MEMORANDUM

TO: Board of Selectmen
Michael Sullivan, Town Administrator
Kristine Trierweiler, Assistant Town Administrator
FROM: Maurice G. Goulet, Director of Public Works
DATE: October 31, 2016
SUBJECT: Department of Public Works Update

The following is a list of current updates on projects and tasks relating to the Department of Public Works:

• The Medfield Salt Bid was opened on September 28th and the Town of Medfield
  will have Eastern Minerals, Inc. from Lowell, Massachusetts as its road salt
  vendor for the upcoming winter season. Eastern Minerals bid for road salt is
  approximately $12.00/ton below what it cost the Town a year ago.
• The Philips Street Bridge was recently closed by MassDOT bridge inspectors.
  The Town initiated contact with MassDOT to assist in necessary funding for
  bridge repairs through the Municipal Small Bridge Program that the State has
  been offering. The application for this program has been processed and we are
  awaiting announcement for the approval for the funding. We are in contact with
  the State engineers’ office in Worcester, MA to help expedite this project. In the
  meantime we are working with an engineering firm to assist in the design for the
  improvements.
• The Department of Public Works has organized safety training for their
  employees through our insurance carrier Mass Interlocal Insurance Association
  (MIIA). The classes that were conducted for this quarter were Back Safety
  Training and a wellness/nutrition class that provides safety credits towards our
  insurance premiums.
• The Highway Division continues to maintain multiple roads in town by milling
  (grinding) sections of roadways that have deteriorated and then paving those
  sections to make the roadways safer and have an improved driving surface in
  preparation for the upcoming winter months. This maintenance operation will
  resume in the spring.
• Crack sealing operations have taken place on many streets in town to prevent
  water from seeping into these cracks, freezing and then creating hazardous
  conditions with frost heaves during the cold winter months. This is one of the
  preventable maintenance techniques that will provide extended longevity to some of our roadways.
• After many interviews and a matrix process, the Department of Public Works has
  hired a new mechanic for the Highway Division to maintain the fleet of vehicles
  and equipment. One of the main goals in the near future is to develop a fleet
  maintenance program that tracks costs of repairs and to implement a preventative maintenance component.
• The Department of Public Works would like to extend their sincere thanks to two
  of their employees that have moved on recently to other employment
  opportunities. Thanks go out to Robert McDonald, WWTP Chief Operator and
  James Connors, Water Technician.
• The Water and Sewer bills have been processed and will be mailed out sometime
  the week of October 31st.

Selectmen got a memo this week from our new Director of Public Works with a status report.

MEMORANDUM

TO:          Board of Selectmen
Michael Sullivan, Town Administrator
Kristine Trierweiler, Assistant Town Administrator

FROM:      Maurice G. Goulet, Director of Public Works

DATE:      August 17, 2016

SUBJECT:      Department of Public Works Update

The following is a list of current updates on projects and tasks relating to the Department of Public Works:

•    The Medfield State Hospital Water Storage Tank Project is nearing completion. DEP has sent written notification (email) that the Town has the approval to put Tank on-line.

“MassDEP has received your written construction certification and request to put the Hospital Road tank on line and is also in receipt of the bacteria and VOC sampling data.  MassDEP has reviewed this data and hereby authorizes the Town of Medfield permission to put the Hospital Tank on line.
 
If you have any questions feel free to contact me at (508) 767-2738.
Margo Webber”

Tank has been put on-line and appears to be functioning properly.  The Water Division will continue to monitor the levels and the operation closely in the coming days/weeks.

•    The rail lines and ties are scheduled to be removed from the Harding Street railroad crossing in the coming weeks. Temporary paving was placed over the rails recently for the Pan Mass Challenge Bike Race participants due to uneven and rough terrain.  Awaiting the MBTA’s final approval.

•    The Water Restrictions have been increased to a one day per week watering (Mondays for odd numbered houses, Thursdays for even). Because of the severity of the existing drought conditions, we will be assisting the Police Dept. in handing out tickets/fines as needed. These tickets for the offenses will begin as warnings to the residents that continue to water during unauthorized times. We will then further explain the severity of the situation (the need for fire protection, drinking water for the community and the need to follow regulations set by DEP). Recently there has been meetings from the Drought management Task Force that have elevated our drought status to a “Drought Watch”. The following criteria are recommended in a Drought Watch area.

Regions in Drought Watch:  Moderate drought conditions
    Outdoor watering should be limited to “handheld” with a hose or a watering can after 5 p.m. or before 9 a.m. (to avoid evaporative losses).
    Restrict outdoor watering with irrigation systems and sprinklers.
    Watering of municipal parks and recreation fields with irrigation systems and sprinklers may continue, at the water supplier’s discretion, before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m.
    Filling swimming pools, washing cars and washing buildings should be prohibited.
 
•    The Medfield Salt Bid with 25 participating towns will be going out for advertisement. The tentative bid opening for salt and chemicals will be September 28th.

•    At the WWTP our staff has pumped out a couple of the aeration tanks for maintenance. They are in the process of changing out approximately 700 diaphragms that are 13 yrs. old.  The average life of these parts vary from 10-15 yrs. This will provide better circulation in these tanks.

•    Route 27 (North Meadows Road) project from the Medfield town line to West Street has been completed.  The final paving, backing up the roadway edges with material and hydro-seeding the unpaved shoulders has taken place. The police are in the process of completing the traffic markings in this section.

•    The Highway Division has been maintaining multiple roads in town by milling (grinding) sections of roadways that have deteriorated and then paving those sections to make the roadways safer and have an improved driving surface in preparation for the upcoming winter months.

The extra poles on Green Street were removed today, per email just now from Mike  –

Jack Lopes from Eversource called today to tell me that the Green Street utility poles had been removed this morning. Mike S