HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-02-08 Infrastructure Committee Minutes1
Infrastructure Committee Minutes
February 8, 2022
ATTENDEES
Councilors: Rick Fournier, Gretchen Shaefer, Dina Yacoubagha, Dan Tremble, Clare Davitt
Staff: John Theriault, Amanda Smith, Aaron Houtari
AGENDA
1. Sewer Abatement: 145 Exchange Street
Amanda Smith outlined the sewer abatement report includingan abatement request for First National
Bank with a defect in their water cooling system. Remediation on their part also included an alarm
system added.
Vote: Motioned and seconded, unanimously.
2. Discussion: Unpaid Residential Solid Waste Containers
Aaron Houtari presented:
Ordinance 265-3 – Residential Collection allows for residents to be issued one container for solid waste.
Additional containers may be requested by residents and are subject to a fee. This $260 fee covers the
disposal costs for the additional waste generated by the resident, based on the average weight of
material that can be disposed of in a 96-gallon container. I look at this as a streamlined pay-as-you-throw
process that requires residents who generate more waste to pay more for the disposal of that waste.
The fee is due annually at the start of the fiscal year. We sent out 186 postcards in May 2021 to remind
residents with additional bins of the upcoming invoice and encouraged them to return their bins if they no
longer needed them, in order to avoid the fee. We sent invoices in July. We sent a reminder letter in
September, we sent a registered letter in October. I personally called 25 people in November to remind
them of their obligation to either return the container or pay the invoice. We currently have 11 containers
out that have not been paid for. We have incurred a great deal of administrative labor costs as well as
postage fees in the hundreds of dollars.
According to ordinance 265-5 Violations and Penalties, our recourse is to issue a series of escalating
fines and, after repeated violations, termination of city provided garbage collection.
I would like to discuss the limited effectiveness of issuing fines if we have been unable to collect payment
for the trash bin. I’m not confident this is the most expedient route to resolve this issue. I propose we
model our response to non-payment of additional bins after other utilities where lack of payment results in
loss of service. If we had the authority to suspend service to an address for non-payment of fees, we
would eliminate much of the administrative costs, avoid levying fines that we will struggle to collect, and
we are guaranteed to get a much quicker response to the issue. Based on my experience, one missed
trash pickup results in a resident calling the same day. This creates an opportunity for us to have a
discussion with the resident about the additional can and make arrangements for its return or payment.
We could delay this action for 90 days after invoices are sent in order to give residents the opportunity to
make payment.
The allowance for financial penalty could stay in the ordinance to address other violations. Proposal of an
addition to the ordinance to allow for discontinuance of service 90 days after invoice date for non-
payment of the invoice. Garbage collection would resume on their normal day the week after the
additional container is returned or the invoice paid.
Committee was in agreement to move forward.
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3. Dillingham Street Parking Survey Results and Proposed Parking Modifications
John Theriault presented:
At the December 7, 2021 Infrastructure Committee Meeting, City Staff discussed limiting on-street parking
along Dillingham Street to one side of the road due to the narrow width of the roadway. This topic was
brought to the IC Meeting at the request of a couple of residents of Dillingham Street.
In late December of 2021, the Engineering Department mailed a brief survey to the residents on
Dillingham Street as well as nearby properties to gather their input and concerns with limiting on-street
parking to one side of the road. Dillingham Street is a dead end street that is about 24 feet in width and
about 940 feet long located off of Main Street near the Hampden Town Line. The street provides access
to about 27 residential properties. The survey was mailed to 39 addresses and the City received 16
responses.
Of the 16 residents that responded, all are in favor of limiting parking on Dillingham Street to one side of
the road. Eight requested that parking be prohibited on the south side and six requested that parking be
prohibited on the north side. Two residents responded that either side was fine. !n reviewing the
availability of parking for each side of the roadway, there does not exist a significant benefit with regards
to available parking area favoring one side of the road over the other side.
Based on the residents' responses and the width of the existing roadway, the Engineering Department
recommends prohibiting parking on the south side of Dillingham Street. This will allow the neighborhood
to continue the practice of placing garbage cans on the south side of the street.
Vote: Motioned and seconded, unanimously.
Meeting adjourned