Sewer Commission 11 6 2025

Okay, welcome to the uh 11 November 6 meeting of the uh for sewer commission.

Um before we do anything, I need to make an announcement with respect to the open meeting law. Pursuant to the open meeting law, any person may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting or may transmit the meeting through any meeting. Attendees are therefore advised that such recordings or transmissions are being made whether perceived or unpersceived by those present and are deemed acknowledge and

permissible.

Okay, having said all that, um, Mr. F, will you do the roll call?

Yep. Howak here?

Soua here. Elves here. President here. Thank you.

Uh, I think we all have our agendas in front of us along with our packet. Um, thank you to the um staff putting this together. Our first item on the agenda is citizen input. I understand there's a gentleman that wants to make a um a presentation to us.

Yeah, correct. Uh Steven Nassiff. Um he uh is not a resident of the board wanted to wait for those who are to speak uh to the board.

Okay. Um are you Mr. Nasset?

Yes, I am. Just state your name and your address please.

Steven Nassiff, 11 OSby Drive, Berkeley Bass.

You have the floor.

Where will I stand? In the middle of the floor.

Um, over here. Would you like a chair?

I'll stand in front of the chair.

Thank you, gentlemen. Appreciate the uh courtesy. Steve Nassiff. I'm from Berkeley, Mass. Uh, I'm from Fall River.

I'm from Somerset. Uh we run a business here if you didn't know over a hundred years. We're run 101st year NASA pool company. So we are a rate payer. Not a big one of the former uh uh sewer commission but we are a rate payer. I'm here tonight because I've been involved in this uh process just as watching it and uh going on and I'm talking about the ongoing hopeful uh negotiation with

Somerset to uh collaborate on the upgrades that are needed at both plants and potentially have a regionalization done here and that is my goal. Uh there is a timeline here uh that some sets up against it at 2030. I spoke with Paul today. He told me he was going to bring a uh offer or a promugation of some type of uh model to show Somerset.

Steve Katarasi. I have immense uh respect for both of these gentlemen.

They do a great job. I just want to put my perspective on. I drove in from Mansville and I get off at 79. Google having me and go 79. You guys know what's happening on Deval Street. Uh it's 50 years now since they're going to get Deval Street right. As anybody some of you guys know, it was not there. Then it was there. Then it was nine iterations. It should have been what's

there. What's there now is what should have been there 50 years ago. There's a plant in Somerset that was done in the 70s.

They need to redo it now. If they redo it now, there'll be no regionalization.

It won't happen for 80 years. We'll be long gone. There's a one-time thing to get this thing right. Uh and there's a, you know, you've have all these other neighbors next to you with nothing. Give you nothing. All the little neighbors next to you get nothing. Just by a circumstance of history for Somerset is next door 95% soon. They're giving you an opportunity to like that. I'm sure

you can't find another one like this in the state. So, I think this is a great opportunity to really look at this regionalization and get it done right. Paul told me he was going to give a hybrid model. I don't I'm going to I generally we're generally on the same page. I'm going to park comfortably. I'm going to use Bob Craft uh back in 2011 during the strike.

He said, "We're going to get this agreement right. Measure twice, cut once. I'm going to use that now. Measure twice, cut once. I think you have everything here. You have to come up with what a regionalized situation will be. Probably 80% fall. We're over 20% Somerset. Now, you could say in, you know, we're in the we're in the the present now, the next 2 3 4 years. This thing's going to last for a long time.

The growth looks like it's going to happen in Fall River right away with all this new stuff coming up. Paul's assured me and I think you guys know there's plenty of uh capacity down here at the plant and there's going to be things that need to be done here down at the plant. Economy of scale says you've got two communities that n one's 95% sew and fall over here that if you put all that

together in a collaborative way where everyone feels good and there's a seat at the table and this thing can last going forward when none of us are here and work in the future with things we can't even predict. There's problems here you can't predict. one of the those solids that uh are a problem. Uh you can maybe make something out of that down here. Collaboration will solve a lot of

problems that you can see now in the present. What you could also be getting rid of that plant uh on the other side of your very important development. You look across from the volcano. What do you see? Sewer plant. Well, who wants to see a sewer plant river? Who shares the end of the Taton River? Ball River and Somerset. Let's clean that up and take care of the problem down here with the airflow at

the end of the line here and do whatever the EPA says now, 10 years from now, 40 years from now, whatever has to happen when this plant gets redone. So, I'm pretty sure that whatever was going to whatever Paul was going to put up now was probably 22 23 24.

Right now, you got to condense it. Put your best foot forward. If you got to wait another week or two, just get in there and get these numbers right and show a region and everybody will feel better and hold hands and go into the future because, you know, uh, Somerset had that plant bill in the 70s, the Clean Water Act. It was 5 cents on a dollar. Everybody got a plant. It was a

great thing. Now we're in another world.

Everything's, you know, everything's ginormous money. It's not a joke anymore. And there's no 5 cents at a dollar. It's maybe you can get something, maybe you can't. And you don't know. We don't know what's going to happen in the future. You don't know what's going to happen if another upgrade is in your 15 years from now.

God forbid. You think you're going to be all right, but we don't know. Uh, and you got to make this decision looking at the long term. So my again, I'll stop with what I premised with. I think you got to measure twice, cut once, and just you got most of the numbers here. Go back and show what a bonafide region would be just by, you know, by the e by the

engineering of it. It's not hard to tie them in to Columbia Street Basin and they come down to here. It's because you're right next to each other. It's a good thing. Just pull your horns back in my opinion. You do whatever you know.

Obviously, you guys can do whatever you want, but I just wanted to come down and stress I'd like to see a region first and if that doesn't work, then come back with the with the second phase. And that's really all I had to say. If anyone has questions, I'd be glad to hear that.

Uh, thank you for uh Excuse me. Is that you?

Shame on me. That's me.

Um, thanks for coming in. I I appreciate the fact you're an advocate for what you believe in. Um, one question I have, have you have you gone to Somerset and said the same thing to them?

Yes, I have.

Okay, good. Um, it's I've talked to some of the reps in town on both sides and there seems to always be this parochialism. Ah, they them they what's them they. I don't believe in that. probably cuz I've been on the both sides of the river all the time and I've heard what people say back and forth, but this them day stuff it's got to go.

Uh it's got to be us. It's we're here.

Paul said it. It's true. Our own state, 43 communities up there in greater Boston. They can get it done. Can't two communities next door to each other get it done? I mean, you know, it's I'm not an engineer, but you know, I'm a man, a businessman. It's economy of scale. You gota it and everybody's got to have it right and uh you're not talking about 10 15 million bucks. You're talking big

giant numbers and that's what it is now.

Never mind running it going forward.

Never mind the operating cost. The solids this this bugaboo with the solids that is a big unknown. So uh believe me I've heard it from both sides. I got a unique perspective.

everybody, you know, the follower of something. There's always this dynamic back and forth. You got to put that stuff to the side. You got to say we and you got to put it together. Uh the numbers will tell the story.

The numbers will tell the story.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Appreciate you listening. Have a great day. No problem. Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, let me set all that.

Um I guess the next item on the on the uh on the agenda is minutes of previous meeting I think we've all been giving the minutes.

Anybody have any questions or questions they want to make? If not, I'll entertain a motion to approve the minutes of previous meeting held on August 7. I'll make the motion.

I'll second that motion.

All in favor?

I motion passes. Okay. The item number three, we have a request from the South Coast Septic Service Company to um hold septage to the treatment plant where we're at. I believe they have right now a temporary approval.

Yes. Um I you know what I know about them and what I've been able to summize from what they do and so forth.

Um, we have other customers that do the same thing here and um, I have no problem with it. Um, have you heard anything for the contract or whatever?

No. So, they they we gave them temporary approval. They have not uh, they have not pulled any loads to us yet. I know they did go through the process of having the truck approved for travel on city roads. Uh, so so that has gone through the board ahead.

Um again has uh has increased. the the number of trucks that come in, but uh this is a uh one truck within this company uh and they're based on a dock if there wouldn't be any issues moving forward.

Okay. From what I can surmise too, they have like one truck, one person, guess it's a mom and pop type of thing. And uh anybody have any questions about that?

I think it just gives us a little bit more business. Just the only thing I I keep saying is just make sure the housekeeping's good. You know, you people that are in the plant out here, make sure these people, you know, hook up good. You know, don't leave any dripage around the place. And, you know, that just causes more problems. And because if they do that, then they're dragging it up on the street and

everything else. And then you're getting phone calls and saying, "Hey, what the hell's going on?" So, um, on that on that point there, anybody want to make a motion to approve um the hauling of septage by South Coast Septic into the wastewater treatment plant?

I'll make that motion for item three for the approval to hold storage by South Coast Septic Services.

One second.

I second.

All in favor?

I I thank you. Motion passes.

All right. I take item number four.

the um we're looking is is this a change order or is this a u a contract?

So this is a change order.

Okay. Um, item number four deals with a change order that goes out to RJ Construction with respect to the north end interceptor improvement 1A-C not to exceed $68,114.

Um I, you know, I've read through what the uh what the change I think includes. Um my gist of it is didn't we just last month do an order of them something that's only about 112,000?

Yeah, correct. So that was for uh the changing the slip lining underneath Route 24. Uh so if you remember the previous change order when we slipped when we uh went to pull the existing ductal line pipe out from underneath 24 that uh it ended up being grouted in and then there was a sag in the sleeve that we had to deal with. Uh, and we switched from uh doing an uh SDR um SDR to run

through the pipe uh to a HDP fused pipe uh that that would fit through the pipe underneath and then a permanent grouting around in between in the space in between the HDP pipe and the steel sleeve under the knife wall. Uh so that was that past change order. This change order was as we came to the close of the contract, there was an environmental scientist on board as required by uh uh

you know conservation commission.

Excuse me. Yep. But am I am I wrong in assuming that this is all about an excavation of the area that of this pipe that we dealt with last last uh I guess the last meeting and that a lot of this excavation got positioned somewhere and then we found out that you know from what I understand that this person this uh environmental person in said, "No, we can't put it

there. You got to move it and we got to sustain the cost of doing it."

Yeah, correct. It wasn't just in relation to the excavation and simplifying. I understand. It was a lot more involved to it and so forth, but you know, this is the way I look at it.

Yeah. Primarily pretty much they came in and said, "Nope, you can't put it there.

Uh you got to you're going to hold it off site." So, that's what we ended up doing.

Okay. So primarily uh the board knows most of the area. Uh so this is a whole entire uh north end interceptor sewer the 1A project that we're working on with town in this area.

Um so the area was kind of from the top here down through uh to this to the uh east side of Route 24 when the additional material was placed.

Where was it? Where was it originally placed? Uh initially placed. So it was in this stretch in between the bottom of the landfill and 24 east of And where did it end up going?

Oh, we ended up having all it all set up.

Yeah.

Did it have to go to a landfill?

No, it was able to be uh we sent it out for testing naturally uh for any type of contaminants. Um it was it came back with a clean bill of health and it was able to be sent off site to be reused.

Thank god.

Yes, that was had gone the other way. It would have this thing would have been a hell of a lot more money.

Yeah. But this is the area, you know, as you know, it was a cross country sewer that ran through uh it parallels Mother's Brook. Uh so this is after the final restoration of that area.

Again, just some of the material that needed to be uh hauled off site.

All right. Um what's going on we deal with this? um this project continuing.

Uh so this is the close out of this contract. Uh the project overall, but the North Interceptor is going to be continuing. Um if I go back a couple of slides.

So again, so this was the 1A contract that we uh that we're completing. Now, uh this area down through here uh was the 2A contract. So that was the lining contract, the orange that's on the screen, uh that was completed as well.

The uh 2B, which is the red area down here, uh where the interceptor comes up to North Main Street, still needs to be completed, as well as this area over here. Uh and then the 1B contract, which is the blue, uh still needs to be completed in the future. We have a good line right now with EDA. we did before the government shut down at least but that uh there may be funding for this uh

for this additional work through the EDA federal EDA.

So where we we're done with the green area from what you're saying with the exception of this change order.

Yep.

We where we going next to the red area then?

Uh so our next priority area would actually be the blue area uh and then into the red area.

Okay.

Scott, you got anything to say about this?

Hey, just what change order number is this? Well, this is this change order number five. Number five.

Okay. Anybody have any other questions about this, comments they want to make about it? If not, I'll enter intend a motion to approve change order number five uh in the amount not to exceed 68,11451.

We make the motion to accept item four JP construction for change order five not to exceed $68,114.51.

Seconded.

All in favor? I I Okay, motion passes. Yes. I just want to say one thing. I like I like when someone says not to exceed right to the 51 cents.

I mean that that just gets me um okay number five. This is uh from what I understand change order number eight which I like to think will be the last change order for this project.

This project from what I understand is complete and we're dealing with the uh the things that I guess that were left in advance that needed to be dealt with.

Let's put it in a sense of being paid. I thought it's been done, but they need to be paid. Um, we're looking at $365,893 and change.

I think if I sp my memory seriously correctly, I think I think the whole project was somewhere in the neighborhood around 48 million. uh the original base contract 45 million75,000 that was okay so we're probably between all the change orders and everything else we're probably looking at something that was about an 8% increase when you take into account I think there's like 2.6 six million already that's been

that's been um approved number eight would bring it up to somewhere around 3 3.2 or something like that.

Yeah, just under 3.2, right? Okay. So, that works out to about an 8%.

Yep. Um, yeah, I guess you look at it and say, "Wow, you know, in some avenues you might look at it and say 8% 8%." But when you think about what we've done here, um, got a beautiful plant.

It's doing the job we wanted to do.

And um we built for the future.

Um having said all that, I think we're at the point now we just got to move on.

And um we got I think we got a lot to show for what we've done. And I say this, I think we could just go in in effect say we got to finish it up.

projects.

Um 365,000 is spelled out amongst 29 different items.

Um I've read just about I've read all the items.

Um you know there's there's one or two what I would have uh maybe challenged a little bit but they all dealt with um someone coming in and we had done something had done it by back. It was it was basically done by code. However, um due to having to be subject to outside sources that come in and inspect things, we were told that um we had to remove it and put something in this place. And a

couple of those occasions, just those two occasions alone probably amounted to around $50,000.

Um, I would have, you know, I look at it and say in my circles where I came from, you know uh I probably would have I probably would have thrown the guy out of the the planet. But but having said all that now uh I guess these are the things we uh we have to uh conform to. So that's my take on it. Has anybody else got anything they want to say about this?

This finishes up the project. Yeah. So just uh couple of pictures I have again. So, new uh this area right over here is a new uh laboratory facilities.

Uh uh on the main floor, locker rooms within the lower level. Uh and then the upper level houses uh some office space and storage. Uh this area over here is the uh new belt for the press areas up on the upper level uh with truck loading in the lower level on the maze. Uh this area over here is our new uh solids handling building uh which houses the gravity presses uh

as well as boiler room mechanicals. Um so that's uh up in the front there's the new admin building where where we are today. Uh commissioners know this. Uh here we have the new uh outback uh new gravity thickeners redone.

That's impressive.

Yeah. Properly functioning. Yes.

consider what what was there before.

Exactly. Uh this area back here is the new W holding tank. Uh two separate tanks inside there in rings. Uh and this is all the thickened W uh storage um after it goes through the gravity gravity bell presses. So again all new control for this whole entire system as well was part of was part of this project.

You know, I know most of the commission knows uh all the major upgrades, but again, with the with this type of facility, uh the uh dewatering and sludge disposal in this region, in this in the area, in the whole entire United States, uh within the next probably 5 to 10 years, it's going to change drastically um in relation to uh unknown contaminants and other things coming down the line. So, this whole entire

project allows us the flexibility to be able to send out uh thickened liquid sludge, uh ability to send out cake sludge, uh as well as the ability um potentially if we're able to partner with somebody in the future to possibly do some on-site uh sludge reduction uh volume reduction. Uh see what that is.

There's a lot of different technologies out there and the CEO see what comes down the line work in there.

Yeah, I think I think Infamar made presentation I think the last meeting if not the meeting before where they were doing experimental stuff plant on a plant level and stuff. Going to be interested to see how this whole thing plays out.

Yeah. Yeah.

But um yeah, you look at something like this and and I look at it and say imagine having to start from scratch just just to just to not only get to a secondary plan but get to a just a maybe a primary plan.

the in in today's day and age. I mean, the the numbers are enormous just to, you know, some place that has to go and put put together something like that. So, guess that's something they got to think about. Um, having said all that, um, anybody else have any other questions on this?

I'll just brief the, uh, this is what is the age of this plant? So this plant was originally uh construction was started in uh the late 1940s uh went on line 52 uh with primary treatment. Um from there upgrades were made in the 70 from in the 70s where they added the secondary treatment. So biological treatment uh as well as the secondary clarifiers. Uh as we got into the 80s they added on some

of the dewatering stuff but you look at the whole entire plant and a lot of the stuff has already been touched. So you look at our uh preliminary treatment and primary treatment that was upgraded in the 2000s. That is an area that's highly impacted by hydro sulfide but um not uh extremely old. Uh you know all we just finished all the dewatering stuff so that's uh that's fully uh up to date

now. Um you know and our biological treatment and the PSA system uh some of that was upgraded in the last contract uh which was about four or five years ago. Uh so the plant right now um it is in good condition. We don't have anything that's you know that we're saying oh oh my god it's uh you know it's going to fall apart tomorrow maybe issues. Uh is uh is the plant dated like

every plant around is. But you know the plant overall is in great condition.

We've been able to over the years either in-house uh or with uh or with other contractors been able to uh update and manage what we need to. Now other things you look at at the plant uh roofs um you know which is always a major thing. We have all all new roofs in all the buildings now just finishing up this uh this contract.

So and obviously all the inland's coming into it. SP Yeah, exactly. You know, yeah, conveyance to the plant. Uh you have the CSO tunnel that was done in the mid mid 2000s. That's one of the major conveyance uh routes into the plant.

Now, uh the main interceptor that was constructed in the 50s, but it has been cleaned and verified. um that parallels north uh in Mano Bay, you know, north end like we talked about in the last contract is something that we're we're working on and planning for uh to be able to uh update that system.

Um, one of the biggest challenges that I remember with the facility, I mean, I came on board a long time ago and that was and I think Paul was there as well.

One of the big challenges was when this plant went second, what they called it went secondary and um then I guess the technology was um innovative. Yeah. What they call the Yeah, that's a good word, innovative.

Um, and a lot of a lot of things came in to the plant that unfortunately didn't work. And um, it it created a major backlog to to trying to process sludge and everything else. And it was it was a real trying time.

uh you would a meeting like this, this room would be completely loaded with peoples from all over the city, especially this uh the south end here and so forth. And um you know, odors were a problem. Um trucks disruption to the uh to the neighborhood and everything else. But um we've come a long way and uh and I like to think that you know we've we put the money where we supposed to in this

particular case this and I think this shows it and uh from what I understand we've got uh we've got very good results coming out of the uh the new operators we have and um I think that uh that just weighs us in a good favor.

good good favorable position. So, but it's a it's been a long haul to get my way out.

All right. Um, unless anybody else has any questions or want to make a comment about it, I'll attain a motion to approve change order number eight for contract number two 600 365,89344.

Anybody want to make that motion?

I'll make that motion for uh contract number two, change order number eight, Dan Okonnell and Suns for $365,89344.

I second.

Um all in favor I I I Scott. Sorry.

Motion carries.

Um I got just one question. I to finalize this um this change order is there anything coming down from camp to with respect to that's an ongoing discussion that we're having with them. So all right well this is not what it is.

Yep.

Um I takes us to item number six.

We're moving along. All right. We have um we have some time to be dedicated to the summer for connection for sea discussion.

Um Mr. Fland, the floor is yours.

Thank you very much, uh commissioner.

So, um I've mentioned, you know, I've had discussions with the board uh about this in the past uh about regionalization and uh interconnection with with Somerset. Uh again, so just uh to recap, uh town of Somerset is currently uh under um has a permit where they need to uh upgrade their uh upgrade their facility or meet nitrogen limits as well as other things with their permit. Um, so the city of Fall River,

uh, again being directly across the river from Somerset, we kind of started talking with them a while ago, saying, "Why not just, you know, uh, turn your plant into a pump station, send your waste water over to us?" Um, you know, we take waste water from multiple other communities, Freetown, um, Westport as well as Tividan, Rhode Island. Um none of those customers either Freetown West Portland

timid in Rhode Island uh currently are uh the size of what Somerset would be providing us.

So those discussions kind of went uh you know there was a little bit here a little bit there going as far back as I know in uh 2020 uh 2019 there was you know minimum discussions here and there back and forth um as part of Somerset's my understanding as part of Somerset's uh upgrade they needed one of the things that they said they were going to do in the beginning of their uh permit was to

uh do a regionalization study with uh looking at tying into Fall River.

Uh so coming back to uh the beginning, who did that study?

Uh that was done by Ray Pierce.

Uh so coming back into uh June of this past year, they uh they put out a first draft of their uh of their study. Um they did presentation on that. Uh there was comments that were provided by uh by myself on their draft. Uh on their draft they accepted comments. pro we provided comments uh as well as uh many other people um or some other people provided comments uh on their study. Uh they went

back they they right PS kind of reworked some of some of their study and stuff like that. Uh and then they uh reissued a second trap. Uh that's that's kind of where we stood. There has been a lot of um there has been almost grassroots organization that has come up as well.

uh that has had other presentations and other uh other um thoughts on on how to move forward.

Uh I've uh tried to follow those the best I can for you know a from Somerset and their commission as well as from the uh from the other organizations. Um so you know we've been back and forth and again one of the things that uh I've been saying for a while is to actually see whether this is going to work. we need to get to a table and negotiate and

figure out, you know, what what it what what something might look like, what uh what something might look like. Um, so the last, uh, the last real, uh, you know, board meeting that I was at for Somerset, um, I was kind of told, uh, go back, take a look, and come back with a number of what a rate might look like for Somerset, right?

Um, so, um, I did that and looking at a lot of different things. So there are two things uh two different ways that something could happen. Uh regionalization uh so taking uh and this is done all over the country regionalization. of taking this plant as well as any of the uh any of the you know needed um needed infrastructure that would be used by all bodies of the region and taken and

turning that into a separate region. So that would take um typically they're done by special act of the state legislation to be able to uh create a region just like the sewer commission was done as well as the uh what type of water board was all created by a special act of legislation.

So a region could be created that way.

Um if you take and you break it down into a region essentially you would take and you would get a a board of all interested parties. So um and how that board would be structured uh is still something that would need to be discussed and figured out. So is that board structured uh based on the percent flow that comes in based on the size of the facility uh is you know every member

that's that's party to that um you know how that board gets structured and then how would new members potentially come into that board. So again, we're looking at full river in Somerset right now potentially going into a legalization um you know and but what happens if TIVN increases their flow drastically and gets above a certain amount? Do they then get a seat at the table? Again, our

current intermunicipal agreements with our other communities uh don't come close to uh any of the volume that Somerset would be sending us. Um so that's why this needs to be looked at differently.

um with that regionalization uh again talked about the board and how the board would be structured and I think that's something that needs to be uh needs to be discussed and figured out about any parties that would look to become part of the uh the regional district. Um so it would be a self-governing too. I think what we look what we would look to do with this would be it would be

self-governing. So, uh, you look at, uh, an M MWR, Springfield Water and Sewer Navigates and Pay Commission. Uh, they don't fall underneath the guidance of, uh, you know, the sewer commission and what type of water board fall underneath the guidance of the mayor as well as the city council. Uh, so any anything that's, uh, related to ordinance, um, or um, an appropriation from this board

needs to be approved by city council.

Essentially, this would be a separate independent board that would be self-governing uh that the board members would uh would determine how how that is with those board members. There's a couple different things to look at, too.

Would those board members be uh would it be a voted board? So, in each independent community uh that has members on that board, would those board members be voted in? How would they be appointed by the sewer commission? with the the local sewer commission, would they be appointed by uh by the city council in or selected? Um so that's one thing that would really have to be uh discussed and figured out on the

structure on that. And then again, the other thing that I talked about was the minimum requirements. I would definitely recommend that a minimum requirement be put on to be able to minimum requirement of flow uh be put on to be able to uh to join the district again. So we have intermunicipal agreements and those inter municipal agreements would stay in place with the other communities uh and

that that will feed into the district.

Um but again with those intermunicipal agreements they don't come close to what uh potentially joining the district would be. But again you have the expansion activity you have free time talking about expansion. Westport also talking about expansion. So at some point do they get to that floor to be able to have a seat at the table uh be able to have a seat on the floor.

Um the other thing that would be totally beneficial about a district would be that you'd be able to take and potentially share additional assets. Um so you look at it and you know Paul River so we have uh we have two factor trucks um you know two step trucks and stuff like that. If you're working with a district and there are members as part of part of that regional district, are

you able to sometimes share some of those assets? Now, the last factor truck that we bought was $550,000 um to have two of those uh right next door to each other um sitting there for half the time not being fully utilized um may not make sense. So being able to potentially share some of those larger assets, some of those more expensive um things to be able to uh to be able to

use uh would definitely be able to uh be of benefit as well as also sometimes personnel. Uh so again, we may have specialized mechanics or you know, somebody else in the district may have a specialized mechanic that's in uh you know, knows a specific pump or a specific uh specific trade. uh and then being able to cross share them. Again, you know, it's something that we always uh like to do and you know, we share

with you know, we share with our partners and they share with us. You know, Somerset has always been a great partner in the past. You know, if they need a pot, you know, on the water side, if they need a pot that we have, you know, or we need a pot that they have, you know, we call, hey, it's sitting in my yard, come grab it, replace it, once yours comes in, then maybe we've done

something. So being able to have and share those those resources is something that we've always done kind of on a uh uh informal basis, but then we'll be able to set it up where maybe there's one stockyard that stores everything for everybody and everybody can pull from it.

Yeah. No, it's it's it's all about economy of scale. you know, we're talking about being able to serve a greater population uh with essentially less of a burden.

That's really what it comes down to. So, if we have to spend x amount of dollars and it's spread over our 22,000 customers, why would we not want it spread over 30,000 customers if we're spending the same amount of money? You know again as as I've said in the past we have the capacity here it's not like we would be spending large large amount of money to have to expand our capacity

have to uh increase uh to be able to take additional flow uh into that. So that's kind of a a a view of how the structure of a regionalization would work. Um and I think that would work very very well. you would take this plant would become part of the region.

Um and based this is based off of some of the preliminary studies some of the draft studies that Ray PS did for Somerset. Um my feeling has always been that the best connection into Fall River would be for them to come across the river go directly into the Columbia Street drop shaft. that way their s you know their wastewater um doesn't go into our interceptor doesn't affect our csos doesn't doesn't affect any of our

collection system and that works very well with the regional setup because what that does is that takes it brings it into the drop shafts and it essentially would take the cso tunnel with the drop shafts as well as this plant because the cso tunnel terminates directly across the street comes right into the plant that would become um the the incumbent pieces of the regional district.

Let me ask y on that part. Let's say Westport was already at the point where Somerset is where would they be coming in?

So that's something that we'd have to look at and we'd have to talk about at that time. Do we take So they come in currently over on Alden Street and stuff and then they come down to the cooker valley interceptor. So at that point when Westport wanted to join the regional system, would the region want to take on that additional connection coming in you know essentially the Quishin Valley interceptor as well as

that to be able to accommodate them and have a seat at the table in the region.

You know, again, I think that's that's something that needs to be um you know, looked at when the region is developed on how somebody would would somebody else would join the region uh and what the requirements to join the region is.

Well, the reason I ask is, you know, the fact that some like right across the river, there's a there's this nice pipe that's running along the bottom of the river or whatever it is, and it just hits us right at the right spot. Some somebody like Westport, they're around, they're not across the river, they're on the other side. So, yep. um if they were to be in a position where the flow we got enough flow coming

in and so forth and so on. Um, we would have to we would have to evaluate. Okay, they want to come in. Uh, but it ain't it's not a quick fix like it is for Somerset. It's going to involve some maybe some big money in excavating streets or whatever the case may be. You get it down to some dry uh drop shaft so that it can then it can flow freely. Um,

that's the point I'm I was just trying to make. Yeah, it has to fit and every isn't going to be the same for every you know every No, 100%. And one of the other things that you know you talk about is um you know when you look at these regional districts in one one community feeding through another community's collection system to get to it. They call it a lot of times water wheeling. Um so the emp

and so that's another option to look at would be you know west co would come into full rivers collection system you know potentially pay a fee to use full rivers collection system and then it would go into the uh go into the regional system. So you know however that is uh you know is structured you know water wheeling again one of the other one of the other options that can be looked at for uh

other communities if you know and that and that's and that's a cost benefit analysis that they need to do when they when they look to joining the region. uh is it better off for them to pay to be able to water wheel through a system or is it better off for them to be able to invest in the capital infrastructure to be able to get directly into a regional system.

So okay, sorry to interrupt you.

No, that's fine. Um, so that's again that's kind of one of one of the breakdowns uh that we're looking at and I think a regional district a regional system could be really uh beneficial uh overall. It it gives uh it gives the two communities the ability to be able to both have a seat at the table, both be able to have input uh on um a things that are at the plant here, whether it

be uh permits, whether it be requirements, whether it be expenses, uh allows everybody to to have a seat at the table.

Um the other option that that I looked at and uh you know again it was explained in the draft letter that they the board has in front of them uh would be that um would be the option of subset becoming an intermediate customer just like our other passengers. Uh so essentially they would become a customer just like uh any one of our residents. So essentially at the line we would we would take their uh

take their waste water um you know they would be required convey it to us uh we take their waste water and then we treat it through our whole entire system. So just pretty much structured the same exact way um you know connection point would would still be recommended to be the Columbia Street drop shaft. uh that hasn't changed. Again, that's way uh you know, one of the things that Somerset has and

has talked about is uh their wet weather uh increase as well as INI that they have in their system. Uh so like us, you know, their system can go from uh from a uh a lower volume during rainstorms up to a higher volume uh pretty drastically. Um so in flow and infiltration, correct? So when you take and you put a pump station there, you may potentially be limited. Um but you build your pump

station big enough um the model that was done by Ray Pier the uh preliminary study that was done by Ray Pier showed parallel 24 in um pipes coming across the river. One being used regularly, one being a redundant line during wet weather. Potentially they could be manifold so that both pipes could be used with with a large enough pump station to be able to convey all wet weather flows over. CSO tunnel would

have no issues handling uh handling any of their wet weather flows. Uh just like it takes out our wet weather flows from the rest.

Yeah, we can use it for storage if we had it. Right.

Correct. And big flows.

Yeah, exactly.

Yeah. No, we use that for storage on a regular basis. Uh and we also use it for conveyance typically on a regular basis.

So okay.

Um so as I work through through this the rest of this uh so there there's really those two options and I think that's something that needs to be uh needs to be looked at with summit set. You know, my hope is from this that we're able to uh the board is able to um approve me to send this to send this letter um you know, with some potential minor changes

um over to uh Somerset so that we can then potentially hopefully sit down and try to work on one of these types of agreements, whether it be a regional agreement, whether it be a uh intermunicipal agreement uh as a customer uh from from that. And the reason that I even brought in the intermunicipal agreement was the last time that I was uh at Somerset in front of them, they really said, "Well, we need a number of

what it's going to cost um what it's going to cost us. How much is it going to cost us to send waste water? How much per gallon?" That's that's what I got from the last time that I was in front of uh their commission. Uh that they were really looking for uh a number. So that's why I I took that as they were looking for if they were joining as an

IMA customer. So that's why I didn't want to rule that out uh as an option.

We have to option which I think is a very very good option. Um but we also potentially have the IMA um as well.

Well, in order for us in order for us to give them a number that and and I realize that's all negotiable and everything else. Yep. But in order to do that, do do we will we we're going to need some information from them. I'm assuming that we'll, you know, we need to know what their history is. Uh we need to know uh maybe what their future plans are and so forth and so on for us to

come up with a number that they can understand. Um, so, um, I'm I'm sure in I'm sure you already have in your head some preliminary numbers that, um, you know, if if they were presented to someone that would we would be able to convey to them, what it's what it means and we got the numbers from, but um, if if that if they still if it means for us to be more

accurate and they have to provide us with numbers is um to make us have legitimacy in what we're talking about, then you know that's something we're going to have to expect from them. Am I right?

Yeah. Okay.

And and I'm sure they understand that and uh you know are willing to you know work with us on it because of I mean let's face it they got some they got a couple of options that they got to look at. From my understanding, they're they're looking at um and they're being mandated to do the things that we've already done, not to the scale we're at, but uh they're being told that they've got to

buy probably by certain period of time in the future to be up and running. And um you know they got to you know I can understand their points about you know do they spend the money or do they you know look for partners.

Yeah. No 100%.

And and that you know I can understand why it's it's a it's a very touchandgo situation. Um you know Somerset's a you know it's it's a smaller town. It's it's a I look at it as a bedroom community and and um you know they get their you know they have their own problems as well and so forth but hopefully they'll be able to work with us and we'll work with them and and

uh if it's meant to be I'd like to think to think that it will uh it's a good fit I think for both both or both of us in that sense and uh but Um my my take is that we're here to I think it's beneficial for everybody and we're here to prove to them that we can do it and I think we got the horses here to do

it in the background to be able to help them, you know, make a good decision that be benefit them and us. So um that's my take will there be any revenue that will be generated or will be a need to wash like we're self-sufficient here for river um for fall river for fall river so what I look you know what we were looking at and you know they somerset has provided some of the

information um that we've requested.

They pro provided us some past budgets uh with flow datas uh past rate history and stuff like that and we've been able to work with that. Uh we work with uh one of our financial partners refusing through that as well. Um revenue to to say that we looked at this the city of for river as this being a money maker for the city of for river.

We did not look at it as as it being a money maker for the city of H right or you know you know I don't think we want to be you know we want to be able to provide the best most economical services for our customers and um anybody you know if they become our customers or if they become our partners we want to be able to provide the most economical services

uh for them as well. Um I'm really um don't you know this isn't uh for trying to grab money from from another community or or anybody else and um you know trying to uh trying to plug a hole uh with additional revenue that that needs to be plugged. That's not the case. Um you know the way that we're structured right now with our rate uh our rate uh 100% fully supports our

budget. Um our rate uh 100% uh supports all the debt that we have.

So all these all the projects the projects that we talked about tonight, the upgrades at the plant uh as well as any other construction projects uh that we've done, all ones that we have slated on the books are fully funded through our current rate structure.

So you know what you just went through with the city council to go back to the drawing board, you know, twice came in front of us twice. So just to think about you know not to make a profit but to have some interest it's obviously going to be figured into that rate.

Yeah exactly you know within our rate we do have that and you know building a reserve is something that's uh something that's highly recommended. You know again for river we've run with uh less than what uh what we should have in the past but I think we've corrected that you know with the support of this commission as well as the support of the city council. uh we've been able you

know we used to run uh a uh we used to run almost a un uh an unfunded uh structural deficit by using retained earnings uh from prior fiscal years to plug uh to plug into our budget. Uh we currently don't do that anymore. Um again the rates fully support um and obviously a rate increase could happen yearly.

Yeah. you know, again, yep. Nope. 100%. You know, you go back to the study that was done by Raph Tullis two years ago uh that fully evaluated all of our budget uh and went through uh our budget um and looked at rate projections for us uh and there was rate projections within the future. Again, that was uh that was based off of uh estimated uh estimated construction that that we had planned at

the time. Uh it estimated increases for operational cost uh as well. Um you know, as the commission knows, right now, uh construction wise, um we don't have tons of projects. We're closing up a couple of projects right now. Um, you know, one of one of the things that uh uh that's out there again as with uh other stuff is uh is our draft nifties program. You know, what's where that

will go in the future. Um, you know, we definitely uh we have a handle on u what we what we want to do. Um we're waiting on uh EPA to get back to us in relation to that. Um but uh you know a lot of even that work that was included was included within those that rate projection model that we that we built a couple years ago.

Okay. Um, so I guess from what from what I gather, from what you're asking here, you're asking for um the board commission to um give you the green light to go ahead and submit your um this draft report to the powers of data that's over in Somerset.

Um, and um, does anybody have any problem with that?

No.

I don't I think I think it's a a step in the right direction.

Yeah.

Um, you know, I you know, you talk about, you know, is this going to are we going to make any money on this and so forth and so on. I mean the real key to this whole thing is we like like Paul said back in 2020 there was a there was a a report done uh a survey done um that was done by some that in effect at that time

and I'm they were I would I was thinking that they're probably looking to the future and saying gee what happens if we if we have to will um you know maybe have to take our facility and and the the EPA is coming down on our backs and everything else and that and maybe in about six or seven years they're going to come down and say you got to do this this this and this

and that's going to that's going to cost a lot of money and u it's a tough position to be in and that I I guess they're looking I I I think they're looking at it in a way where hey we're at that point now so we got to we got to look at what are our options and u one of the options is we got a plant right across the river

that uh you know with some modifications on their end that would probably not be anywhere near the expense of what they're going to have to do if they want to be independent.

um that could uh possibly make things better.

But I guess that's their decision. But we're here to provide to them to help them understand what the what the options are if they want to go in certain directions. And and and we're here to help them get to the point to make that decision. And on our end of it, you know, we're probably all saying this is this appears to be a no-brainer, but it's all, you know, it's all in

their powers to be what some feels and so forth. They got fathers over there that's got to, you know, think about things, but um we're here to help them along and uh you know, we're not we're not going to hide anything from them.

We're going to be as accurate we can be upfront with them.

And I'm sure there's going to be a lot of questions and so forth that's come about. There's going to be there's going to be factions that's going to be, you know, positively not and so forth and so on. But but hopefully it can be worked out.

But in the final analysis, we're here to help them and uh we think it'll be beneficial to them.

Um does any unless anybody has any questions about what we're trying to do here um I think we need to make a motion to um that will say that will allow Paul to u go ahead with this next step and u trying to move the project along to get to a final point whether this is going to happen or not. So, so just if I can go over the next steps, what would

what I expect to come out of this? So, once I release this letter over to SA, I would expect that there'll there'll be a question and answer period. Um, my hope would be that we could get designated representatives from each side to be able to sit down and try to work through uh some of the points that need to be uh need to be worked out. um you know to go

back and forth between boards to be to go back and forth between uh everything else um you know sometimes gets a little bit cumbersome and takes takes time because of uh time setting up board meetings and everything like that. So to have designated representatives from either side to be able to sit down to try to work through some of the details of this I think would be beneficial.

Excuse me. But do you foresee on our side you setting up a team? Yeah, you know, it could be it could be a team or a committee that that could meet with, you know, a couple of different people.

It definitely could be, you know, again, the one thing that we always got to think about is open meeting law and uh you know, the requirements of open meeting law, but uh that's why I would uh you know, uh recommend that both sides uh point whether it be multiple people or representatives that would be able to meet that would uh that wouldn't violate an open requirement. Well, just um you know, I'm sure these us as

members here, we're here to help.

Anything we can do.

Yep.

Yeah. So, then we talk just uh and discuss and and work on an agreement and a partnership and how we wanted to move forward. Uh each uh you know, the representatives would keep their boards up to date. Um you know, rate consultants from either side. I know Somerset mentioned they have a rate consultant. We have Rev. Telus has been on board. Um if uh if anything needs to go back and forth between the rate

consultants, they'd be able to move forward with that uh and stay up to, you know, keep the boards up to date as well as the uh as well as I would keep the council and I know they're selected in our uh question are involved in this too. You know, one thing that I want everybody to understand too is uh doesn't um you know, again in Fall River this doesn't end with the sewer

commission. We also, you know, depending on which way it goes and how it goes, terms of contracts, length of contracts, uh, intermunicipal agreements or anything would also require mayor mayor's approval as as well as city council approval. I would imagine there's, uh, approvals within Somerset that would need to be above and beyond just uh, sewer water conditions.

Absolutely.

Okay, that it Okay. Um, I'll entertain a motion unless anybody have any.

Yeah. So, I have a question if there's going to be a motion. So, this agenda item doesn't say anything about a motion.

Well, so it's just saying it's a discussion.

So, yeah.

Oh, I think you commented that this is going to you're going to present this anyways. Do you do you need an approval from um or do you need a motion?

Well, I I I look at it. Um Paul is presenting this information as a discussion uh you know for discussion purpose but I for information purpose yeah for yeah but we not only that but he's given us an opportunity to make comments as to you know do we have any problems to what what's being said in there uh how about this how about that um and I think I think we've gotten to

the point where um we as the commission um feel comfortable in being able to transmit this information over some site and um Paul's worked up the information and I think what he's looking for is um do you guys have any problem with this?

If not, I I really would like to like the uh commissioners give some ratification to it and say, "All right, we're ratifying this information. you can go ahead and and send it.

That's I don't know. I don't see it that way.

Yeah. I don't know. Paul, what which way what do you want from us tonight?

Again, uh it would be uh up to parliamentarian. I would say the president if the board again it was a discussion we discussed probate if the board didn't want to make motion to move forward with uh me to send this.

I'll be clear. I'm fine with it, but it's just it's just wrong on the agenda.

That's all.

No, I get it. And it's a point it's a point well. Uh but if someone, you know, if someone out there wants to uh take issue with it and complain to the uh attorney general or whatever the case may be, uh so be it.

But um this is the second time he's been brought up to us or he brought it up last meeting. I believe I watched it on a city council meeting. I think everybody's kind of fine with it or I got the gist of the city council. So again, I just don't officially know what you want to do tonight. That's all.

If there's a motion, will we be limiting the scope of what Paul can do?

I don't know if that's true. It seems there's any chance.

In other words, if there's no motion, then he has discretion.

Yeah.

But if there's a motion, it would seem to me that we'd be limiting the scope of you know to to what's already in his draft. accomplish what we have here basically. So yeah, but I look at it as th this is this is really the first step of getting the ball rolling with Somerset and um I think it behooves us as a commission to to in effect say okay um

we're at that point. Yes, we need to do this and we need to um I think give approval to take this step and start the negotiation and get it home.

I don't think there's I don't think there's any um any qualms that would come out where um someone would say well uh you know what about the legitimacy of of the information that is that's being presented and so forth did anybody did anybody go through it and review it and in fact say gee you know you know did you cross all your tees and dot your eyes and so forth and so on. um you know

and Paul works for us. He's he's he's a guy that um has the knowledge to put this stuff together and um I think I think we have to give him some uh ratification to it and say okay we as a commission are ready to move forward and this is the first step.

That's all I'm saying.

That's fully understood again.

I am with this whole thing. It's just not as agenda. It's not on the agenda.

So if it doesn't matter, I can fly with it.

Yeah.

If it does matter, you need to put it as a as an agenda.

You know, that's our commission doesn't want to take a vote with and the commission is good with what's been proposed. But I can give a voice as as a comment that I don't have an issue with it.

Okay.

All right. So if you don't have an issue with it, Paul, do you have an issue with it?

No issue.

You have an issue with Okay. So, um I got no issue with it. So, I'm I'm proposing that we um ratify the action to uh submit this preliminary uh report to uh Somerset for them to uh digest it, deal with it, you know, present any questions that we may need to answer for them and so forth. And that's all I want. That's all I I see that we I think

we need to do. So, if you don't have any problems with it, knowing that I have no problems with the discussion, it's not it's not an item on the agenda at this point, but um I will entertain a motion then to um to ratify the action to submit the report that Paul has drafted and um just presented to us to be submitted to Somerset.

for action on their part and our part to get to get this problem or this this program going. So, anybody want to make that motion?

Nobody wants to make the question.

I agree with you what he's doing and I think him going before them. They have a number of questions of their own and they have to clarify. So I would say leave it the way it is as far as a discussion with the board. If the board here uh as we said agree with it, I would think it's Paul's Are we ready to go there?

Are we saying we're going to Are we saying we're going to send this report to them?

It's not being asked for us tonight.

No, it's not, Mr. Chairman. It's not being asked for us tonight.

It's as for It was brought up to us for a discussion. We had questions on the discussion in the start and the end of this item.

That's all.

Okay. Paul, so it's that's all.

So, do you want do you want I've got no problem? I've got no problems going on Sunday, but if you do, if you don't and you want to put it on the next meeting, the agenda on the next meeting, that's fine with me.

Uh I'll go along with what the members Mr. President as long as sees he feels comfortable in what he has to present today. Again, it is his his opportunity to go there and do what he has to do and he just sit here and tell him he's doing it public. At this point he's up.

Um take the direction on the board based on the discussion I will say one thing though I look at it and I I understand what you're saying Scott I look at it as this we're starting a program that is could lead to a lot of big and better things and this is the initial This is the initial step. Um, if we if we just that Paul use his discretion to say, "Okay,

I'm going to send it out."

I can see somebody saying, "Well, under whose authority did you get to send that out?"

And I think that's our authority. Now granted, it's not it's not on on the uh agenda to make it a make it a step to go that way.

So that's all I I that's all I'm asking.

On this agenda for discussion tonight, you discussed it. We asked some questions. We have some comments. And I thought that's all this agenda item was going to be. I wasn't expecting the vote on. Yes, Paul, do you still take me to the next step?

All right.

Maybe you should have asked for that.

I know. I don't want to step out of I don't want this to step out of line right from the beginning here that we're jumping a step and and creating a motion on something that wasn't asked to be in No, 100%.

And and I'm taking it as you don't even you didn't even need our permission to take this to the next step.

And and that's fine. And if the board wanted to, we could also schedule another meeting in the near future for a little.

Um, do you need I mean, do you need this vote to take it to the next step?

On my last Paul.

Um, you know, again, I work at the discretion of the sewer commission.

still voting in this again. You should have asked for it on this agenda. That's all the debate. If you need to call for another meeting, so be it. That's what we're there for as a commission.

If that's one item on that next agenda, so be it.

That I'll because I think we we as the commission has to have something that says you can go and move on. and this is not being and I I I I just happen to think that because it wasn't on the agenda um I thought we could uh just get around it and do it and if someone took us to task about it then then um yeah maybe we come

back and do it on have a have another meeting to and put it on the agenda but on the safe token maybe nobody would say anything about it and um and and figure that we have the opportunity to do This letter doesn't give rise to formal negotiations, right?

It's really just exploring, you know, possible partnership scenarios. And Paul, would this be the letter that you sent out or is this just like a general framework and something that would be subject to revision and review before it actually goes out to?

Uh, so it was provided to you as a draft. if there was any modifications or changes recommended that that would be done to it prior to a bill.

Sounds like the consensus may be that the uh commissioner may want to hold meeting.

Yeah.

If you obviously obviously, you know, the commission, you know, the members of the commission have spoken and I'm willing to go with it. Um, so they if you need this, if you feel comfortable having that, uh, you know, us giving you that authority to do it. Um, and why don't we set up a meeting soon as possible?

Yeah, as soon as possible. Definitely.

I'll get with the staff tomorrow. We'll look to get one uh, you know, next Tuesday as a holiday. Um, but uh, we'll probably look to schedule one or Thursdays.

Okay, I got no problem with that.

All right, so um that ends the discussion on that. Unless anybody has anything else to say, we'll move on. Um item number seven, other business. Um I guess we could um need approval for JR resend to uh this has already been done. Am I correct?

Yeah. Uh so no both of both of these uh I administratively have the ability to approve these. This is just forational purpose.

So this work is uh uh hasn't been done yet issue for question.

Yes. Did you go out for any uh pricing on that or was it just Yeah. So uh the uh first one the uh J resendings we did uh three quotes on that uh and uh the other one uh under 10,000 value was actually a change.

All right.

You guys satisfied with that?

Okay. Um, anybody got any other business?

This is forformational.

Okay, make a motion to I'll make the motion to second. All in favor? I