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.