April 29, 2010

Coordinator Report

We got two proposals in answer to our RFP for sprinkler repair or
replacement. One proposes to scrap most of the failed dry system and
replace with new wet type pipe in heated areas and employ new dry system
in cold areas. It would re-use the water tank and diesel pump and some
of the main piping. The other vendor proposes to renovate the existing
system. Both are reputable firms.  I have asked Les G and Rick A to
assist me in the evaluation of the technical proposals. Once we select a
solution we open the selected proposal's sealed price proposal. I
suspect that if we choose the more extensive replacement the $70 k
proposed at ATM won't be sufficient and we will have to have a Special
Town Meeting to appropriate additional funds.

150 copies of the town report were printed by Cooperative Copies at a
cost of about half the Staples quote.  The reports were wire bound by
the Warwick Youth Group for 50 cents less per report than the printer
quoted.

Highway department got written approval under Warwick's Scenic Roads
By-Laws from the Planning Board to proceed with cutting vegetation on
Hockanum Rd without any conditions.

Regarding a policy about the highway department working on private
property, I notified the committee that the Selectboard would appreciate
their guidance on the matter.  On the one hand landowners can do
whatever is legal that they want to do. But on the other, the town
shouldn't facilitate doing something on private land that is
inconsistent with our sense of the purpose of scenic roads.

Before developing this policy on working on private land, Ted C.
suggested we wait and see what is decided as a policy for scenic roads
and change it for private land if necessary.

Warwick town government office holders are invited to an Open Meeting
Seminar in Orange on June 23. There are two sessions of the same program
offered. One is in the morning and the other in the evening. It's free and
they request we contact Nancy at 544-1100 x 106 by June 9 so they can
generate the appropriate quantity of training materials.

The Open Space Committee would like the Selectboard to pass a resolution
of appreciation to the Chadwick family for making their Moore's Pond
beach available to the public over the years and stating that the new
public beach will continue to be available to their family.

We have yet to hire new Transfer Sta. Staff. Now have three applicants
and will conduct interviews soon.

WCS debt buy-out got even better with news from the Superintendent of
Schools that the Town will receive not $11k but instead $63k back from
the deal.

This will be a benefit to the taxpayers. I have an opinion from our DOR
representative Terry Williams that since this was is a debt-excluded
project the money belongs to the taxpayers. We are advised to vote to
apply the money to reduce the levy (as we do by tradition with free
cash) because we will have to temporarily lower our debt exclusion in by
that amount, thus lowering the levy limit in that year. When we get the
proceeds of this issue the accountant will need to set up a reserve for
debt service with the funds.

Our health insurance is going up almost 6% this year.  I did an analysis
and we remain within budget at the current rate of subscription. We have
two singles, two couples, and two families enrolled.

Rod Whipple developed a summary of Town Forest Revenues which shows that
$81k has been generated in the past ten years from managed timber sales.