Gerald
Skelton
Baldwinville
To the
Editor:
Upon learning about a petition to abolish the Light and Water
Commission in Templeton and transfer oversight of both department to the Board
of Selectmen, I was prompted to write an informational synopsis of the physical
and financial status of the Water Department when it was transferred in 2000
from the selectmen by vote of the townspeople and by special legislation to the
management of the Light and Water Department Commission and manager. In my
understanding, one of the issues driving the petition is that the water
department carries an amount of debt that some find objectionable and cite as
evidence of alleged mismanagement.
In 1999, when the water department
was under the selectmen’s jurisdiction, the board called a town meeting for the
voters to discuss and to vote on an article to appropriate $3.8 million for
improvements to the water system. At that time, Templeton’s water system had
been cited by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection for
multiple non-compliance issues. Taxpayers viewed video of the physical state of
the water system, and following discussion, unanimously voted to appropriate
funding of $3.8 million to upgrade the falling conditions of the system.
Following the vote, the chairman of the board recommended appointing a special
committee or establishing a water commission to oversee the implementation of
the water upgrades, and indicated that the selectmen had neither the time nor
the expertise to oversee a multi-million dollar water improvement
project.
At that same meeting, Stanley Dymek, chairman of the light
commission, offered to incorporate the water department with the light
department under the management of the commissioners and the manger. The voters
in attendance stood up and applauded, appearing in favor of Mr. Dymek’s offer.
Following the town meeting, the selectmen at the time seemed to ignore any
discussion of a merger of the departments, thus a petition was created by voters
to formally ask the town to decide the question of merging the water department
with the light department. The petition was successful in placing the question
before the voters of Templeton. Following a unanimous vote at town meeting, a
positive outcome to the ballot question, and special legislation voted into law,
the merger of the light and water departments came to pass.
To begin,
the commissioners and I were shocked at the condition of the water system and
questioned its financial stability. An audit of the financials revealed a
$30,000 discrepancy that could not be found. Further, it was revealed that the
town accounts held excess water funds totaling $114,000. As for the physical
status of the system, about 700 water meters weren’t working, about 150 to 200
meters had been removed or bypassed, and some customers had not even had a meter
installed, yet about 300 new water meters were discovered sitting in a town
building. Some water hydrants were covered with burlap bags, indicating they
were not in service. About three hydrants appeared to be simply missing and
never replaced. The water losses were about 43 percent of what was pumped. Once
the new meters were installed, water losses dropped to 8 percent, well within
the standard set by the DEP.
Upon assessment of the supply barn and
various pump stations, the Otter River well building on Lord Road — which houses
the electronic apparatus that operates the entire water system — was found with
one back brick wall lying on the ground and a sagging roof. The electronic
controls were covered by a tarp and the floor flooded when it rained. As this
situation presented itself, the inspector general waived the bidding process and
prevailing wage rate and told the commission and me to get the building repaired
under emergency conditions. The roof was repaired, a rubber membrane was
installed over the entire roof and the brick walls were restored at a total cost
of about $48,000. In addition, the Maple Street well pump motor was running
backwards and needed to be fixed. Further, the commission and I hired a
superintendent of the water department, Ron Davan, an experienced, licensed
water system operated, considered one of the most qualified and respected
operators in the area.
The $3.8 million that had been voted by the town
to improve the system was directed to the installation of a new water storage
tank placed off Hospital Road, with a 16-inch main pipe installed from the new
tank down Hospital Road to Highland Avenue to Route 68 and tied into the
existing system at Central and Mill streets. New radio-controlled meters were
installed to all customers. The leaking South Road storage tank was repaired,
painted and refilled, and the South Road booster pump was upgraded to assure
proper fire protection for the upper end of South Road. The water system was
divided into two separate systems, one low pressure and one high pressure, to
alleviate pressure problems due to the variation of altitude between
Baldwinville and Templeton.
The Sawyer Street well in East Templeton was
testing high in iron and manganese content, which delivered brown water to the
East Templeton system. The EPA required the town to install a treatment plant at
the Sawyer Street well or potentially shut the well down. At that point, the
voters of the town approved the expenditure of $2.3 million to construct a
treatment plant at the Sawyer Street location to remove the iron and manganese.
A new water main, by necessity, was extended along Lord Road down Baptist Common
Road and tied into the water main at Baldwinville Road to assure proper fire
protection for Narragansett Regional School.
Yes, the water department is
currently carrying debt. The water system, as I described above, needed
immediate attention. The voters recognized the appalling state of the water
system and expenditures were approved by town meeting a required by law. In
2003, the keynote speaker at a New England Water Works meeting noted that
Templeton’s water system was one of the most improved systems in New
England.
I urge the voters of the town of Templeton to keep the water
department under the jurisdiction of the light and water commissioner and
manager at the Special Town Meeting on March 6. The personnel that run the
department have multiple years of experience along with the professional
licenses and qualifications necessary to build, upgrade and maintain Templeton’s
water system.
Gerald Skelton Baldwinville |
And he crawls out of his hole again!! This man has no shame. Did you read the material Julie posted about the water Dept. They more than doubled the charge to be a customer! They have a bloated administration, you would think they would make adjustments there. Hell no,they will just up your fees. There is no end as how much these guys will charge you, if you let them. Bev
ReplyDeleteWell, anything that GS "urges" me to do I will automatically do the opposite. No shame for what he has done to us and thinks he can continue to throw his weight around. Like his name has any ounce of respect anymore. Shame on you for injecting yourself in town affairs! Focus on growing squash in your likeness and be thankful you're not in sitting in jail.
ReplyDeleteYou missed the YET
ReplyDeleteThe Light and Water has been the Dread Pirate Skelton's base. A blood oath has been signed and the Jolly Roger has been hoisted upon the town. Expect cannon fire and swords at Wednesday's Special Town Meeting. Ahoy mates!!
ReplyDeleteI wonder how long the petition to remove the wind turbine will take? would that be blood in the water beyond them shades JD?
ReplyDelete