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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-01-10-WSAB-min(`OJ51 MOgryi'Y Minutes g o y r7s c Lexington Water and Sewer Abatement Board w 201 Bedford Street 3 x Lexington, MA 02420 APRIL 1 9'" INGT January 10, 2013 �� APPROVED 3/14/13 Attendance: Board Members: Loren Wood, Chair, Jim Osten, Member and Maria Constantinides, Member. Staff: Bill Hadley, DPW Director, Erik Gitschier, Superintendent, and Elizabeth Tucker and Robin Fullford, Utility Billing. Chair Loren Wood called the meeting to order at 4:31 pm. The order of business was conducted as follows: Status Report of Abatement Requests Ms. Fullford provided a status report as follows: 20 To be heard tonight 2 Appeals 159 Incomplete /Pending 181 Total Disposition of Abatement Requests Leaks: 19 Appletree The homeowner called after receiving bill 4720780 stating that the previous bill had been unusually high too. A plumber was called in who repaired a leaking toilet; a receipt was provided. We established average fall usage at 35 and the average spring usage at 44. Bill number 720780 was recalculated at tier one rates and we recalculated all but 4 units at tier one rates on bill 4 706838. Staff recommended an abatement of $153.06 1 Belfry Terrace This is a two - family residential building. A plumber repaired two leaking toilets and the homeowner provided a receipt. The average fall usage is 52 and because of the 2- family status, we recalculated all usage at tier one rates. Staff recommended an abatement of $120.00 26 Carville Avenue The homeowners called after receiving bill 4 721401. Staff found and adjusted a toilet leaking in overflow. We established their three year average at 42 hcf and recalculated all but 2 units at tier one rates. Staff recommended an abatement of $150.93 3 Coppersmyth Way The homeowners called after receiving bill 4 732967. Staff found and adjusted two toilets leaking in overflow. We established their three year average at 9 hcf and recalculated all usage at tier one rates. Staff recommended an abatement of $689.52 17 Hickory Street The former owner, Speedwagon Partners, purchased the property but we were not informed. They state that while the property was occupied by a tenant there was a running toilet. They had the toilet repaired and provided an invoice. We established the 3 year average usage at 63 and recalculated all but 23 hcf at tier one rates. Staff recommended an abatement of $798.29 17 Holland Street (`OJ51 MOgryi'Y Minutes g o y r7s c Lexington Water and Sewer Abatement Board w 201 Bedford Street 3 x Lexington, MA 02420 APRIL 1 9'" INGT January 10, 2013 �� This is a two - family rental unit. A chaser revealed a toilet in need of repair and the owners provided Home Depot receipts for the parts. The three year fall average usage is 87 hcf therefore we recalculated all but 7 units at tier one rates. Staff recommended an abatement of $282.00 37 Kendall Road The homeowners requested a chaser after receiving bill 4722296. Staff found and adjusted two toilets leaking in overflow. The average fall usage was established at 25 hcf so we recalculated all usage at tier one rates. Staff recommends an abatement of $254.21 248 Lincoln Street This is a 2- family property that was not designated as such. Also, staff adjusted a toilet leaking in overflow. Further, until the fall 2012 billing, the homeowner was eligible for and received a 30% rate subsidy for low income status; all bills prior to bill 4 731178 were adjusted to 70 %. We went back three years and recalculated for 2- family. Because the first 80 hcf are billed at tier one rates, the leak had no impact. Staff recommends an abatement of $154.57 23 Sylvia Street This is a 2- family rental property that we had estimated since the final bill on 5/26/2005. We left messages for the owner several times since March and she responded by filing an application in November. At that time the meter was changed and the outread showed an additional 2205 hcf had been used. We received a receipt for repair parts dated 4/9/12 however, on 9/11/12 the reading on the new meter was 670 indicating an additional 211 hcf had been used since 3/27/12. This calculation establishes ADU and redistributes the usage on the old meter usage going back to the final billing. The usage on the new meter is accurate and is recalculated for the leak based on average usage. Note: The old meter was tested by EJ Prescott and found to be operating within industry standards. The usage on the new meter has been monitored several times and the usage indicates the leak has been repaired. Staff recommended an abatement of $27,952.40 It was moved by Ms. Constantinides, seconded by Mr. Wood and voted unanimously to approve the leak - based abatement recommendations as presented. Irrigation on Domestic Meter 16 Demar Road The homeowner applied for a one time only irrigation on domestic abatement. They stated they did not know second meters for irrigation are allowed and requested an abatement. Their usage was 15 hcf above their 3 year average fall usage of 45. We recalculated 70% of 15 (11 hcf) at irrigation rates. Staff recommended an abatement of $168.00 6 Hillside Terrace The homeowners applied for a one time irrigation on domestic meter abatement. We established their 3 year average fall usage at 44 and recalculated 70% of the excess usage (23 hcf) at irrigation rates. Satff recommended an abatement of $225.63. 21 Lincoln Street — Withdrawn It was moved by Mr. Wood, seconded by Ms. Constantinides and voted unanimously to approve the irrigation on domestic meter abatement recommendations as presented with the exception of 21 Lincoln Terrace. 2 (`OJ51 MOgryi'Y Minutes g o y r7s c Lexington Water and Sewer Abatement Board w 201 Bedford Street 3 x Lexington, MA 02420 APRIL 19'" INGT January 10, 2013 Meter /Billing Issues 4 Baskin Road We were unable to read this meter and estimated the usage. The customer read the meter and called because we had overestimated. The meter was replaced with an outread of 1287. We calculated ADU and derived usage back to the last postcard reading. The meter was replaced and a radio read device installed on 12/11/12. Staff recommended an abatement of $766.88 5 Blodgett Road We were not aware this house was torn down on 10/3/11 around the time of the billing and estimated usage. The interim owner was not aware of the bill because it was mailed to the property address. This is an issue that we have taken steps to resolve by making the billing office responsible for final billings. Staff recommended that bill 4693003 be abated in full. 250 East Emerson Road We were unable to obtain a reading from this meter and estimated usage. The meter was replaced on 12 -6 -12 with an outread of 0346 indicating we had overestimated the usage. We used the outread to calculate ADU and derived usage for the two billing periods. Staff recommended an abatement of $1,184.32. 11 Eaton Road We were unable to obtain a reading from this meter and estimated usage on three bills. Staff installed new wire and pad and took an inside read of 0 10 1 indicating we had overestimated the usage. We used the outread to calculate ADU and derived usage for the three estimated billing periods. The additional 4 units will be captured for the spring billing when the reading is changed to achieve the abatement. Staff recommended an abatement of $1,563.86. 17 Fairlawn Lane We obtained the same reading from this irrigation meter and suspected it had failed. We estimated the usage based on past usage. The homeowners told us they made a decision not to irrigate this summer and staff confirmed the inside read. This abatement reverses bill 4 720857 entirely. Staff recommends an abatement of $316.50 137 Grant Street The owners applied for a full abatement on bill 4726773 because the house is empty and slated for demolition. The owner provided a bill from Kirkland & Shaw for turning off the water and winterizing the house. We were unaware it was empty and estimated usage. Staff recommends a full abatement on bill 4726773. Staff recommended an abatement of $567.00 22 Paul Revere Road We were unable to obtain a reading from this meter and estimated the spring 2012 usage. On 11/16/12 we replaced the outside pad and obtained a read of 467. We established ADU and redistributed the usage. Staff recommends an abatement of $648.34 2 Welch Road Unable to obtain outside reads and suspecting the meter had failed, we estimated usage at 10 hcf The homeowner filed an abatement but would not let us in to change the meter. After obtaining a reading of 1 we issued a bill in the fall for -10 hcf to negate the over estimation. On 12/13/12 we changed the meter. Staff recommended an abatement of interest only. (`OJ51 MOgryi'Y Minutes g o y r7s c Lexington Water and Sewer Abatement Board w 201 Bedford Street 3 x Lexington, MA 02420 APRIL 1 9'" INGT January 10, 2013 �� It was moved by Mr. Wood, seconded by Ms. Constantinides and voted unanimously to approve the Meter /Billing Issue abatement recommendations as presented Meet with Gregg Keaney of 34 Robbins Road to hear his appeal of the board's decision to deny him a leak - based abatement. Mr. Gregg Keaney applied for an abatement on bill #721848 stating his irrigation system leaked for months after it was damaged by a Town snowplow during the October snow storm of 2011. He contacted Chris Filadoro, Parks and Grounds Superintendent, on March 31, 2012 and stated his irrigation system was "not functional as a result of the rupture of underground lines ". It is reasonable to assume the leaks were discovered when the system was reopened in the spring and it was subsequently shut back down. The system would have been off for the winter and therefore not leaking. On May 2, 2012 Chris Filadoro acknowledged the Town's responsibility and authorized the homeowner to contact Corbett Irrigation to repair the leak and bill the Town. In preparing an abatement calculation we derived usage for the fall 2010 bill because the homeowners purchased the property mid - billing period on 8/10/2010. In 49 days, 40 hcf were used and the derived usage for the entire billing period was 143. Their average fall usage is 105 and because this amount is lower than the amount used during the disputed billing period, staff found no basis for an abatement. Mr. Keaney stated that he had opened up his own irrigation system himself and set it to go off during the afternoon when no one would be home. A few weeks later a neighbor told him that every afternoon when his system went on, water was discharging allover and running down the street. The board agreed that a second look was warranted in view of this new information. Mr. Keaney thanked the board for their consideration. Upon further review, the board instructed Ms. Fullford to recalculate the abatement using 67 as the average usage and not charging for the excess, leaked usage as it resulted from Town - caused damage. The recalculation will go back to the board in the February meeting. Schedule future meeting times: February 14, 2013 and March 14, 2013 Adjourn It was moved by Ms. Constantinides, seconded by Mr. Wood and voted unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 5:43 PM. M