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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLight Comm. 08/28/2019Mansfield Municipal Electric Department Minutes of Light Commissioners Meeting August 28, 2019 Present: Chair Neil Rhein, Vice Chair Frank DelVecchio, Clerk Steve Schoonveld, Commissioner Michael Trowbridge, Commissioner Jess Aptowitz, and Light Department Manager Joseph Sollecito The meeting was held at the Mansfield Town Hall Room 3AB and called to order at 6:01 PM followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Chair Rhein stated that this meeting is being televised and taped for future broadcast and asked if anyone in the audience was intending to record the meeting to please state their intentions. No one did so. A complete copy of the Board packet containing all documents that are referenced in the minutes is on file at the Mansfield Municipal Electric Department office. Citizens Comments- none Gilbert Street Substation Site Work Bid Proposal — Manager Sollecito reviewed the original transformer bid which was awarded in January 2019 to Virginia Transformer. The suggested bid award now is for site work related to this project. He stated that we again used Kevin Soden of PLM to prepare the invitation for proposals. On July 25, three contractors submitted proposals: McDonald Electrical Corp, E.S. Boulos Company, and Power Line Contractors. It is recommended that McDonald Electrical Corp be awarded the bid as the lowest responsible bidder, at $264,329. Motion: To award the bid for site work at the Gilbert Street Substation to the lowest responsible bidder, McDonald Electrical Corp, for $264,329. (DelVecchio/Trowbridge) Passes 4-0 Commissioner Aptowitz arrived at 6:05pm. Labor contract for AFSCME Council 93, Local 1702 (Line Workers) — Manager Sollecito invited Human Resources Director Jocelyn LeMaire to the table to answer questions. Manager Sollecito then reviewed the highlights of the negotiations as follows: First, much of what was changed was cleaning up the language of the contract. He mentioned the JANUS decision, which states that the union cannot require new employees to join. The American Arbitration Association was changed to the Labor Relations Connection. Longevity was increased. The biggest items were the raises as follows: Year l: 2.75%, Year 2: 2.75%, Year 3: 3.0%. The Electric Maintenance Supervisor and Electric Maintenance Worker received increases to their base pay. Language was cleaned up regarding emergency work and rest periods, and mutual aid work. MMED insisted on toe reinforced boots for all workers, and they would be reimbursed for replacing their old boots. Clerk Schoonveld asked about the name change for the arbitration association. Director LeMaire replied that it was a different organization and that it was a request from the Union. She explained that the MMED lawyer looked into it and felt it was a comparable organization. Clerk Schoonveld also asked about the grievance process and why the Commission is now involved. Manager Sollecito replied that he felt the Commission should review a grievance before it goes to arbitration. Commissioner Aptowitz thanked all involved in negotiations for their good work. Commissioner Trowbridge stated that he liked the idea that the Commission would be involved in the grievance procedure. Motion: To ratify the labor contract as set forth in the Memorandum of Agreement between Mansfield Municipal Electric Department and AFSCME, Council 93, Local 1702. (DelVecchio/Trowbridge) Passes 5-0. Labor contract for IBEW Local 104 (Financial Assistants) — Manager Sollecito reviewed the highlights as follows: There were standard language changes. The salary increases were for 3% in each of the three years. The call -in time was increased from three hours to four hours, though this group does not get a lot of call -in work. The arbitration procedure is similar to the Line Workers, involving the Commissioners. Clerk Schoonveld asked for clarification if the arbitration procedure HAD to go to the Commission, or if it could skip them. Manager Sollecito replied that it could skip them. Motion: To ratify the labor contract as set forth in the Memorandum of Agreement between Mansfield Municipal Electric Department and IBEW Local 104, Financial Assistants. (DelVecchio/Trowbridge) Passes 5-0. Labor contract for IBEW Local 104 (Professionals) — Manager Sollecito reviewed the highlights as follows: There were standard language changes. The salary increases were for 3% in each of the three years. The sick leave buyback increased to five days from four, similar to other units in town. The arbitration procedure is similar to the Line Workers, involving the Commissioners. Motion: To ratify the labor contract as set forth in the Memorandum of Agreement between Mansfield Municipal Electric Department and IBEW Local 104, Professionals. (DelVecchio/Trowbridge) Passes 5-0. Electrical work at Fulton Pond — Manager Sollecito gave an overview of the work to be done at Fulton Pond to prepare for the Fall Festival. There will be a new pole, transformer, cable and conduit at a cost of about $5200. Vice Chair DelVecchio commented that this would be a long term asset for the town. Commissioner Trowbridge commented that there would be more than just a one-time use. Cleric Schoonveld asked about the location of the pole and if it would be out of the way. Commissioner Trowbridge explained that it would be on the edge of the property line bordering the first house on West St. Motion: To approve the MMED expenditure for the electrical work at Fulton Pond as laid out by the General Manager. (Aptowitz/Schoonveld) Passes 5-0. Property at 51 West Church St— Manager Sollecito gave an overview of how this land could be used if we acquired it. We could build our own facility in the future, but it could also be used as storage. Clerk Schoonveld inquired about the purpose of the acquisition. Manager Sollecito replied that we could possibly build our own facility, or use it as storage. Clerk Schoonveld wondered why we would buy it if there was no intended purpose. He was concerned that there was no plan in place for a new building without affecting the ratepayers. Commissioner Aptowitz asked if there were any concerns of what might be in the ground, such as any toxicity. Commissioner Trowbridge replied that he has never seen anything about that for this property, though he would want to do a walkover 21E. Manager Sollecito added that there was an assessment done in the 90's for environmental concerns and it came back negative. Commissioner Aptowitz added that this could be a good deal, but wondered about the cost down the road to build something. Commissioner Trowbridge stated that downtown property is at a premium, and this would allow us to build and get rid of the condos. This would cost possibly double in the future if we wanted to buy the land then. Vice Chair DelVecchio asked if this would have a major impact on the budget. Manager Sollecito replied that he has done some preliminary estimates and doesn't see an impact on the rates. Chair Rhein asked what the price is. Manager Sollecito replied it was just under $595,000. Chair Rhein stated that we could make this contingent on an environmental study. He also said that though he agreed we shouldn't buy land just for the sake of buying land, if we found we didn't need it, we could sell it in the future, potentially at a higher price. Commissioner Aptowitz stated that we needed to do our due diligence so we didn't buy someone else's problem. Motion: To enter into a Purchase and Sales Agreement for the property at 51 West Church Street subject to a Phase One and/or a Phase Two study being done. (Trowbridge/DelVecchio) Passes 4-1. Comments from the Commissioners — Clerk Schoonveld asked for an update on the 5G project. Manager Sollecito explained that the standards and application were ready and that he expects wireless companies to challenge our policy. Clerk Schoonveld asked if the edits discussed at the last meeting were being implemented. He asked the Board to go back to the 5G documentation from the last meeting and review those. Chair Rhein stated that in the interest of time, this discussion would be tabled until the next meeting. Any Items Not Anticipated by the Chair 48 Hours Prior to this Meeting — None Next Meeting — September 24, 2019. Thereafter meet on the third Tuesday of the month. Motion: To adjourn at 6:31pm. (Aptowitz/Trowbridge) Passes 5-0. Respectfully submitted: Katherine Codella " ASignature of Clerk Date of Approval