The TSS removal rate dropped due to the amount of rain in April.
· We don’t have all of the results for total Phosphorus yet. The amount of flow that came in created challenges in Phosphorus removal because we need sand and the heavy rains washed out the sand.
· Sludge removal to Synagro was 582 wet tons which is 128 dry tons.
· There were 2 private line blockups:
1. Juniper Drive on April 4th
2. Providence Street on April 16th – There was a spill at this location and the drainlayer that was working there did not follow protocol to properly remove the sewage. We reported this violation to DEM and they will take over dealing with the offender.
· There was 1 public line blockups:
1. Lonsdale Street on April 5th – This was reported by a homeowner. The line was blocked with grease and flushable wipes. These wipes have become a big problem because they don’t dissolve very well and they cause a lot of blockages, especially at the plant.
· Due to Covid-19 all trainings are postponed.
· There were no odor complaints.
· Until the Phosphorus results are in, I cannot report on facility violations however it doesn’t look good. If so, this will be the first violation in the past couple of years.
· In regards to Covid-19, all plant staff spends one hour everyday disinfecting high-contact areas and all working spaces. This will be ongoing.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked what the Phosphorus violation will mean for the plant. Mr. Songolo responded nothing really, there will be no fines. He said it’s more of a self-reporting situation.
· Year-to-date operating and debt expenses as of March 31st totaled $6,049,293 which is 67% of the annual budget and as of April 30th the total was $6,394,233 which is 70% of the annual budget.
· Sewer Use and Sewer Assessment Revenue collected as of March 31st totaled $5,677,845 and as of April 30th the totals were $6,264,958.
· Cash and Investment balance as of March 31st totaled $3,196,307. I will report April’s total at the next Sewer Commission meeting.
§ Update on Expiring Contracts: We have some Contracts that will be expiring on June 30, 2020 with an option to extend for an additional year if mutually agreed upon.
§ Contract Extensions have been agreed upon and signed by:
1. Microbac for Analytical Lab Work.
2. Univar for Methanol and Sodium Hypochlorite.
3. Borden & Remington for Sodium Hydroxide.
4. Holland Company for Alum.
5. Madigan Lime for lime does not want to extend so we will have to go out to bid for lime.
· We will also have to go out to bid for Uniform Rentals with Cintas which expires June 30, 2020 with no more extensions available.
· Sludge Removal with Synagro expires June 30, 2020 with an option to extend. Waiting on direction from the Superintendent.
· As mentioned in previous meetings, we will be going out to bid for the Pretreatment Program which expires November 1, 2020.
· Jim Geremia prepared the bid for the new Instream Sampling of the Pawtuxet River which is available on the Town’s website as well as the Wastewater website. Due to the quarantine, the bids will not be opened publicly.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked what was budgeted for Revenue for Sewer Usage. Ms. Suvajian responded $6,970,000 based on what was billed for FY 20. She stated sometimes more is collected than what was budgeted due to delinquent bills being paid from previous years.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked if there has been a substantial decrease in payments coming in due to the Covid-19 Executive Order postponing the 4th quarter due date. Ms. Suvajian responded no, we’re about the same as last year.
Significant Industrial Users
· Rhodes Technologies, Warwick Ice Cream, Amtrol and Immunex all submitted their self-monitoring reports and all were in compliance.
· Rhodes Technologies has installed a new acetone recovery system. Unfortunately, the system needs to be started up by the manufacturer who are located in Canada. Due to Covid-19 they cannot come and start it at this time.
· Rhodes Technologies also had a spill but nothing entered the system.
· Amtrol received their new flow meter. It was installed in April.
Private WWTF
· Showcase Cinemas had scheduled a cleaning of their private line but had to cancel due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The cleaning has been rescheduled for next month.
· Construction continues on the 1200 Quaker Lane development. Final approval is pending Showcase Cinemas’ private collection system O&M manual upgrade.
· 1600 Division Street (the old MetLife building) has not submitted an acceptable O&M manual. They currently have a new tenant who has not submitted any of the required pretreatment applications or plans. The new tenant treats medical waste by thermal destruction.
· Councilman Licciardi asked if all the tenants at this location need to have a separate sewer line or can they funnel into one. Mr. Geremia said the Program would like to see separate lines there in order to sample and verify the waste from a particular component in order to see which needs to be regulated. He said with a complex like this we need to see plans so we can work with them.
· Mr. Geremia stated also with a complex like this, the industrial waste needs to be separated from the domestic waste so it can be sampled for compliance.
· Councilman Licciardi asked if we’ve received anything at all from any of the tenants or the owner of this site. Mr. Geremia responded no, none of the required pretreatment applications or plans have been submitted however they receive their building permit.
· Councilman Licciardi stated this is the problem we’ve been discussing. Currently, the final step to getting a business license is clearance from the sewer department which is coming after the building department has already issued their permit.
· Mr. Geremia said clearance from the sewer department should come before issuance of the building permit.
· Councilman Licciardi stated there could be several businesses up and running at this location that we don’t even know about.
· Mr. Geremia stated we have this issue with all complexes and mill complexes like this that have multiple tenants renting space. He said they are having the same problem at the mill complex located at 3 Bridal Avenue. The owner is refusing to let the inspector in.
· Councilman Licciardi stated he will contact the Tax Assessor and Town Clerk and attempt to find out what businesses are at these locations.
· Mr. Songolo stated he had been meeting with some of the other departments regarding this problem but they haven’t reconvened since the Covid-19 outbreak.
· Councilman Licciardi stated there is a clearly a breakdown in communication.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked if it is just that one business at 1600 Division Street that we’re having a problem with. Mr. Geremia responded there are a few at that location that have not submitted any of the pretreatment applications or plans. Mr. Geremia stated the problem isn’t always with the tenant. It often lies with the building owners who also need to sign off on the applications but refuse to. He said this is the situation the Program is dealing with at Agawam Mill.
· Councilman Licciardi said he understands the Program is trying to work with business owners but eventually you have to say enough is enough. We can’t let these businesses go on operating illegally.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked Mr. Geremia to provide a report of all the businesses in these large complexes and mills that the Program has been having problems with.
· Councilman Licciardi asked Mr. Songolo to set up a Zoom meeting with the other department heads he’s been working with on this.
· Mr. Songolo said he, Ms. Suvajian and the Town Clerk’s office have already collected the necessary information regarding this. He is just waiting for the information from the building department. He said then he will need to contact the Communications Officers, Joe and John, to help with set up the software.
· Councilwoman Williamson said she would like the report from Mr. Geremia as well. Mr. Geremia he’ll send it to her next week.
Food Service
· Walmart at Centre of New England and Piezoni’s at East Greenwich Square both provided evidence that the cleaning of their grease interceptors was performed. Both were in compliance.
· Rhode Island Shellfish was originally set up to serve steamers, quahogs and uncooked stuffies wholesale. During our last inspection we found they were selling fried seafood retail without a permit or the proper equipment. The Program will be meeting with the company to get them into compliance.
· Dunkin Donuts at 275 Cowesett Avenue in West Warwick) was issued a new permit because they will be moving their grease trap outside next month.
· Li’l Rhody Ice Cream at 283 Quaker Lane in West Warwick installed a grease recovery system. During installation the contractor found the sewer lines and lateral were deteriorating. The Program has given the company a compliance schedule to give them enough time to replace the sewer lateral.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked if Mr. Geremia received a call regarding the Main Street Pub possibly changing ownership. Mr. Geremia responded no.
· Mr. Geremia said this is a follow-up to the discussion at the March 5, 2020 Subcommittee meeting regarding DEM’s request to the Town to have a consent agreement signed by April 10, 2020.
· Mr. Geremia stated that he responded to DEM on behalf of the Town letting them know we would be unable to meet the April 10th deadline.
· Mr. Geremia stated the consent agreement requires the Town to do sampling of the Pawtuxet River upstream and downstream of the WWTF. He said he put together an RFP for that sampling protocol. This was advertised and letters were also sent out to the labs we currently work with. The bids will be received on May 21, 2020.
· Mr. Geremia said the other requirement is a resiliency report which looks at flood conditions. He said any new facilities will have to comply with the revised DEM flood requirements. Any existing facilities will have to comply with these requirements when doing upgrades.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked if there was any grant money available for these upgrades. Mr. Geremia responded there was some funding available but it was only up to $5,000,000. He said the cost to rebuild or upgrade would be over $13,000,000.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked if we will be fined or are the existing buildings grandfathered in. Mr. Geremia responded, we will not be fined. These requirements only apply to new construction or upgrades.
· Mr. Geremia stated he has all of the bonds together and will be sending the contract for the Town’s signature. He said the order has been placed with the manufacturer and it will take about a year for the delivery and construction.
· Councilwoman Williamson and Councilman Licciardi asked if this construction will disrupt anything at the plant. Mr. Geremia responded no and this is stated in the contract.
· Mr. Songolo stated the existing Centrifuge will remain operational during construction and the plant employees will work with the construction crews to ensure no disruption.
· Ms. Suvajian opened up the budget discussion.
· Mr. Geremia said they did look at the surcharges this year (BOD, Phosphorus, etc…) and revised the rates. Ms. Suvajian said we can do that as an Exhibit A when adopting the budget.
· Councilman Licciardi brought up the increase for Reimbursement of Town Services in this year’s budget. He said he would like to know the breakdown of this increased amount. He also wants to know the exact services the Town is providing for the $348,000 the WWTF is paying them. He said he cannot move forward on the budget until he is given this information.
· Ms. Suvajian stated that there is a 7% increase to the Town this year. She said she will ask the Finance Director for the breakdown of services and forward it to the Subcommittee.
· Ms. Suvajian stated they will be using 100% of the Sewer Assessment money to offset a rate increase this year.
· Mr. Geremia stated they stopped doing that a few years ago but with today’s economy and what’s going on they decided to do it this year.
· Mr. Geremia said since the sewer bills are based on prior year water consumption we will be facing a decrease in revenue next fiscal year due to the current decrease in water consumption this year.
· Councilwoman Williamson said she was surprised to see the sewer use revenue amount down to 4.029 from the budgeted amount of 4.038. Ms. Suvajian responded that amount is based on prior year water consumption. She said it’s possible there was a slight decrease in water consumption last year.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked where we are from a collection standpoint. Ms. Suvajian responded we are currently at 84% for sewer use and 90% for sewer assessment. She said last year we collected at 96.2% for sewer use and 121% for sewer assessment.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked is the budgeted amount for salaries includes the Chief Operating Officer (C.O.O.). Ms. Suvajian said no. Councilwoman Williamson asked if it was in last year’s budget. Ms. Suvajian said yes, for half the year.
· Councilwoman Williamson questioned the 9% increase in salaries this year. Ms. Suvajian responded it is due to the union and non-union employee raises. There was additional discussion about the breakdown and raise schedule. Ms. Suvajian said she will send a breakdown to the Subcommittee.
· Councilman Licciardi stated the C.O.O. position was created based on the report from CWL O&M Solutions to have a C.O.O. on staff to oversee and help with the transitions of the new Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent and the two new Chiefs. However, the C.O.O. has been gone for months so the overseeing and training never happened.
· Councilman Licciardi stated he is skeptical about how things are going at the sewer plant since this training never took place.
· Mr. Songolo stated the C.O.O. position was also created because of the DEM requirement that the WWTF have two supervisors with Grade 4 licenses.
· Mr. Songolo stated the Assistant Superintendent needs to take an exam in order to get a Grade 4 license however DEM has suspended all exams due to Covid-19. Mr. Songolo said he sent DEM a letter requesting the exam be given to the Assistant Superintendent one-on-one and is waiting for their response.
· Councilman Licciardi asked if DEM is aware that we will not have a second Grade 4 supervisor as of July 1st? Mr. Songolo responded they are aware. He said they are comfortable with the Assistant Superintendent’s past experience at the plant and they know the C.O.O. is technically still employed. Mr. Songolo stated he has also agreed to DEM’s requirement that he not leave the state.
· Councilman Licciardi asked if we have had to call on the C.O.O. since he’s been gone. Mr. Songolo responded not really. He said even when the C.O.O. was here he was running the plant which gave him the opportunity to learn the job of the Superintendent.
· Councilman Licciardi asked how the shifts are being split right now. Mr. Songolo responded that he and the Assistant Superintendent work opposite shifts but he does pop in occasionally when the Assistant Superintendent is on.
· Councilman Licciardi asked if we could get into trouble if there is no Grade 4 supervisor physically at the plant. Mr. Songolo responded no, he has already had multiple discussions with DEM regarding this.
· There was some additional discussion about management at the plant and how things are going with all the changes over the past year. There was also some discussion regarding the staff shortage at DPW and the WWTF interview process.
· Ms. Suvajian stated the Public Hearings for the FY 21 WWTF Budget will be held on May 26, 2020 and June 2, 2020 at 6:45 p.m.
· Councilman Licciardi asked if we’ve heard back from Coventry regarding the meters. Mr. Geremia said he wrote a letter to the Town Manager about 3 months ago and there’s been no response.
· Councilman Licciardi asked Mr. Songolo to resend the letter.
· There was some additional discussion regarding the C.O.O.’s commitment and the Grade 4 licenses.
None
A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Councilwoman Williamson and seconded by Councilman Licciardi. All in favor none opposed.
To view this meeting go to:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbL7bcRdbnnTMDm2sqFM_dw?view_as=subscriber