the meeting of the South Water Commissioners is called to order June 20th 2024 at 6m and is being reported Ed Johnson present mes present John Kane present Randy Brown present chy may present is there any public comment is there any public comment okay have you reviewed the minutes of March 7th and 16th I reviewed the March 7th and the May 16th minutes and make motion to the seit accept both minutes as M can I have a second I wasn't here for the March meeting right well you can still second it you just can't sign it that's second the motion want me to make two motions I'll make two motions that's all right yeah you can do both yeah do both separate them all right I'm making motion to review the March 7 minutes as okay second all favor all right you should I'm good so I wouldn't hear it make a motion to the 16th May 16th minutes yeah I can't vote on that second the motion to accept the May 16th minutes all in favor I Dave mesw joh k i motion carries okay okay we have six elderly rate applications and chrisy says they all meet the requirements do I have a motion I make a motion to accept the Elder applications all second motion all in favor Johnson I John Kane I okay motion carries okay monthly commitments we already got that that's uh that's 8,005 we sign that later Randy epw report okay just a few things since our last meeting first one is an update on the lead service line inventory B Bond's taking the lead in this project um they're still trying to get into and uh either do basement inspections or have people fill out the survey online submit photos and documentation of the services so the response has been I'd say lukewarm at best you know but they're still plugging away um they did do a round of knockers it's specific neighborhoods and I think that helped and I think we'll continue that um moving forward so we'll keep you upd on that item two Jeff belli he's a back inspector he's he's um continues to do those inspections item three our sanitary survey was done in April I had expected to get a report on that by now but I have not okay so maybe no news is good news I don't know but uh certainly when that does come through I'll pass it along item four we did Implement water restrictions on 611 due to the levels of the westle river indicating that we are in in a drug status uh this is under new business so we can talk about this in more detail we get to it onal gender and the last item here five is we are due for another round of leting copper sampling we do that in the third quarter of 2024 so July August September we'll be doing that so Christy myself and together we working okay uh get those samples taken okay good work order summary what do we got here seasonal turn on new connections raise Farm hydrant meter okay nothing nothing real big deal right no the hydr meter is just for the irrigation use they ask for that usually we had another one today come in for what came in today for irrigation that was r that was race okay yep we it up today okay perfect okay old business 18 Hudson Drive W Associates so we've talked about this last few meetings um in your packet there is some information I did not have at the last meeting which was the decision from Dig Safe program so there was a a review from Dig Safe and uh there was a subsequent investigation and a meeting amongst those parties and there was essentially there was a violation that did occur that did verify uh there was a $1,000 fine that was paid and I think there also requirement for some online education so those papers are here for you to take a look at if you're interested uh since their last meeting um couple things have come changed so the property owner indicated that because we didn't give him a water meter um that it's impacting their schedule of the their new building and as a result there may be cost implications therein because they have a facility and I think in Westfield that they're Leasing and that the lease would have to be extended if the new building here is incomplete so legal council chimed in with some recommendations I did talk to Ed about this um so we did end up giving the water meter uh last week we put that in right um there are legal and legal was going to draft a letter to the to the property owner indicating that there are other means that we can pursue to secure payment for to get our money yeah so that was uh being drafted and then I had a meeting today with Nicole Parker she's a new Town Administrator chief administrative officer um and she is asking uh if this board would consider reduction in that in that bill and in order to maybe satisfy this and put this behind us I told her I wasn't sure but I presented to the board today um for your for your feedback um you I don't think it's you know we talked about this I don't think it's a good message to send but if her feeling is that if there is no reduction or elimination of that that bill then there will be a follow-up lawsuit and that would probably be more costly than that's yeah that's yeah he want he's going to take litigation against the town yeah correct correct yeah so in good faith he wants to bring litigation against the towns and then we'll reduce the bill which is absolutely insane yeah I think he hit the waterm thing had to be replaced he was at fault we talked about this y it was investigated by Dig Safe additionally obviously they thought it was a bigger issue too and he's at fault I mean we gave him the meter that's us reducing the bill or giving him some type of Grace for it I think the the the the flip side the concern is that we did put the marks on the ground right and they were not in the right spot that's the problem and so there is some maybe some responsibility on the town's end because of that because our markings were off but they weren't official markings that's they're not official market right so when you don't go through the process it delays your time frame I mean you hit a waterm that's just that's how it works and I think the to come in here and ask us to show him some type of good graces and then to go and try to sue the town over his mistake we gave him the meter he got what he wanted and I think he should be paying the bill the excavating company that was doing the work whatever it might be paay for the repair and if Mr Wally wants to spend a hundred grand to fight the town over $5,000 then that can just show his real commitment to the town we gave there's a tax incentive plan for that building he's developed that whole Road I'd like to know how many dig safes he's called in and if we keep going down this road more people are just going to hit utilities and say Hey you came out and told us it was okay Dave yeah I think I think we should just uh keep it the way it is and I don't see any reason to give them any I mean it's $4,000 for for a building I confir I confir got we've got the Dig s paperwork he wants to pursue it is legal that's all right here yep I don't know I don't understand you know he does he does this all the time yes he does he gets in there and he you want a $1,000 you give him a ,000 bill he doesn't want to pay it yeah I don't know what to do with them anymore no can I have a motion on that I'll make a motion to deny red reduction of the F the reduction of the bill a second I'll second that motion all in favor Johnson I or I John K and I okay motion carries not to doce the bill okay Springfield Water and Sewer contract the same right yeah so our we have an agreement with sprink water in purchase wholesale water that agreement runs through June 30th we did get a uh an agreement the senior packet uh this had to go to town meeting as well because the contract doesn't exceed does exceed three years oh okay so that was the reason we had to get a vote at town meeting to authoriz the board the town to enter into an agreement you know for five years of three years so what you have in front of you is is a copy of that agreement there really are no material changes to the prior agreement yeah so once you authorize it I'll bring it to se as well y so there's no changes really everything's just the same no just a standard yes nothing changes to the rate formulas okay it just allows can I have a motion on the floor to accept Springfield Water agreement for the year I make a motion to accept the threeyear agreement for the Springfield Water yeah five year agreement second I'll second motion to accept the fiveyear agreement with Springfield Water and Sewer Commission all favor Johnson i m i John Kane I motion carries okay Randy new business non-essential water restrictions yep so as I mentioned earlier we did Implement restrictions on June 11th pack a copy of the you know the handout we do every year is in your packet y same as before you know last year we entered restrictions I think on June 1st the year before it was I think May 30th 31st so right around the same time as the past two years um we are the only one that I'm aware of in the area that has restrictions at this time I to reach out to D to kind of get some information terms of when other communities you were saying only till you told me yeah would be you know following the same standards that we are um I would say I kind of got the same response I typically have in the past you know not no really firm answers you know it's something that they're working on but um didn't really get much out of it I I do think that Northampton might be implementing restrictions usually they follow us we usually were the only two we did two and I think they're they're very close based on I saw earlier today but as far as other communities you know that's like our neighbors um nothing I don't I don't uh yeah you said you gonna make that call and I did I did call I reached out you I asked and uh it's po you know possible I guess but you know it's um nothing's eminent that I guess the way playing it nothing nothing is run around okay but even if they do renew or review the application or whatever it's not going to get any less restrictive no correct I mean that's right never reduce the restrictions Randy I talked about when he call me yeah that the you know the I think what the key is to get you know so we don't feel like Sal's the only Community right because right now we are we're an island you know yeah so others you know should be in my mind they should be conserving water if we are on a drone yeah know we have to and while they should be doing the same you know we're pulling our in they should do theirs yeah no absolutely that's on DP to force right no it's they they're not because they don't have a withdrawal permit right they don't have a water others so like so take West say take West for example right they have they no longer have a permit right they're they're registered community so they they there was some change in the regulation a year ago where DP would put restrictions on um register commes but it's based on a drought declaration from the there a drought declaration task force and so I one of my questions to DP was when of this task force meeting they haven't met all summer you know we're in a drought you know they should be looking at the conditions and making that recommendation that we are in a drought right and I just got an email just probably an hour and half saying that that task force will be meeting but not until July 10 and I mean that's three weeks away you know things to change direct between then we just do what we got do nothing's really changed nothing's changed and we can't arbitrarily end the restrictions right because that was a question someone had posed oh we could just vote to not no have that's not something no it's written in the permit clear you know what triggers start Y is there anything else on a new business um so last meeting John asked if we would save any money by not including a return envelope in the water bills and that's just not how we're built no um so it's kind of like a lumpsum thing they don't charge extra or any less not including it okay anything else to come before the board have a motion for adjournment make a motion to adjourn I'll second the motion johnon I as I John Kane I meeting is adjourned thank you gentlemen