like to open today's meeting of the Town Board of Water Commissioners Monday February 10th we're starting at about 7:05 um just to note that uh per this um
the extension of the open meeting law um this meeting is BU being by zoom and is being recorded by tcam to be uploaded to YouTube later uh roll call of members present
Todd malanson present Nathan Mata present Jessica foli present uh roll call of citizens and other people present please Dave V superintendent
present uh okay Mr carries here again alrighty um going from there um I have no chairman has no add additions and deletions um has everybody had a chance to read the minutes of January
13th yes yes all right anybody have any problems with them um yeah well I don't know if you say a problem correction yeah the end of 4.1.2 what were we tbling to wait for
Budget decisions I don't I don't remember that I don't remember that was the water department verbiage Townsen water department but I don't know why we were discuss I don't I think that that's
incorrect no I because we I believe we were deciding on the budget that we needed to take a vote on at that time I think I I wasn't proposing a change to
anything okay um I was just trying to reaffirm that you know this this is what it is we shouldn't be creating multiple variations of the verbiage or any logo okay you know that might have been from
another meeting I don't know I can't remember back that far sorry um all right I'm okay with removing it Jess um yes I'm okay with it um being
removed as Nate said okay can I have a motion please I move Mr chairman I move that we accept the meeting minutes of Monday January 13
2025 with the uh change to 4.1.2 striking the last line the last sentence second it motion has been made and seconded any further
discussion seeing none I'll I'll take a roll call vote Todd malanson I Nathan matala I funi I all right motion passes unanimously um I did Ari aison is lri
schiffrin she is not here um from my understanding she will um be coming in the near future I think she is stepping down from one of her other boards that has a conflict with our meeting nights
so it will be nice to have a board of Select Lis on again um now oh I skipped over I was on the wrong sheet I apologize uh 2
point let's see I did did not see any correspondents we do have an appointment uh one Peter uh at 2.1 Peter Flynn of 25 Brooklyn Road
um if he is not here would the board be opposed to skipping over him and if he shows up to um reconvene at 2.1 yes no I'm not opposed
okay all right um so uh 3.1 uh discuss opening ceremony um did you get any prices or anything
Dave I will tell you the U Department of Revenue has nixed any giveaways it's not legal I I need to see that in writing because um You can call Katie and it is the because actually
you're supposed to have them as part of your Outreach budget that that's this difference you cannot give away anything but you can get give F food away for outreach but Katie told me to tell all right I I'll call the Department of
Revenue Dave that I'm not I'm not gonna argue that I've seen who told me that I can't do it so I I'll call and we'll get it straightened out because everybody on the planet does it so um so there's no
all right do we have a date we do I I got in touch with uh Senator Cronin he's the only one that gave me an back and we uh picked uh 20 May of this year exactly two weeks after
town meeting all right hold on I just want to see when that is what time are you thinking 11 o'clock and then and that gives you two hours to do that and then
there'll be tour starting at one every hour okay um were you able to pull any of those numbers we asked from like the um the census or the voter registration you get an idea of of like number so this
usually about two about 200 to maybe 250 at most that show up for Town meaton Nate I think a lot less than that between between 100 and 150 for every town meeting I've been
in so the annual town meeting is the one that is the most well attended and it can shoot upwards around 200 people but at a normal special town meeting other times of the year we're lucky to get Quorum which is 75 so about 7 25 to 150
give or take okay that's what I was saying 200 is the is what we should be shooting for all right are we sure you know I mean that's people that show up but they can't show up with their kids usually so we're we're talking about maybe family
so I'm comfortable with the 200 number Nate what's your thoughts um as long as the data shows you know that is a high number I think that's a good plan um worst case scenario if you you know you
didn't have something to give someone or you know fores ran a little late I think there would be some way to accommodate it correct um speaking of that if I can get more information
um um from do um I can send it to Dave Dave or Brenda and get it to you guys you gotta clear it with Katie because she's the one that hand I'm gonna go to Boston Dave I'm don't worry about it
okay um but if I get it cleared or what if we get this cleared up and stuff like that we can we can go forward with that um what else were we talking about for the the um opening so everything goes out on the
bills in on April 1 okay what but I can't I can't mail it out to non Bill takers it's going to cost too much it's going to cost probably about three 3,000 to
$3500 who would be outside of um anyone with a well oh you know what um have you reached out the highway to see if we can use their signs well we
can do we can do that we can do the sign we but it's gonna the sign would say that you have to make an appointment okay that's fine we can do it on social media we're gonna do it on social media yeah put on the town website yeah that's
where my next one was um and the town meeting two weeks before yeah but that's a little late to get appointments hopefully you know I'd like to um um let me see what else Nate you be pretty good with a
brainstorm you got any others besides social media website um Board of Health might be one the senior center would be another one putting a notice up in the senior center yeah if you wanted that's a good
idea Todd if you w to write a letter to the other boards they can read it aloud in their meetings as correspondents actually that's a great idea Nate the Senior Center Library what it's your idea oh anyways but I think I think that
that's doing our due diligence our best faith effort um I do agree with the mailing can get really expensive and um so I like I said I wanted to open it up to everybody in town that we can at
least give them the opportunity to sign up um [Music] all right that covers that anything else on um
so me see um wrong one again let's see 3.2 the past lawsuit Dave thanks for all the information it um I'm sure Nate
and um Jenna um yeah Jesus I'm brain dead um Jess um appreciate it I I've gotten the same because I'm in with a different group but I'm in the same sort of lawsuits
um I have a favor or um a request and if you guys would grant me um I've put myself on the agenda with the with Town Council on the 25th um haven't gotten back to me
what time um hopefully it'll be later in the evening or like his last appointment I want to touch base with him again on uh the P account and how we go about it um I had talked to Nelson about it and
the account I guess there's an account set up but it is a straight like savings account Town savings account or town checking account with like a a 1.1% interest which is not what I had been
discussing with the previous Board of Selectmen and the previous Town Administrator along with Adam so there's two requests one is the board okay if I go with to meet with Adam if you guys
want to come that's fine um we would just if there's more than one of us we would have to post it that's the only thing um and then I would once that meeting is done I would like to go and get put on the board of selectman's agenda to talk
about it um that if you guys wanted to do we could do a um a joint meeting of the two boards um however you wish to do it I just didn't want to I'm it's been bugging me I want to get it done and
straightened out um so what are your thoughts please yeah my thought is I was still waiting for a meeting between our board and uh what other party May advise us into an appropriate uh investment
vehicle so we could as a board make a decision while I'm not totally against you going and getting information I would like us to both be apprised uh fairely you know in the in the not very quickly so we can make active decisions
so what my thought process was I would meet with Adam the next morning I would email Dave so that he can disseminate that information to both you and Jessica I don't want to do it directly it gets kind of hinky so the next morning I
would email what I had found my notes from my meeting with Adam on the 25th um and then the same on he heck if you if you don't go with me to the board to the board of selectman's meeting um you can always tune in or I'll do the
same thing the very next morning well I will regardless of whatever H what whatever happens I would email you the next morning everything that um for my notes from that meeting um and then hopefully thereafter we can set up
appointments um with investment people and stuff like that once we have the the nitty-gritty right there there's some updates on this that you before you even get too far into that that you have to know one we're not getting all the money at once
oh that I know that that it's it's coming out in allotments and we've talked about that right so if you're thinking we're going to get three or four million dollar all at once that's not going to happen um so the other thing you have to know is in January
2025 our first payment has come due and it's going to be 297,000 and that'll happen every year mhm so budget wise we we don't the only thing that can cover that is the lawsuit there's going to be another
settlement outside of this for the but it's going to take a couple years so just so you know 1% of the budget is $20,000 if he would have paid this out of pocket I would have to raise rates another 15%
so but this is all have to be done through the the money we're getting for the lawsuit how much it is we don't know it should be this week that we we know then I have 10 days to to um dispute
that amount if I if I want to um Dave when does the 297 have to be paid January 20 2025 oh 26 all right so January 20 26
2026 okay so the so we have a year to figure this out the first payment the first allotment from my understanding of the lawsuit is supposed to come out 15 April yeah so it's in the package so I
saw that I just I've heard did I heard the end of March I've also heard um the first week of May and about also April so it's so I would say with in the next two to three months we should get that first allotment so I actually put that
in this package so everyone can read it hold on Dave Nate has a question please I I'm hearing budgeting um and then I'm not sure if that has to do with this uh money that
we may be getting but it kind of made me nervous because well it it has everything to do count you don't count your eggs until the I mean you don't count your chickens until the eggs hat so in my opinion none of this should be budgeted until we actually have the
money correct and that I don't I think they're just talking about potential options Nate not about actual budgeting right we won't know anything until we get the money in we won't know and there's no talk about changing rates or anything like that it's strictly what um
what comes in and the the question I have on the 297 is that with the reduction in yes okay we got so far we're we we got 9 million $9 million off so far but there
is another 12 yeah but is there further um there's G to be a little a little more coming off there'll probably be another two two and a half million okay so in total we
Pro we probably owe about 10 to 12 10 to 11 IS F probably closer to 10 okay um all right um which is 30 years at no
I know um it would be nice to see those loan items on the next in the next meeting um I can send you that I have them okay um so that you know that might want to be in the next package so we can
see what what we're looking at um um um all right anything else on the lawsuit Dave nope all right so we will wait with baited breath for my fault just so you
know that this is only 3M and two. there's other lawsuits that are coming um hold on I actually it's the Tao and um uh Tao U Tao and bsff about six
months behind yeah ker f fenwall are in carrier group global which is which is um sary are settling another three or four months after that no I know those are small the the the last one you mentioned is a really small
one um so but one of the 10 other law or two of the other 10 lawsuits are McDonald's and Burger King okay I hadn't heard that one yet yeah but you automatically signed up for those by parti it's already I wred down
all the paperwork inside and move forward okay um I'd like to see those before you move forward um when do they have to be submitted they've already been submitted all they had to do is say okay and they use the same information okay I
think you're probably is it with um napol and chaplick yes okay does move forward too is so if they move forward automatically you just have to say yes okay um all
right um well I I'll take this minute moment to um I just want to recognize for the record that our liaison lri schiffren did uh is an attendance um so
just note that for the record um um let me see where am I all right um 3.1.3 lunenberg storage tank okay the only the next step from here is the
master plan because this all has to be incorporated in the master plan which currently we don't have okay and you want plus one of the things that we have to do is we have to remap all the the uh
water because it's all the flows have changed so you got so that's the hydro model I've been talking about correct correct because we have to redo everything because not everything in the water system on the mass former master
plan has been thrown out okay so or not thrown out but kind of completed or changed we either completed but for the flows everything those those numbers are no good any longer okay so Nate and and
Jess do you the the the model he's talking about you go and you take readings um flows and pressure in the system um turning different Gates so that the pressure changes and stuff like that
they take those readings and they put them into a model and what it shows you syst system wide is the way the water you is going to flow if you make any changes it'll tell you what's going to happen to the other parts of the system
things like that where we opened where where system is completely looped now where it goes out um across the Harbor Bridge to Main Street and now goes out South Harbor to
um or South Row excuse me to umry Emory and comes out to 13 that way the system is Flowing a little bit differently um this this will help us understand if we have a break what's happening um it'll also give us an idea
of what to do with flushing and stuff like that so we don't damage the system it'll also tell you how to fill the tanks and stuff like that um that'll probably be in our next year's budget not this year's actually that that's the next part of this
right okay so two things we have to do we have to do a master plan and we have to do mandatory cyber security yep uh we need $75,000 because for what for the master
plan and cyber security all right um that would come out of out of uh do you have do you have can you break that down how much for the master plan how much for the cyber it's it's going to be six uh 60,000 for
the master plan about 10 for the Cyber and 5,000 in case something happens that we have to add because we could always turn the money back okay um hold on Todd point of order
um yes sir we're on one uh 3.3 lunenberg Road tank now we got into the conversation of M I'm sorry about little bit out it's not they they to do anything further on lunenberg road tank
you have to have a master plan okay all right that would have been probably the line to start with um so if we have to have a Master Plan before we can go any further with lunenberg tank right and when we get to this point on stuff like
this where we're getting Assistance or this is kind of tyin Bond's project um next time we do something like that I'd like to have the have a representative here so they can definitively tell us stuff like this um I don't think that's
too much out of the the realm of just having them mayor saying look you need the master plan this they they had to have known we needed a new master plan um the the cyber security I get
because um I believe are the every public water system um is going to need to redo their vulnerability assessment and risk assessment by the end of the year um and and the Cyber secur is a big
part of that right now especially for water utilities um so I get that part I wish tyan Bond had kind of told us we needed a new master plan or why we need a new master plan I mean you can always just
add things you don't have to go out master plan is a living document it changes quite regularly um so I mean I I understand the the need for the the model and stuff like that um
I don't know why a new master plan would be $775,000 um because it's it's all part of the same thing it's all part of the master plan is redoing all the flows and and the I understand that so you say the master
plan you're you're rolling the cost of the hydro model into the master plan it was in the last one too all right well I think you I think you're better off separating them because
they're not going to go side by side um well the hydro model is going to be in the master plan just like the was the other thing too is you can go to um oh crud there's a well I don't even know if
it exists right now but there is there's the Avail or was the availability of free uh cyber security assessments um through the EPA cyber security team um and from that you can
get that that that'll tell you where you are and what you got to do right I could have used that but it ended in December but the treatment plan wasn't finished until January yeah and they would have needed access to to the um to the connections
there right and the connections weren't there until recently all right check and see if they've revamped that like I said I don't know if it still exists to be honest with you it it didn't it uh they extended it to December
and I well they've run it every year Dave so all I'm saying is they may have ended it in December see if they're picking it up again this year yeah so right now they they haven't but and who knows with the way the political climate is right now if it'll
ever come back so all right so to go any further with the lunenberg tank we're going to need to I would say I wouldn't so much say the master plan because we can add or
subtract from that as the board wishes so that I would say it's more that the hydro model um and the cyber security that's because the master plan if you tell somebody they need $75,000 to do a
master plan right it's more than that um but I mean it's it's all on how fast do we want to do the lunenberg tank I guess um right but it it also H has to do with if you want to get the money for Tom
meeting you have till March 1st to put the article in okay because they have I mean that's a hefty chunk of money Dave do we we have 280,000 free
cash I'd prefer not to use that if we I prefer not to use it but that's um that's where we're standing if you wanted to otherwise you're going to have to wait till at least 2026 to even think about
it question Dave the um D grants is there anything in the de grants that would cover the hydro model no we buy land we can get we can get reim
no that that that that that I know but I thought not currently we have money don't we have money in the emergency fund as well that is would be replenished in the
1st of July and that'll be about $80,000 but then you wipe it all out the emergency fund was a lot more than that I thought oh it was
80,000 no I thought they found the mbte money which was a lot more than that well that's not something we can access right now why not because that is in an account what that is in in one of those
accounts that you wanted to set up it's in a bomu account all right can we next meeting can we have the treasure ask the treasur to be present or wait a minute I'm going
to do one better lri if you could click on your mic I have a request of AR leaon could you please check with the accountant or the treasurer um we had I would say a
significant amount of money um that's part of the reason we didn't have to continue the rate increases to the point that had originally been projected because we needed to re we had spent all the money keeping the system working
until the plant got up and running um to rebuild our emergency fund they did find um our mbte money when they did the audit for the srf
loan um I'd like to know where those got put and so could you asked the treasur accountant or whichever on where those accounts where that account did is where that money is um and how do we access
access it and if you could get that back to um my um to the water department and they will get it out to me Nate and Jess um I I I just with the loan payment
coming du next year um I just want to be a lot more careful about what we're doing with our money you can say you don't want to do it right now so that's fine we'll just take it out take that out of consideration I don't it's not that I don't want to do
it I just want to make sure we're doing it right and in the right time Dave right um you know $75,000 out of the blue um taking out of free cash where we only have what two what did you say 282
or 280,000 and like $178 or something like that so would be it you know that's um that's like a fifth of your um fifth or a sixth of the total of free
cash that's a significant bite um I I've been talking about the hydro model for a while so I I understand the importance of it it is something we need especially since the system's going on and not opposed to it Nate's got a
question and let me finish my thought and I'll give the floor to Nate um but I'd like to see where that money is in how we go about um [Music]
um accessing it go ahead Nate yeah the last recollection of us talking about a hydro model um was it was scrapped because we had stuck Gates and all that have all those been cleared up and exercised that
that's not why we we we tabled it we tabled it for the uh the treatment plant being finished first in the water so so have these Gates been fixed and exercised and opened so we can have a
you know an absolute accurate hydraulic Hydra hydr model done I don't understand what you're talking about Gates that's not I might I might be misunderstanding but we got a gate exercising trailer correct and in vacuum trailer to to open
and clear all these that's we were told right but this was not why it was tabled it was tabled because the treatment plant wasn't finished and the water line wasn't finished I didn't say tabled I just to be clear the I the last time we talked about this we put it off
I don't remember we using the word tabled you just you you actually did just now Nate well I said it a couple times now but we had put it we had put it off because certain other things had been done my question was has this been completed so that would be one and the
same you would do part of that work in conjunction um you're not going to do the gate exercising in the winter time um so um then my my second question so so it has not been completed first off to answer my first
question I wouldn't well I wouldn't I know we've been busy with the new facility and it was like early fall late summer when we got the trailer in our possession correct correct and you're probably to be honest with you operationally you're not messing around
with Gates unless you absolutely have to if you get past October you're not messing with the gates cuz with the temperat starting to drop you um because you end up causing discoloration and you don't want to ice
the road if you have to clear a hydrant so the gate exercising flushing usually stops right around in October um and then you pick it up again in April so the other part of this Nate of the hydro model would be operating those
Gates or clearing them and so it's kind of one and the same so there's work that needs to be done it would be done in conjunction with the mo doing the the model because they got to judge where the flows go when you shut the gates off and stuff
like that so it would be one and the same so it would be our guys working probably with one or two of the engineers from tyan Bond you put a what you do is there a gauge you can put on the hydrant cap it gives you the
static pressure um you fully charge the hydrant meaning the water's all the way up in the barrel and it gives you PSI um and then you change the flow the or you shut a gate to change the the direction of the
flow um you take the reading and there's a whole process to it I can get you the information if you want um but if we got it if we got it late summer early fall um I can remember Dave saying they
had to um before they could get the plant up and running they had to clear the line from Harbor Trace to uh the plant it was from his I think one or two meetings ago
he said it was completely clogged with uh calcification um so I would say their attention was getting the the plant up and running and moving so getting the gate exerciser in um depending on when
they got it yeah I that they didn't get the gate exercising program done but you really can't do the gate exercising until you have the model done because the model's going to determine how many turns you
turn each gate and stuff so it's a step-by-step process I would expect if we were to do it Ty and bond would give us a full write up of what they're going to do when they're going to do it why they're going to do it actually that
would be my request of them slash demand if they were going to do it um it's I guess it's all in what we
um Brenda you're bleeding through on your audio thank you Nate I was trying to figure out who that was sorry about that um so I guess that what's before the board
us and Jess if she's still here because I know she wasn't feeling up up I'm still here um I I think we need to find out where we are in terms of
um other other funds instead of just no we'll just put it off again and we definitely think we should know how to access those those emergency funds where they are um I would almost constitute the
hydro model as an emergency or on an unexpected cost because of um the damage that can get done if we don't know how this is going to be worked probably
should been worked into the treatment plant itself hindsight's doesn't help us right now um you can't use it for the treat I can't get the money from there no no no I was saying when we originally budgeting it Dave we
probably should have took take that into account right um so I I'll take your take under invis from the rest of the board of of do we table it until we can find out from the town accountant in or treasurer
what we had where that other money went where we can get hold of it and can we use you know how do we access it if we wanted to fund it that way um uncomfortable spending our free cash on it I don't know how the rest of you feel
um and I will um I will um listen to you guys um you just muted yourself I just uh I have to take a phone call real quick I'll let you guys
talk real briefly about it Nate if you got anything uh never mind um yeah I do go ahead um I the Lunen lunenberg Road tank you know we just approved um we looked
at the dollar amounts I this this is kind of a surprise to me that this was contingent upon yet another costly item I'd like more transparency excuse me let let me just finish my thought please I just I would like more
transparency all like when we're looking at a project like this is a large project new tank is a large project I was told that oh you know we have a Well site a new Well site is a large project tank is a large project acquiring new land to be deemed as water taking land
is a large project I would like to know the ins and outs before I vote on any aspect of it that's all I got to say with right except for this does not have anything to do with the lunenberg road tank well that's the agenda item no the
lunberg road tank yeah that's what you tied it to Dave you said you said the lunenberg tank but to do the Luna let me finish to do the lunenberg tank needed to redo the master plan or the um at
least the hydro model we needed to add the hydro model to the master plan um you also talked of um entit it into the cyber security um those are two separate items to my mind um but the total cost was
75 what just happened okay um that just freaked me out a little bit sorry everybody um Nate you still with us I am can you see me yeah I can now all right um
so to go ahead with the lunenberg tank as you said earlier we need to incorporate the master uh the hydr model and the cyber security into a new master
plan correct because we don't know flows and everything and we don't know if you build a tank you don't know where the what the pressure is going to do the rest of system I get that what we're saying as a board is time Bon should have known this when they proposed you
know when they were looking at doing the tank and maybe that works worked itself into the tank project or what have you but these are things that they should the cyber security one that one I'll give him a pass on to to be honest with
you that just kind of came out I want to say in the last month month and a half about that you needed a u cyber security assessment plan and en enhancement that that kind of came at the tail end of the last Administration and with the
EPA um an EPA directive so that one I'm I'm I'm more apt to fund straight out of the bat the the hydro model I've been talking about it I don't know as long as Jessica's been on the board um but I
didn't know it was attached for me it was to help you and and Kevin and the crews work in the system um I didn't know it was attached as a liabil I don't think any of us knew it was attached as a as a condition of of
being able to build the lunenberg tank if we need to hold off a year um I'd like him to let us know if there are other hidden things that we're going to need to do for the tank and I and I understand everything about the the the
hydro model with the changes and stuff like that so I guess that's kind of where I am I I [Music] um um you know I'm I would be I'm more inclined to go ahead with
the cyber security stuff just because that needs to get done before the end of the year for the calendar year not the fiscal year um so that would give us six months
from July 1st to get it done um well the money would be available at the end of the meeting so we it'll give us a little more time than that that was if we took the 10,000 out of Free Cash correct cor right
right I'm more inclined to do that and get more information on the hous and wise of the hydro model and the and the attachment to lunenberg
tank um or I'm not opposed to waiting on the lunenberg tank the lunenberg Tank's just going to give us added pressure to go to places we can't right now it's not a a condition of
anything else is it well what what I so what I was saying is if you want to continue on lunberg road tank you're going to have to do the master plan or and the pressure study
so so we could if we could find out in the interim between now and our next meeting about where if we had access to those funds we just discussed it would have to be at a town
meeting okay then that's April that that would be the next one in the fall no we we have time to add a warrant the the Lori correct me if I'm wrong the town warrant for um annual town meeting
or hasn't been sealed yet has it or Jess can you tell me no you have until I believe what Dave said March 1 to add a new warrant correct correct to add anything to the warrant yeah okay so if we needed to convene another
meeting between now and then we could um I I'm thinking that lii will be able to get a quick answer from the town accountant or Treasurer whoever about where and how to access those funds um we could have a an Emergency
meeting just discuss that one item to whether we want to create a warrant article um to move the money um from there um or we can move the whole thing in free cash and replenish it um I don't even know if you can do
that can you move money from the emergency account to replenish the free cash Well here here's here's what I would would do you just put free cash or other and you can use the you can use
whatever money you can later on so either way this is going to have to be on town meeting correct correct if you if you want to do it now or you can wait till the next time meeting and even if we did it if we did it that
way if we decided we only wanted to do the cyber security we wouldn't necessarily have to expend the other monies on the hydr model correct you can send it right back to free cash all right I'm not opposed I'm not opposed to
that Nate go right ahead how much does a cyber security audit cost um well it's going to be a the cyber security audit if it's still you can get the audit or you used to be able to do for the the audit part for free it's going to
be um the actual they they the audit goes in and identifies potentials and then you have to have the full assessment and that's what costs the money they come in they run
certain I don't know well I'm way out of what who is they um usually the um cyber security people from either EPA or FEMA not excuse me S Source yeah yeah and
it's it's I'll get to you in one second Lori um they um the cyber security people there's a branch of the EPN I can't think of its name right now and I apologize um but they're the ones who come in and do it and they do it under
safe protocols they'd be working in they'd be work coordinating with uh White Mountain our security people all right lri go ahead okay I just wanted to acknowledge um you know what you said
and that I'm in the process of writing an email and I will follow up on it in the morning morning all right lri thank you very much I appreciate that um like I said I was going to set it what side 10
grand if we don't use the 10 grand we don't use well why don't we well to cover our bases you know we could um we could put it up the 75 for free cash or
other um which allows us I believe to choose which account we want to do that from or not do it from um at a minimum I think we need to do the cyber security portion um but I'd like to see a written
proposal from tyan Bond if you would ask them for a written repo proposal um that you could then email to the board and to luri um so that we can actually see you know what the doesn't have to be line by
I I'd like to see a breakdown of of what the costs are and stuff what they're going to do for that money right um it doesn't have to be let's let's put it this way it doesn't have to be engineer detail I don't want a 57 page document email to me but I do want to breakdown
of the costs what they're going to do and things like that for both items right um I wouldn't necessarily label it master plan um I would you can say additions to the master plan if you want but the specifics are the and I'm not
using the right terminology and again I apologize but the the hydro model and the um cyber security portion and I want them separated and broken down or what they the costs right um so we we would
have to make a motion tonight um something on um do you want to add anything before I go any further Dave so we can you can approve the money and put under a warrant article you can
pull it at any time you want you don't have to do it so this just gives you the choice to do it or not okay so I'll leave it at that if you guys decide you don't want to do any of it a part of it that's fine
you know Nate you okay U Nate and Jess you okay if I make a motion yes you can make a motion anytime good enough I make a motion that we propose a warrant article to to pay
for the additions to the master plan of the hydro model or other name in the cyber security portion of the um site make a motion that we to appropriate
funds for additions to the master plan of the hydro model and cyber security portions to not exceed 75,000 from either free cash or other
funds second motion's been made and seconded well we talked about it a lot but I'll give you another bite at the Apple what you want a further discussion I I would if I may Mr chairman I would really like to see something from tiin
Bond before authorizing um money whether you know we're being told we can do it or not I think it would be the most responsible thing for us as Commissioners to make sure we know what we're doing with a sum of money that we're trying to
raise um so like we said let's get that from time Bond let's have another meeting and absolutely get a warrant article before what was the deadline March 1st with that's a Saturday okay so we would need to
actually have it to town hall 28th before the 28th yeah so if we got it Dave if you called them tomorrow I'm going to assume they would get it to you by the end of the week
they're going to know those they should know those numbers they do it quite regularly um 17th is a holiday correct M yep um what I propose is is see what tyan
Bond can do for a turnaround propose a meeting with the anticipation of them completing a breakdown for us and if we can't if you two want to vote yay great but as of right now I couldn't vote for something I don't know exactly what what
it what the meat and potatoes is for what the Nate I get it and I know what the meats and potatoes but I couldn't I it would be very hard for me to do it for you tonight and
I'm Jess what's your availability the rest of the month I'm pretty available all right I'll be honest with you this week I I'm
I am booked up on meetings for both my employment and my son my youngest son is graduating the police academy on Friday so Thursday to pretty much Saturday I'm going to be involved in something else but tomorrow night and Wednesday night
is done they wouldn't even get it back to us by then um I'd like to be able to give us enough wiggle room so Dave tell them they're under the gun we need something by end of week or by
the 18th so we can schedule something um that though so just so you know I won't be in the 18th I'm in oncology okay well the 18th is f i mean we're just looking to have the report back by them and to us but you won't be
in the 18th could you would you trust I won't be in the 18th I won't I haven't been oncology no if they send it to me I can send it along to the bo that's what I was going to say if they send it to Brenda she can send us along but I'd like to see it before the end of the
week so we could have like the weekend to disseminate please include Lori on that as well um but we were given the breakdown last summer too when we put it well if you can pull that up Dave that would be great as well
but between then and now dollar values have changed I'd like to see an up to-date Coss summary and and what they're proposing all right yep um then we can maybe
meet do you want to set a tenative as the 28th uh 24th excuse me I'm okay with that Nate said 24th yeah it's a Monday um I am good with
I got to check all calendars here I'm good with that okay Lori is that one you might be able to attend or is it an issue I was writing the email I just sent it um what did you say the 28th of
February 24th 24th I have planning board again okay um so it would be kind of the same thing luckily tonight we had a quick agenda um we were less than 45 minutes
and that is not typical for um you have all right let's skip one day let's go to the 25th I have finan and board that night I get I don't want to get any
closer to 28th than I have to let's leave it as the 24th Lori we we will send you whatever we find out you'll get an email from brender Andor Dave does it all do your meeting always have to be at
seven yes because I don't get home until like quarter of s from work Tod what time do you leave work usually about either quarter 6 or anywhere from
quarter 6 to 6:15 and it takes me about 45 minutes to an hour to get home would you be would it be inappropriate or would you be opposed to doing the meeting from your office the day that we have a meeting before you leave because of Zoom I mean the idea of having the
meeting at 7 was so people could get home and get to office but now that we're on Zoom people can watch from wherever they are I believe that's changing March 1 though FYI yeah I thought they were trying to move extended again you can still have hybrid
meetings even if if they don't change it to an extension they are still hybrid meetings so one of us can be can be um all right can we do it that so Lai you're
suggestion is we do it earlier than 7 correct is that why you asked yeah planning board starts at 6:30 anyway um but I was gonna say if you do it on Tuesday the 25th we have a joint meeting
with oh I I can't excuse my language I can't do it the 25th because I'm going to be meeting with Adam um what what you're not him at night what you're not meeting with him at night I thought his appointments were in the
afternoon yeah 4:30 4:30 to 5:30 or I call that night I'm old okay um so it's in the later afternoon slash early evening um no what I was
going to say was I can what whatever time you decide to meet if you could meet on the 25th or did you say you can't meet on the well that's because of Adam okay I I cannot meet on the 25th yeah so let's do let's
stay with Monday if we were due to the 24th you said your meetings start at 6:30 right 6:30 and if I did it from the office at say five o'clock is that or what time
what's the earliest you can do Nate uh on the 24th anytime so why don't we say five o'clock Jess works for me works for me sure all right so if we do
that H it's gonna be a late night for me all right um well we can do five o'clock and then I don't know um it won't be that long a meeting I don't think we have all the information and stuff like that so why
don't we do the 24th at 5:00 pm. all right y all right and that is solely the only agenda I of Brenda is going to be the additions to the master plan and the uh possible writing of a
Warren article correct that's the only thing I want to discuss on that night all right so I will we have a motion and it was seconded um T can I table
it an open motion yeah yeah so I suggest I suggest we suspend it until after the uh during the meeting of the 24th are we in
agreement yes Nate uh sure good enough all right um that's done on Commissioners updates and reports uh
4.1 um Todd milon and imas which are intermunicipal agreements um um I think Dave has been approached by Ashby about the potential for an
interconnection um lunenberg um friend mcamera the superintendent had reached out to me about an interconnection and so I've started doing a lot of research um on these sorts of
agreements and so not asking for a vote or anything right now or anything like that but I wanted to give you an idea what I came up with um first and foremost like any large me uh user that has a master Meer or
anything like that um you would treat these most places treat these people as regular customers large scale um customers um they have an entrance fee much like a service connection fee based
on the size and volume um they can pay it out over a period of time you can negotiate a payment schedule and things like that um the variability comes into the way you charge them on their rates you can
straight up charge them like a regular customer pretty much means they're going to the highest tier right away um the other is um we could treat them like some of the other large scale users
like uh Sterilite and and some of the in the schools and stuff like that and cap them at tier two or tier three whichever we decide um or you can charge them bulk
rates if I was to have my DRS I I I can't see charging someone the the full rates if that's they're going to go right straight to do that then then just do it that way um
but I wouldn't be opposed to to capping them at tier two or tier three um we as the host Community would do the billing to the other entity um any infrastructure like the
master pit um gate valves or anything else like that would be paid for by the customer and done to our specs um any treatment um is not our after the connection point is not our
responsibility so say the chlorine was the residual wouldn't be enough for their system for D they would be required to have their own chlorine addition pH adjustment whatever those are not our issues I doubt I doubt
that's going to be an issue for either one of our neighboring communities that would be interested um at since most of it would be coming from the treatment plant um responsibilities that we would have um we would have to supply them with a
copy of our CCR because they are using our water and it would have they'd have to then be able to disseminate it to their customers um both communities are responsible to report the consumption and sale uh on
the ASR the annual statistical report um one big thing that the state requires is that the community um purchasing the water has to abide by our
water restrictions if they don't you can set penalties so like say um we were um a host Community for either lunberg or Ashby and they just watered Whenever However they wanted you could
technically bump them up to our highest TI as a penalty um um but that that be as made those are the basics so the the main conversation I would say um would be how we would want to and what you
should think about is how if we were to at some point down the road be available to to sell water to a community um it would be a great Revenue Source do not get me wrong it's all and how we would want to charge them and
really think about it um I'd rather be fair than just try and milk as much money as I can but we have Financial concerns as we as we're seeing so I'd like to try and tread the middle ground I think at tier two or tier three
we would probably gain a significant amount of money um we'd also need to see what we have available taking into consideration possible growth on our part residential doesn't bother me to be honest with you
it would be if we had another large industry move in um say like um what's the farm in air that grows the the the lettuce little leaf I think little leaf is actually
looking actively looking for more um hydroponic space um if you don't know if you drive down past Fort devans or down that way they have a huge enormous facility where they're continually growing this uh this lettuce um I only
know about it CU my wife loves it um but something like that a large industry that came into town would scam me more than residential residential is most times um adding on is something that we could take on fairly easily it's the leaving
room for possible economic growth in our own town and not hamstringing us so to speak um so that's what I found out about imas um and it's something to consider Dave I
I would double check what we have for registered and permited volumes I can tell you that right now what is it our permitted is 3.7 million that's registered and permitted together or we only have permitted we
only have permitted it's only one number no I know that well no it's two numbers usually it's the addition of the two because we would have had witches Brook well we bought them
that might have changed wh witches so witches Brook is 750,000 each because it's it's changed with the with the treatment plant no well that no that's it that's different than the regist what on
perit um if you can get me those numbers that will telling of the perits so w wies book is 750,000 each main Street's 100,000 uh cross street is 420 and M the
Main Street well is 860,000 so those sound more like they're they're pumping volumes and what they're certified for it's different than the registered and permitted so so
um we can pump out of Main Street up to 1.2 1.2 out of Main Street not 1.2 with um 1,200 gallons per minute which is so 0.12 which is um
1.7 um Main Street was built buil for 1.7 all right uh but because of the turtles it was cut in half all right [Music] um all right uh let me call Dwayne leeni
he might have be able to clarify it I guess before we even consider that I think that Nate and Jess i' really want you to think about the way you'd want to bill it out and then it just gets down in a
negotiation in a written agreement um and that's where we have our input and things like that um but the things that should be set in stone is the entrance fee you know determine calculate you know it's a 12 in and they
gotta they're going to have to have um it like like it would be for any other customer um and [Music] then uh what we would need for infrastructure you know that would have to be worked into their payment as
well um and then just going over the only other thing that would be negotiable is you know what what happens if they didn't obey by our restrictions what we have as um the lack of a better
term stick to make them to comply um but those are that that is what I had for m m imas um Jess Nate you got any questions just has
yes sir n let Nate go and Dave you can speak she just had to leave oh she had to leave okay right so a thought a thought um I mean I've had a few
constituents there there you know we're raising rates we have people that are paying quadruple digits for water bills um I'm reminded of the the Spiel on the airplane you know fix your mask before helping others to affix theirs I
certainly do want to help neighboring communities but I think it should definitely be Equitable with the circumstances no I I agree um I know that lunberg is in a tough
tough spot because their P um plan was defeated um in their district meeting um I know Ashby I think the [Music]
um you know ashp potentially could get it from fitzburg but I don't the investment in infrastructure doing it is a lot more because you're going upgradient up 31 to Nash to Ashby to the center that's a significant
pipeline um and you'd have to either have a pumping station and or storage facility whereas I think if we had lunenberg Road and the hydrology model supported it I think it would we could
put it up to Ashby and then they would only need their own storage tank um our water tastes a lot better than theirs too well ours has a lot less manganese in it they have a lot of chlorine in their water I I can give you I can tell
you that lunberg road has nothing to do with Ash you couldn't get the water there okay that answers that question I didn't know if Road doesn't have the water to supply lunenberg or Ashby and even if they did the elevation change from
fitzburg to Ashby is about 200 feet higher no that's what I was saying they they don't have like I said you'd have to either have a a Pump Station built to push it up there and then some place in Ashby to store it so you
know we can see that I I would say we as a board need to figure out what if anything we can give um and then and it was just it was more of a reach out to see what was
possible and how we would charge so I think looking at imas um and I've gone everywhere from the new one gr and dunable has uh with peppol and Dunstable uh it's yeah
um and I've looked at some others um Worcester has Wester does some um wholesale of water to neighboring communities as well so I've got a pretty good idea how
everyone does it those are the basic three choices um regardless of how we do it they are a customer not just another town this is this is a business transaction so
um you know and it would to be honest with you it would be a consistent uh supply of revenue for us and maybe help us with some of the um Financial things that we're talking about so uh I'm not
opposed to considering it so long as I know our volume we could support it with our our current volume even if we are pumping volumes we could on the wells it's not that we can't produce it it's whether the Water Management act restricts us from producing more than
that right if a neighboring Community needs it and you can prove that need both Ashby and lunenberg definitely could you can ask for an increase in your water management act volumes I I can give you a number that will will
help you with that so we're permitted for 3.7 last summer our Max stay was 100,000 so we have a lot of volumes I just Dave I just want to double check that number with the water management that's all I can give you I can send you
the permits okay um but I'd like so if we if we're at 700 and we have 3 million to play with that we're not using now that's a huge margin because they're not looking
for a full million gallon a day I wouldn't think ashb would be either um half a million about 100,000 fby at most yeah and I think it was only a half a million for lunberg whatever
um but I'd like that number I'd like to see that number instead of just talking about it not that I don't trust you Dave it's just I'd rather see it in writing um but Nate really give that a strong consideration of of how we want to go
about doing Ray charge for a uh in an IMA um not nothing off the hip really just sit and chew with it for a bit um I'm amenable either way
I'm I'm uncomfortable with the straight comfor Customer because if we're talking about those volumes they're probably going to go straight to the highest tier right off the bat and if that's the case we should be honest with them and charge them the highest here you don't think so
Dave they're never going to do it I'm going to tell you that right now no I know they're never doing it so it's not an issue how do you know they wouldn't do it why would they do it why would you possibly think about doing it when right now they're charging their customer at
720 I I don't know anything about what they're charging so I don't have any figures in front of me so I'm I'm telling you they're they're charging 720 for their their tier one why why are they going to discontinue their supply they're not they're not they need
additional they can't use all their Wells they can't use all their Wells because they're past contaminated so they are looking at other sources of water um ashb has multiple issues um they cannot from my understanding
consume any of the water from their PWS in the center of town the manganese is over the health advisory limit of .3 I believe there some past I just don't know the numbers um and it is
consistently the raw as consistently has bacteria counts in it from my understanding I don't know the numbers I don't know which way it flies um but if we cheated them like our
other customers um and CA them at tier two that might be either way it it was going to cost them a lot of money and their rates were going to have to go up if they built a treatment plant or you know and things like that um bulk
rate and these are all things we would negotiate but we could set where we we thought we should be and stuff like that but that's why I wanted you to think about it Nate not no decision tonight it was just giving you the information I found on imas like I said I would yeah
no I I definitely wasn't even considering making this decision tonight I would like to see both governing bodies come before this board and and and and do something official um yeah uh whichever municipality are actually
considering this and and yeah certainly I would like to see numbers yep I'd like to see numbers but I also want us prepared um that if someone was to come before us what what we could legitimately tell them we would be looking for that's all and and let you
know what I found out about imas all right then I am done with my point unless anybody has any questions for me nope good um let's see Lori you have
Lori you still with us and do you have anything for us I do not have anything for you sorry that's okay something for Lori would you like to come and see the plant
she we yeah I would um I I texted Todd today about um didn't realize that you had already announced the date of the opening and I was hoping to attend but I'll be in Greece right but you're the select can I go with
you I don't know the Pam wants that just just give me a call during the day and and uh when you're available and I'll and and I'll walk you through okay thank you you'll be impressed she's a nice plant she really is um all
right that my computer keeps doing screwy things um let's see uh 6.1 superintendent reports treatment plan is just we're working on
the punch list both generators will be operational in the next two weeks we're just doing the uh generator test Dave the generators are where witches Brook and cross street or Main Street uh no
the harbit trace for the building y wites Brook because the old Generator for witches Brook can only run one I remember that I just I couldn't remember did we put one on at Main Street too yes that we did that with the arpa money
right correct okay and was completed over um in okay good enough so that so the only one that doesn't is cross street and there's so little water there that it doesn't matter it's just a backup Well for now
no I know one thing about that Dave on cross street while you mentioned it I'd keep up on the um Beaver management uh in and around there we do we do about every month we we do a beaver walk okay
and we have a registered um person if you need them okay all right go ahead right so when we put harit trace online y there was Zero
calls well that's good guys it's a brand new line going out to habbit trce road so that mean Dave does that mean we didn't change the flows all that much we changed the flows but all the water lines are new well not when it hits 13 it's
not right but the the uh Tank's right there but all the water that's coming into that water line is filtered yeah no I'm just I'm just surprised we didn't see more that means
hopefully means Fitchburg Road or our 13 is not as tuberculated as some of our other lines the tank goes back and forth anyways no I know it doesn't have anything because I have the coupon but
when they did the uh the 2in line to 192 fishbig Road okay and it was it was pristine like I said it means there not much tuberculation on that side of town whiches so witches BG 2 will go online
next week and into the treatment plan okay sometime in March witches book one because the because we wites book one's been running all the time time I had to have harbit Trace running through the plant before I took one off so it's not being worked on
now so the security system for witches Brook will go on go on when they're doing one that's all underneath the building it's all paid for and there's the same thing in harbit Trace for the cameras be it's going to be an extension to that
system and we had extra money in our allotment let me ask you a question about the cameras system Dave it is it hardwired or is it um like C CCTV it gets sent to a central location and know
it get it's it's hardwired and it it will do up to two months of recording so it'll be stored at two different locations or is it hardwired all the way back to the treatment plant it's a it's would be going to the treatment plant you a line you have a wire line Hardline
going from which is Brook all the way to the treatment plant it's cable okay you know I I paid for the cable from Ash Street into the treatment plant into the well one okay all the
security is hwi right back to the treatment Point um okay security system stellite has been having problems with their fire line so they're going to be changing the gate out just a heads
up they change your own gate out when when are they going to do that sometime in early spring they they are make sure they make sure they let us know I would say two weeks in advance they're gonna have to plan it out anyways correct when
they let you know you get that on social media the website whatever that there is a possible discolored water event this is a planned one we have no excuses for not notifying the public that there's a potential because of I would say needed
infrastructure work or or however you want to word it but let's give people a heads up that that might happen when so that's going to be in the grass okay so but hydrotech um they will stone called me today and and asked me for hydrotex
number and I gave it to him and so it's in the it's in the planning that's who I would pick yeah well they did the gates so he he know the two gates in front of there uh let's see they're the
best so another thing is when one of our office workers goes out on medical leave and March we will not be replacing that person well as it stands right now we
can't um it's still lri I I'll ask lri it's still tied up between labor and the town the union the union is not um bending on this at
all and labor um we have an opinion from label C labor Council as well as um the union so the union is stating because
the person is working full-time hours that they for even though they're temporary for the time that they're with us it needs to be a union position and Town's labor council is saying no because it is a part or a
temporary position it doesn't have to be part of the Union correct uh no what is it that's not what she said well I haven't seen what she said so I'm just I'm just guessing so but
well let lri finish Lai could you could you tell me what labor Council said please um if I can find it can you give me a couple minutes and I'll I'll find the email okay I'll go on on with with
this subject um because I can't hire we're going to close the office at 1:00 every day for three to six months when when the other office worker is out the office will close that
week what I what I would say Dave too is leave some wiggle room that if because I'm going to assume labor and the town are going to continue to argue this and come to some
sort of settlement um but what I'm going to say right here right now we budgeted for this um I don't think we expected a problem from um the
union um it is still just a temporary position I don't know what belonging to the union would cost the town it actually costs the employee because he has to pay the union dues it's our employee it's our
budget um we are task by te to give all necessary resources for the operation of the water department resources include staff what I will say right now is if
something happens with our billing I'm not going to take responsibility for it I will Point straight to town hall and send everybody there and let town Town Hall decide how they explain
it this board has worked extremely hard I'll credit Mike m going all the way back to when it was me and Mike McAn before Dave was here Nate and I have faced I don't know how many angry people
whether it be on he on in our meeting at a town meeting when we were just talking about p Nate and I um we've faced a lot of people upset Nate has mentioned about the
rates we weathered that storm because we knew it was the right thing to do we tried to do the right thing by hiring a temporary employee yeah um Todd let me let me finish Lori for one second I am not going to take
responsibility for this we had a uh uh an advertisement for employment we had it budgeted in our budget which is not part of the town's budget it is our
budget that we are tasked with doing so if anything happens to our billing or our ability to to carry out our day-to-day functions it will not be on the back of this board I will not let that happen
happened I've worked too hard I've faced too many difficulties over the last nine years Nate sat alongside me this will not be our responsibility so if you Lor if you want to read what the the Labor uh lawyer
said that's I'd appreciate it but I want it known right here right now if our ability to build gets compromised it will not this board or Department's fault we had it
budgeted and we had it advertised now the inability to negotiate between you and the lab the union I don't care I'll I'll I'll put the blame at both that you couldn't come to some sort of common agreement but it will not be this board's
responsibility nor the department and if Nate you know if the other board me then that's just my opinion not the board I'm I'm going to state that right now but I won't let Nate or I or Jess or
Dave take any heat for this and if I you know I'm more than a little aggravated that it's gone on this long and that there's such a a loggerhead but I'll let you read what the labor union has to say uh the labor lawyer has to
say okay um can you hear me yes ma'am okay so this was uh in response to Nelson's ask um I called Carol marklin this afternoon since I did not hear back from
her yesterday the Union's position is that the water board approved the hiring of a permanent position they believe there is funding for the position and it's their opinion that the town has un
Lally determined that the water department cannot F fill the permanent position I advise Carol that the fiscal year 25 budget did not include funding for an additional position only for temporary staffing for a few months the
town has the right to hire outside of the Union pursuant to article six and the town has the right to determine if it wants to fill a temporary position Carol referenced the fiscal year 26
budget which allegedly includes an additional position in the water department office even if the fiscal year 26 budget includes additional person position fiscal year 26 budget is
proposed and has not been approved by the town meeting it is the Union's position that provided an appropriation exists the Department determines whether a position will or will not be filled
the union also raised a concern that upon return the temporary employee would be terminated and if decides to retire the department will not have continuity and will be starting from scratch with a
new hire one little thing we can't mention names of workers in meetings oh I don't even know who these people are all right so just reading a letter
no she's reading so that's um I don't know who they are theyve just what I would say all right I'll leave out names I don't know like I said I I don't know who this is or isn't um
assuming the water department has funding for an additional position and assuming the water board did in fact request that an additional permanent position be filled if this matter were to be arbitrated it would likely come down to
whether the employer has the right to determine Staffing levels for the town the water department is a town department and the employer for collective bargaining purposes in the town acting through its
select board lucky me no no actually so I'm going to stop you right there I would like the labor Council or no the union to read what it says under um responsibilities and duties of
water Commissioners to a certain degree it's true however the Water Board of Water Commissioners and I said it just briefly before we are tasked by D under master
General law to supply the resources needed to run a water department resources mean supplies equipment and staff the other is is we did not approve
a full-time position additional position we have always talked about a temporary position that would potentially become permanent if and when people return from um whatever leaves were
taken never was there an addition of a full-time position there two people in the office with Dave is has and will probably always be as far as I know every water billing office I know of EX except for
mine to be honest with you has had two people in it it gives you redundancy um and evens out the workload but um I don't
like and I looked it up you the the they are right you are able to it would even could be in a uh a personal services contract but yes the whole idea of a temporary position is when and if
whoever leaves comes back they're entitled under FMLA to their position back um Dave correct me if I'm wrong we were not creating another a
three-person um staff inside the billing in administration side of things correct you don't need we do not need three people so we were always talking about a temporary position correct and it it had the potential to become permanent if
someone retired within the same span or had to take an additional leave which is what which you could cover under a personal services um contract it might have helped both the
town and the union to maybe have asked Dave Nate or me about this instead of everybody in instead of so Nelson has not spoken to you or Dave no not to
me I I I'll back up I talked to Nelson briefly and that is where I when I stated what I thought my assumption of the problem was was what I had gleaned from Nelson what was on your email was very
different and a lot more specific than what I got from Nelson if Nelson had told me that they had said it was a permanent position I would have corrected him and they are incorrect finish the letter go
ahead or actually you know what you could do email that letter to or and and have it emailed to me Nate and Jess but I don't understand why Nelson didn't do this because in in when he
forwarded it to me he said below is a response from town labor Council regarding the temporary position temporary position at the water department their unit is their Union is adamant the position should be a union
position but I think I I think it sets a bad president to have temporary employee be part of the Union okay I think I agreed on that that one but there was another comment here um and that was February 8th let me see when
that one was that was the 6th so um on February 8th 2:35 p.m I was sent an email said I have spoken to Todd and Dave I'm not gonna I don't want to mispronounce no you can say our names we're here
so I you just don't want it I didn't wanna no I didn't wanna yeah didn't want to say Dave's last name wrong um so Todd and Dave regarding this but we can't get past the union non-union issue I I don't know if they will be
discussing this at their meeting meaning I guess tonight um there is a there is a compromise which is to make the position a long-term temporary position that is non-union but they won't agree to that
so that's what I got no I know but in in your statement earlier you said the union said it was a permanent position and that the water department didn't have the right to determine it it is our budget it's what
we allocate towards so yes actually we do um and under master General R if they want to take that to court let's go right here right now um where I would say temporary
what I found out in my research is if and this would be the only leg to stand on I I'm I'm still I'm going to be honest with you I'm a little angry at their assessment that it's a permanent position because it's not um and I'm a
little and I'm a little angry at their assessment that the water department doesn't have the right to set the terms of employment we do it's under our fiduciary responsibility um and resources staff is
resources they want to identify it as something else I'd be more than happy to have them try and do so the only leg I found and it's a 5050 split um is if the temporary position is working full-time
hours during their temporary uh assignment then yes it's about a 50-50 split half the communities allow them to become union members for the length of their temporary but you have to lay it
out in a very explicit way about what the lengthen term of the employment um length would be um the only thing we ever talked about was it being a temporary to
permanent dependent upon potential retirement or other issues that we can't discuss here never were we creating a third permanent position in the water department um you know this would have
been a great foot in the door into the municipal world for someone else they get billing experience or whatever in a water Municipal entity there is the chance that it potentially becomes permanent but it's a replacement it's not the creation of a third position um
if we confused anybody in that regard I I'll take the lumps on that but we we never did as far as I can re recollect create a third position in in the in the water building
office um so that would be my thing um so I would you know you didn't let me finish the letter I'll say it again you didn't finish the letter go
ahead now I don't remember where I left off but um that's not my fault so I will go to this um uh that where I started in the second to the last paragraph assuming the water department has funding for an additional
position and assuming the water department did in fact request that an additional permanent position be filled these are all IFS if this matter were to be arbitrated it would likely come down to whether the
employer has the right to determine Staffing levels for the town the water department is a town department and the employer for collective bargaining purpose I did read that already yes you did um okay so hence my
aggravation okay um pursuant to article six of the CBA if the town decided to contract out certain water department operations thus eliminate existing Union positions there would be an impact on
the bargaining unit a loss of positions and the town would have an obligation to bargain over the impact of the decision that's not the case in this instance the town has not proposed the elimination of any permanent positions rather it simply
intends to hire a temporary position while the permanent employee is out on medical leave which you did not let me finish before while I cannot promise that the union will not file a grievance or an unfair labor change in my opinion
the likelihood of the Union's success is relatively low because the town has the right to fill a temporary non-bargaining unit POS unit position pursuant to article six of the
CBA and the union is not losing any existing bargaining unit positions as a result of the town's action notwithstanding my opinion there are no guarantees regarding outcome when a matter goes before an arbitrator or
before the DLR please let me know if you have any questions or wish to discuss and that is uh Jane fredman of it's from Costa's office our town
council's office no so the first thing is all right uh um I it sounds like we're approved to we're not going to have any problems with the temporary position that's what it sounds like so if we go ahead and hire it the temporary position it sounds like the union May
agrie grieve it and put it to an arbitr I will say this again for the record we set the budget not the town it's not the town's money it is the water department Enterprise money that
this board has control over nobody else we set the Staffing levels because it's a resource says it under Mass General law Union wants to take it up maybe Mass
waterer gets involved I doubt it but whatever but this is this is what we do this is our responsibility we said to say to the town this is our budget this is what we've allocated
for we put out an advertisement we set the Staffing levels Dave actually asks us to St the Staffing levels because he's our super intendant he is the professional in water that we've hired to run the water department
we support him so long as he can convince it it's needed the temporary while an employee is out on leave is a needed resource that we allocated funds for a temporary
position so I I don't agree with their stance I would like to see the letter um I would like to know I'll ask Nate Jess isn't here um but I think something was taking out
of context somewhere Nate because I've never thought about adding another full-time position to the the administration it was always to cover a potential leave right so this is what's
been Dave hold on one second I had asked Nate do you agree with everything I just said Nate uh my stance is is that we've created a temporary position to cover someone that is having a medical procedure which makes complete sense I don't know how
we've got from yeah protecting employees from being stuck in trenches overworked to something like this it disgusts me okay and you know what I I thank you for reading that letter Lori I appreciate that that is a legal
opinion okay Todd don't don't I know you you get all fired up that is a legal opinion yep everybody's got an opinion this board has created a temporary position that is is as far as I knew had
been being filled and was going to be put before the board to be um approved the board of selectman to be approved once we found a and recommended a candidate so this is all news to me so I don't know anything about unions
everybody everybody in the water department is in the union all the employees Dave except Dave except Dave okay um I'm gonna I would suggest Dave that you call Nelson in the morning and
and find out if there is a Mis um interpretation here find out where that came from well I can tell you a so here's what one of the things that so yes the employees is going out then
coming back and as soon as the doctor says they're okay is going back out to do a second surgery now the what the time proposed originally what was advertised was a one
year up to 12 months temporary employee non-union the union would agree to it if they the the oneye temporary employee if it was Union that's the that's the impass so it's up to a year if something
happens in in the meantime we can re always readjust you know like if somebody retires or or somebody get out longer we can always get an extension which isn't hard but it just it's just a different set of C
circumstances both agree that 12 months is okay the big hold up is Union and non-union and there were supposed to be some compromise I I haven't heard anything from
the I could care whether they are union or non-union so long as they it as temporary on it right they the you know and that they realize that there is a potential end date like you said we can
extend it um or whatever happens we there's an adjust fire and and move on um but this was never what set me off is that it said the Union's uh opinion of our actions was we were creating an
additional permanent position we are not this was to solely to cover and how this got so out of whack and I I'm joining I'm with Nate on this I I'm more
than infuriated that it's gotten this evolved and this combobulated um for something that should be as simple and Common Sense we needed a temporary position for up to a
year to cover a medical leave of one employee whether you make they want to be at a Union position for a temporary Union position I worked at Perry Supreme Warehouse I had to join the teamers
during the summer when I was in college when I was there I was a union member I had to pay union dues even if it was only for three months so I know what happens so whether they want to be Union for one year
that's fine I don't it doesn't bother me one way or the other it's money out of the person's pocket that's coming in cuz because they won't get anything out of it if they're only there for a year so that doesn't make any um it it doesn't make any difference to
the town we're not going to be paying the union anymore it comes out of the employee so right and so long as we so long as everybody understands this is a temporary position right with an end date that we can potentially expend you
know in the contract you can say extend for no more than 6 months after the 12 months whatever you want to write it up or will write it up I don't at this point I don't care I just don't want our functions at the water department to get messed up because two people can't come
to a common sense agreement and I understand repercussions and whatever but this is our budget this is our department yes you are the final negotiator but when it comes to Staffing levels Dave in the sport sets it nobody
else you you don't have the jurisdiction to do it the town does not you are the legal arbitrator for Union contracts that I don't dispute um well as long as we have it in writing somewhere that that's a temporary
position yep and when set the term set the term of the employment at not to uh at 12 months with a potential of a six months extension they you can make them a union employee for the length of that temporary
contract it gives them protection from say from us or for anybody else the same as the the rest of the Union but this is not a permanent position who is arguing that I think it was in your letter that the union said
that it was a permanent position that's why I wanted to see the letter I thought I do better visually than I do with my ears okay I don't think the union says it's permanent that they they were agreeing on temporary they just
wanted in the union I if the that's why I want to see the letter because I think if I heard it right when lri read it from the labor Council saying the union was saying that we had created another permanent position so I want to see the
letter so I can actually read it and not go off what someone's telling me well didn't the union review our minutes I don't know yeah they that's the first thing I would have done yeah I know but maybe we
should I we can go back but that's never been that wasn't our budget we approved or anything it was a temporary position and the budget it's it's it's in there for worst case scenario
which was it's it's the same money that gets is a so it's a it's worst case scenario is full-time but that's only if the person doesn't come back and that's what we said that it was a temporary position
right with the potential's what's your email who's Dave d v i yeah he's he's he's reading it to you lri so v i g e a n t at minute wait a minute
wait a minute v i g a n t Oh e e a n t e a n t i you can't read that at
pounds andw water.org all right I just sent it I well I just sent it from the top so hopefully you get the whole thread all right um no nobody is I mean it's not certainly my intent to make things more
difficult for people um sure and and I understand being a volunteer and maybe not always having all of the information and then uh things happen that you don't want to
happen or misunderstandings happen so um I apologize for that we don't we don't need to be a volunteer to get frustrated so all right okay B has it now so if he wants to distributed to the board he can
and what I would say well I want to read it myself he can forward it to me and I I can read it tomorrow um what I would say sorry if you would to Nelson and to the union and labor
Council that this board created a temporary position that we would like to see a contract for a temporary position up to a year with the potential for a six months extension depending on the length of leave required for the individual
leaving um and leave it at that and they can make it Union they want so long as the contract says it's a temporary position 12 to 18 months whatever but
um we need to get this done sooner than later and this is a lot more complex than it needed to be all right okay so just so you know the jop posting was for 12 months
and and if something happened at the end of 12 months that we needed a few more months then we' re we' re um visit whatever extend it yeah
yeah Dave can you tomorrow send that to lri and to Nelson The Well Nelson should have already had the posting right they have they have the post and they wrote it okay yeah so go ahead Nate what would that
official extension uh process consist of probably we would have to propose extending it as the board because we have need to and if it's already written into the contract that's about it we would just
say we need to extend the contract six more months due to the the circumstances involved and the temporary position would continue on and that's all that would have to get done okay some of the variables we don't know is
how long between the two surgeries the doctors yeah that that's that's fine it's we can leave it as as what we just said you don't need to be specific it's and they can revisit they want to make it if they want to make a temporary
position Union that's fine it's going to be on the the the new the temporary employee to pay those that those those dues um if they want to PR rate their dues for a temporary position they they
can do that um it's so it it's just it's I don't know anyways um I think we've beat that to death
um we'll let it go with that and just um propose that to them Lori see what they say um but you know it time is short and it should have already happened but thank you for getting us that letter I that's
probably the first um piece of solid communication we've had on this on this subject and um it's appreciated all right moving on one more
thing High well legislation Advanced two weeks ago what What legislation private well legislation basically for um it's going to what's uh written is it we come under
D but it's they don't have the resources I don't know where they think they're going to do it all I'm that's that's all I'm telling you is it Advanced y opinion this board doesn't have the purview no I know then mine too has
nothing to do with us I'm just bringing it to your attention that Mass Waterworks legislative committee already sent a letter to the state legislature that it doesn't support this at that this
time um so let it be whatever um anything else Dave oh that's it all right thank yes all right moving on um scheduling next Board of commission is meeting we we did it's the 24th of
February no that was only for one our regular scheduled meeting that was only for one item on the 24th um I need to pull up my the 10th would be March 10th Nate is that
good for you I think it looks good meeting oh special town meeting for override there's another
one yep on a Monday yep oh crap that was booked a week ago all right uh 17th Nate that's and that's it's
gonna be at seven o'clock so I mean if you wanted to meet earlier um I mean I don't I don't I don't know usually the Selectmen meet before any meeting
um usually with um Town Council Mondays for me Mondays Mondays are tough um to get out early because there's a lot of stuff that usually happens over the weekend um Nate is the 17th okay Dave
that's St Patty's Day planning board meeting at 7 on the 17th that is our only meeting in again planning board is meeting on the 17th at uh 6:30 we start I don't want to meet on the 24th
and then have to meet on the 3D we just just do it let's just do it on a Tuesday then all right the 11th it is what it is sometimes you gotta is the 11th okay for you Nate I think it can be ask her when they
select meetings are Selman meeting on the 11th um you guys meet every week we we are meeting every week in February with Finance even so they're joint
meetings um so that's February but March I know I don't think we're meeting on the 11th I don't have I don't have the schedule with me and I didn't write it in my calendar all
right why don't we do it this way why don't we set it tentatively for the 11th at 7th if we need to adjust fire afterwards let's do it then I'm hearing the 11th yes sir
um all right I I'll check it out tomorrow and get back to if they have something scheduled I think I think they'll know better after February as far as how we're doing with
budget M so I don't know one day at a time so so one is is that a vote or is that a town meeting uh Monday is is a vote for the
override it is that's the first pardon me that's the vote for the because you have to have two meetings for an override one as a vote and the other one as a the Tom meeting itself
right the this is this is um thrown in because of the school budget right so I think that it's also that date because should it pass it's still I think it's still has
to go to the ballot if it's an override correct that right so that's probably that's why it was done hurriedly if you will or rushed so
that if it does pass then they have to add it to the ballot on April 28th that makes sense because you have to have the ballot in a town meeting to pass an override
yeah yeah so we'll just uh address each day as it comes that's right what else can you do all right so that being
said we have a tentative date and time of our next uh full board meeting Nate could I have a motion please on two uh 7.2.3 and point4 please uh yes Mr
chairman I move that we schedule the oh uh let's see I remove that we review monthly abatements and adjustment lists review and approve end of month reports and signed reports
billable Bill payable warrants out of session second motion has been made in seconded roll call no further discussion nope roll call Todd molans I Nathan matala
I okay I um move that we adjourn Monday February 10th Board of Water Commissioners meeting at 9:16
p.m. second motions been made in seconded roll call vote Todd malanson I Nathan matala I