Chris Pelletier, Nederland. This month Public Works has been working on projects that need to be completed before cold weather sets in. Projects that require the Vac Truck take priority this time of year because this truck will need to be winterized and parked for the winter before freezing weather. The nature of this vehicle with multiple pumps, water lines, and tanks makes it particularly vulnerable during freezing weather and great care must be taken to prevent this vital piece of equipment from freezing. Some of the projects that we have been doing include culvert and drop drain maintenance, sign installations, vacuuming water valve access cans, and wastewater headworks maintenance operations.

Public Works has added a new member to its team, Patrick Bird, and you will see him around town doing sidewalk maintenance, recycling and trash upkeep, and parks work. He is a much needed addition to the team since we have been running a reduced crew most of the year and a friendly face to the department. He has had considerable experience in maintaining the skate park and has volunteered many hours to the town over the years. Public Works welcomes him to the team and looks forward to utilizing his many skills in parks maintenance operations. 

Electric at the performance space is near completion having passed final electrical in the utility shelter and all interior components installed. The connection to the transformer and setting the meter is scheduled with Xcel and represents the final step to having power available at the future performance space. There are a few more minor finishes to be made to the shelter itself and the facility will be complete. Public Works is scheduled to complete this project before winter.

One of the Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) that was scheduled for 2020 was to repair/reline the sewer main that crosses under the creek which was completed this month. This section of pipe had some damage which causes increased flow to the wastewater treatment facility. The process to repair the pipe uses a technology that inflates a liner within the pipe and then cures the liner to form a solid seamless pipe within a pipe. This is a significant first step to ensuring a water tight sewer line. The next step is to seal any service taps that penetrate the sewer main. Only when this step is completed and each end of the liner is sealed will the pipe be completely water tight. This can all be done internally and Public Works hopes to continue this effort before winter. These types of services are in high demand as infrastructure throughout the country is aging and rehabilitation becomes an economical solution to replacement. Because of this, scheduling is difficult as these companies tend to travel all across the country to do their work.  

Public Works did one last paving project before winter. The entrance to the Community Center was in desperate need of repairs for a long time. Previous efforts to repair and patch sections have sufficed but still needed constant maintenance to repair potholes and fix drainage. With the addition of the Town’s paving machine to the Public Works Department, staff is able to make more permanent and lasting repairs. Staff repaired drainage pipes beneath the entrance and regraded the road prior to paving. Streets staff is developing its paving skills and techniques and is looking forward to making more improvements to the Community Center and other areas around town next year.

Public Works replaced a broken fire hydrant this month. This is another skill that the department has developed over the years and has been necessary to ensuring fire protection, water quality, and economic sustainability. Theoretically, fire hydrants can be repaired internally using special tools that the department possesses however, often these hydrants may not have been installed properly when they were first put into service and result in unnecessary deterioration that causes unusual internal damage which is difficult or impossible to repair. For this reason, replacing the whole hydrant makes the most sense. Also, some hydrants simply don’t have the proper configuration needed for the fire department to draw the amount of water needed to fight a fire. Public Works is able to make this determination and act accordingly. It is these skills that makes Public Works a capable, resourceful, and valuable asset to the town.

In addition to the infrastructure work Public Works does, there is also constant upkeep of the machines that are needed to perform these tasks. Equipment becomes worn and machines break and it’s simply the nature of this kind of work. This month Staff had to make repairs to the Town’s water truck. This piece of equipment is from the early 1980’s and is critical to road grading operations. Staff possesses a variety of skills and time must be dedicated to equipment maintenance operations in order to ensure operations in the field can continue smoothly. 

Finally, filter maintenance at the Water Treatment Facility was performed by staff. This is necessary routine maintenance that requires training of staff that have not performed this procedure previously. Whenever senior members of the department end their employment with the town, training is needed to bring newer members up to speed. The Town’s previous Utilities Supervisor had developed a wealth of knowledge in her years of service with the town so it takes time to build that back up again. Each filter train has multiple cartridges that are accessed by removing internal components of the machine and individually assessing and testing each one for integrity. There are 40 cartridges within each filter train that have an average lifespan of 10 years depending on the quality of the water they are filtering. Each cartridge has a value of roughly $1000 apiece and these components are scheduled within the Town’s CIP budget for replacement when the time comes. This is a skilled time consuming process and as the cartridges age they will require more maintenance.