Cheshire Water Users Vote to Buy Truck for Superintendent
CHESHIRE, Mass. — The town's water users are recommending the purchase of a new three-quarter ton pickup truck with a plow for the Water Department at a cost of nearly $35,000.
The advisory vote took place Wednesday night after a lengthy and often heated conversation with the water commissioners. Those who attended the informational meeting at the Community Center overwhelmingly agreed to the purchase of a bigger truck with a plow.
"I think the F250 is a stronger truck," Water Department Superintendent Travis DelRatez said. "I have one and the water departments I have worked for all had them. We plowed with them, they are durable trucks, and they last a long time."
Other options included a smaller truck for $23,000 and a three-quarter without a plow for $28,000.
A special town meeting in December shot down the department's request for a truck for the newly hired superintendent. Because the Water Department is not a district, all town members are allowed to vote on department issues. Also, any purchase would belong to the town.
Initially DelRatez had refused to continue using his own vehicle, then agreed to in the interim after the Selectmen decided to hold another special town meeting once there was a consensus from those on the town's water system.
Most water users agreed that the superintendent needed a truck, but others felt it did not need to be a massive truck with a plow.
Water Commissioner Rick Gurney said the larger truck could help with town plowing and would be more durable.
"If you look at a truck that is going to be used for this purpose it is easily going to be depreciated over a 10-year time frame," he said. "You are looking at $100 a month difference if you buy the cheaper version, and you are going to end up like last year with fire hydrants not plowed when the DPW can't do it."
But some attendees noted the Department of Public Works already plows the pump house and hydrants.
Water Commissioner Francis Waterman said the DPW often does not have time to plow the hydrants, tank and pump house and that the Water Department has been making attempts to create more of a separation between it and the town's other services.
There were still those who felt there was no need to buy a truck.
Waterman added that the superintendent is being paid 51 cents a mile when he uses his own truck, which usually comes out to about $65 a week. The superintendent should not have to use his own truck, he said.
"Travis does not have to do that and he has indicated that he does not want to use his own pickup," Waterman said. "He said he doesn't care if he has to ride around in a golf cart."
Some users felt the department should shop around more before confirming a purchase, but Waterman said the state bid would be the cheapest option. He added that the larger truck is much more competitively priced because the state vendor purchased more of them.
He said a used truck could be much more expensive over time and leasing a vehicle would be more expensive.
Another special town meeting will be held next month with the water users' recommendation attached to the warrant article.
The Water Department also answered general questions about the department and the water meters.
Waterman said the sanitary survey from the Department of Environmental Protection that requires the meters and a superintendent will soon be available on the town's website.
He added that hiring the superintendent has already saved the town money because he holds many different licenses the town had to contract out for annually. Some of these costs are $1,500 or $2,500 a year.
He said DelRatez is also a certified wielder and has saved the town $8,000 in in-house repairs.
"Half of the stuff that we do that we have to hire outside contractors for, we don't have to do any more," Waterman said. "He can do it and if you guys have a problem he is in town every day."
Waterman said he can also help residents interface with their new water meters and help them find possible wasted water in their homes.
Waterman then explained that the water bills will come out soon and will contain a $50 customer charge per family and a water-use charge of .035 cents per cubic foot rate.
"Some of you are going to be surprised and some of you are going to be shocked," Waterman said. "All we do is read this device and it does not lie and when you get that first bill we are here to help you conserve water and help [the cost] go down."
He said the meter registers water usage every hour. Data can be gathered on a computer and it can be determined where and when water is being lost and what the flows are. If someone is using a lot of water while they are sleeping, then they may have a problem.
Waterman added that for this first billing cycle, if a meter reads that someone's bill is 50 percent or more than the past bill, the user will not be charged the full amount and the department will help find the water loss.
Waterman said the DEP stepped in because 35 percent of Cheshire's water was unused. DEP mandated the new meter system to cut this percentage down to 10 percent.
He said the amount of unused water helped the department calculate a rate. The department must generate its operational costs, which are $284,000. This is funded through the customer charge and the water-usage rate.
Gurney said they found how much water out of the total amount pumped was actually making it to the consumer. Out of 189,000 gallons pumped a day 142,000 gallons were charged for.
"We know how much water was being pumped on an average daily basis, but we had no clue how much was going to the end consumer," he said. "We discounted the amount that is actually being pumped."
The .035 cent rate should cover operating costs, but will fluctuate depending on how much water the town uses.
"The estimates were almost spot on, that's if everyone is using the water they have been in the last three months," Waterman said. "But the further we go down the road with this, people are going to be more water conscious and our water use will go down."
Water bills will be sent out four times a year.
Waterman said the meter's battery will last 20 years and they have a 100 percent replacement guarantee for 10 years.
He added that the meters cost between $220 and $250 and if a user breaks them they have to replace them.
"If we put this water meter in and for some reason you destroy it, it is not up to us and the other water users to pay for your meter," he said. "If it malfunctions it is not us, but ... you can't use this as a stepladder."
He said some meters could freeze if they are not in a heated area. If a user is worried about this, they should contact the department so they can install a free Styrofoam sleeve.
Some users asked that they be notified before the system is chlorinated.
Waterman said depending on the severity of the possible contamination they can only respond in certain ways according to the DEP. Because most situations are not critical in town, they do not have to notify everyone quickly.
He said the DEP always changes position on notifying water users and the Water Department will see if they have other options.
"We understand your concern and we will try to find a way to do that," he said. "We understand where you are coming form and we are going to address that internally and see what we can do with the DEP."
Tags: special town meeting, trucks, water bills, water department,
