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AC–M2015STM#1&STM#2 PPROPRIATIONOMMITTEEARCH Special Town Meeting #2 The March Special Town Meeting #2 contains five financial articles to fund capital projects that require prompt action. FundsFundingCommittee Article 2: Pump Station Repairs RequestedSourceRecommendation Wastewater EF Approve (9-0) $750,000 Retained Earnings This article seeks to apply retained earnings of the Wastewater Enterprise Fund (from a current balance of approximately $2,000,000) for the purpose of making extraordinary repairs to the main wastewater pump station on Bedford Street and related sewerage systems. In the early 1990s a one-mile-long 24-inch diam- eter pipeline, also known as a force main, was installed to carry wastewater uphill from the pump station located in the Rt. 128-Bedford St. interchange to a point located near Hamilton Road. The wastewater then flows downhill to Deer Island. Beginning in September 2014, the Town received complaints from neighbors on Gleason Road about noise and rumblings coming from the street. Neighbors stated that it sounded like a distant cannon. In ad- dition neighbors felt vibration from the ground every 23 to 24 minutes, 24 hours a day. The purpose of this article is to upgrade the pumps at the main sewer pump station on Bedford Street and thereby mitigate the force main vibrations. The Committee recommends approval of this request (9-0). FundsFundingCommittee Article 3: Appropriate for Purchase of RequestedSourceRecommendation Fire Engine Approve (9-0) $500,000GF The Fire Department seeks $500,000 for a pumper to replace Engine 2. This appropriation has been placed on the Special Town Meeting Warrant because the Town wishes to purchase this fire engine under the advantageous terms of the Massachusetts group purchasing contract for fire equipment, which expires at the end of FY2015. The Fire Department’s Engine 2 was purchased in 2010 for approximately $500,000, but it became the subject of litigation and was ultimately returned to the manufacturer. The department normally runs four pumpers, allowing the Town to meet its mutual aid responsibilities to surrounding towns, and preserving the flexibility to send equipment out for service and certification. As a workaround to make up for the loss of Engine 2, the department has been borrowing a ready-to-be-retired pumper from another commu- nity when available. The department has been unable to send out its most recently purchased engine for important warranty work. The town recently settled legal action concerning Engine 2 and will apply $500,000 of the $575,000 re- ceived to settle the litigation towards the cost of a new engine. Once this article is approved, a new fire engine can be ordered with an anticipated delivery time of 5-8 months. The settlement money has been received and deposited into the General Fund. Due to municipal finance regulations it will not be available for appropriation until after the close of FY2015 when the Town’s Free Cash has been certified by the State Department of Revenue. The engine will be purchased using a Bond 7