The Board meets on the first and third Monday of each month. Meetings begin at 1:00 p.m. and are held in the department conference room at 65 Lafayette Ave, Littleton. Board meetings are open to the public and time is allotted for public comments at each meeting.
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The regularly scheduled Board of Commissioners (BOC) meeting began at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, April 01, 2013 in the Littleton Water and Light Department (LWL) conference room. Present were Commissioner Ralph Ross, Commissioner Eddy Moore, Commissioner Perry Goodell, Financial Services Director Cheryl Wilkins and Superintendent Thomas Considine.
MINUTES REVIEW:
The minutes of March 18, 2012 regularly scheduled Commissioners meeting were reviewed. Commissioner Moore made a motion to accept the minutes as presented, seconded by Commissioner Goodell.
The vote was in favor of the motion 3-0-0.
SUPERINTENDENT/ MANAGERS REPORT:
1. The Managements and Discussion Analysis portion of the 2012 year end audit was completed and forwarded to the auditor for inclusion with the audit of the financial statements. The full audited report is expected to be presented to the BOC within the month.
2. The department will be conducting a web presentation on Thursday afternoon to discuss and review the remote utility billing option proposed by National Information Services Cooperative as compared to LWL printing locally. Office staff will have an opportunity to ask questions and review the proposed process.
3. The final water storage tank costs (~$ 1,145,000) were compiled and reviewed by the BOC. This amount represents the total costs from conceptual project development through final construction. The above cost was capitalized and the depreciated amount is reflected in the 2013 water divisions O&M budget. The total cost is complete with the exception of the cost to set the property boundary markers ($2,200) adjacent to the Robert’s Family Trust Property. This task will be completed as soon as the ground thaws out so that the final property survey can be completed and markers set. The debt incurred specifically in the water division for the construction of the new tank amounts to a potential increase in rates of about four (4) percent. Hydrant fees (fire capacity) were increased six (6) dollars a year to defer a portion of the total debt incurred.
The BOC acknowledged that water consumption usage is still trending downward having a negative effect on the revenues. The department needs to take this into consideration during rate development in addition to offsetting the debt due to construction.
4. National Grid appears to be submitting the same load data to ISONE since the system outage on March 7, 2013 that destroyed the electric metering equipment and their ability to monitor the department loads accurately. The system load recorded from March 1st – March 6th is being submitted and repeated again by National Grid every seven (7) days.
This presents a concern financially for the department as the ambient temperature begins to warm and the load submitted by National Grid for regional settlement do not reflect the department’s actual system load. This could result in higher monthly costs as the settlement process is the mechanism that ISONE uses to assess wholesale power costs that are associated with spot market energy activity. We have not received an update from the department’s National Grid liaison as to the status of repairs or how future load settlements will be processed.
5. The Department was asked to attend a meeting with regard to selecting a location for the new wood pellet heating system approved at town meeting for the Littleton Highway and Fire Department. After much discussion it was decided that the system with a 800 SF footprint would be placed closer to the wood line towards the Farr Hill Road side of the property between the highway garage and fire house. The initial location selected was adjacent to Boynton Lane in the middle of the property, centered between the highway, fire and police building and did not appear to be properly suited do to its proximity to traffic activity.
GENERAL BUSINESS:
1. Superintendent Considine briefed the BOC that the new water storage tank at the top of School Street is operating as expected since being placed in service about four (4) months ago and that the overflow is stopped under normal operations. The BOC was presented with a draft proposal to place overflow controls at the remaining overflow locations along the water system (Apthorpe and Gale River) in an attempt to stop or management losses during periods of low system demand. A dual pneumatic pilot system is being proposed for the Apthorpe buffer tank that will retrofit the existing rate of flow valve. The pilots selected by a solenoid will manage the flow for each demand condition (normal/ low) and be activated by a pressure switch that monitors tank level.
Similar overflow controls are being developed at the intake to prevent the contact chamber from overflowing. Both locations are in remote areas and conventional power supply is not readily available, the lack of street power limits the available control options available at these sites.
The BOC encouraged the department to do what it could to minimize system losses/ waste and to conserve as much water as economically feasible as the operating margins are tight in the water division. The capital investment would have an immediate return though it would most likely be realized over a longer period of time due to the present operating expense.
CUSTOMER & PUBLIC CONCERNS:
The department received a phone call from a person that alleges that their car sustained damage as a result of hitting a sink hole on Mann’s Hill that just appeared. The actual site that we believe that the person referenced was the site of a water leak (repairs made of January 21, 2013) on Mann’s Hill Road just below Whitcomb Woods. Documentation of the damage or repairs made to the vehicle was requested though the department has not received anything as of this meeting.
Department personnel are observing the site of the repair and will continue to maintain the surface as needed. The repairs were made when the ambient temperature was close to zero (0) degrees and it is expected that the surface area may worsen as the roadway thaws. Final repairs will be made at a later date.
ADJOURNMENT:
Commissioner Goodell made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by
Commissioner Moore.
The vote was in favor of the motion 2-0-0.
Commissioner Ross excused himself from the meeting prior to the final motion for adjournment.
Meeting adjourned at 2:40 p.m.
The regularly scheduled Commissioner’s meeting is held twice monthly on the first and third Monday, at 1:00 p.m., in the Department’s conference room.