Proposed storage garage to be voted on at annual precinct meeting Wednesday

Budgets for North Conway Water Precinct near or below last year's levels

A proposal to build a new three-bay storage garage on Seavey Street is among the articles to be voted on Wednesday at the annual meeting of the North Conway Water Precinct.The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at John Fuller Elementary School. Copies of the warrant are available at precinct offices at the water treatment plant.Prior to the meeting, election of officers takes place from 4 to 7 p.m. at John Fuller.There are no contested races. Running for office are incumbent Robert Porter for a three-year term as commissioner; incumbent Richie Hansen as supervisor of the checklist, three years; incumbent Maureen Westrick Forbes for a one-year term as treasurer; and incumbent Karen Umberger for a one-year term as clerk. Incumbent moderator Ken Cargill is running as a write-in for a one-year term, as he missed the filing deadline for registering.Among warrant articles to be taken up at the annual meeting is a proposal to build a new three-bay storage garage on Seavey Street to replace an existing 19th-century, dilapidated structure that is leaking.At a public hearing held at the precinct's treatment plant Feb. 26, North Conway fire chief Pat Preece outlined the proposal for the new garage.He said that although a 2008-09 feasibility study by H.E. Bergeron had put the cost of the new structure at approximately $459,540, by using precinct personnel and equipment the cost would be $165,000. Using precinct equipment and personnel will save approximately $50,000. Using precinct staff to oversee the construction of the building will save approximately $30,000, said Preece, adding that construction costs are down 25 percent in 2009 so far.The proposed metal frame building would cost an estimated $142,390, which includes concrete, 6-inch insulated walls and doors. Electrical work will cost $7,720, the cost of razing the existing building is $5,000, and site work and miscellaneous work is $9,890.Preece said the existing structure has suffered water damage, which has created an electrical fire hazard.Water is running onto and into the building, and onto equipment being stored at the building. The walls and ceilings are falling down inside and outside the building. Water is causing mold, which is a health issue; wooden floors are rotting out; the side sheds attached to the building are collapsing and sinking into the ground; and there is no foundation supporting the walls of the shed, said Preece.The proposal is listed under Article 15.At the Feb. 26 hearing, commissioners Jim Umberger, Robert Porter and John Santuccio said a preliminary plan floated by Preece through a study by H.E. Bergeron to construct a new fire station has been put on hold indefinitely, due to the poor state of the economy. In his annual report, Preece said this past year was the busiest in the fire department's history, with the department answering 1,155 requests during the 2008 year.Preece said 478 of the calls were rescue-related, and 677 were fire-related calls.The fire department saw an increase of 181 calls from the previous year, said Preece, adding that the biggest reason for the increase for fire-related calls was the amount of heavy snowfall last year, which caused propane leaks, carbon monoxide, downed power-line issues and the collapse of buildings.Preece also said that the department took delivery of its new pumper/tanker on Feb. 6 of this year.This truck will service the precinct for 30 years and will help improve the precinct's ISO rating score. We were short 250 gallons of water and short one engine company; this new truck covers both issues. We were able to sell our old tank truck to Delmont Fire in South Dakota for a net profit of $40,500. As per the precinct bylaws, we are asking voters through a warrant article to deposit these funds into the North Conway Water Precinct fire department capital reserve fund, said Preece.The department is also proposing to replace the 1955 station air compressor, notes Preece.The current air compressor is worn out and showing signs of fatigue and leaking oil and has no water separator on the compressor. We keep the compressor for keeping the truck air tanks maintained and cleaning of fore department equipment, said Preece, noting that the cost of the replacement and removal is $9,250.At the Feb. 26 budget hearing, Preece and precinct superintendent David Bernier said they were given a directive to flat line the budgets as much as possible and see where they could lower the tax rate.Preece said the budget for the fire department last year was $673,284; the proposed budget for this year is $643,225.Likewise, Bernier in his report notes that the commissioners' budget and the water department budgets for 2009 are within several hundred dollars of being level funded. He added that the sewer department budget is less in 2009 than in 2008.In addition, we anticipate that the precinct tax rate will be less this year than last, and this marks the fifth year in a row that precinct taxes continue to decline, noted Bernier. As for water and sewer rates for 2009, we anticipate keeping rates where they are and we would like to point out that this marks the 12th year that water and sewer rates have remained unchanged.Bernier said the precinct's major construction project, Project 6, stands at 60 percent complete with 62 percent of the contract time remaining.Completed to date is the the water and sewer construction from Route 16 along Dinsmore Road heading east to Intervale Crossroad and all of the Intervale Crossroad from that point east to Kearsarge Road, a portion of the sewer line from Kearsarge Road east to the Kearsarge Brook area, as well as major portion of new water along Kearsarge Street and the Lane.The precinct continues to fast track Contract 7, which includes design engineering, permitting for the construction of Well 6, the design of improvements to the main Artist Falls sewer pumping station, the design of new water main replacements for concurrent construction with Contract 7 sewer extension, as well as the possible upgrades of energy and green energy alternatives for our wastewater treatment facility. This aggressive schedule is being pursued so that the precinct may position itself for as many economic recovery grants as possible. In most instances we are looking to receive as much as 75 percent loan forgiveness in the funding formulas for most of these endeavors, wrote Bernier.Bernier's report also mentions that the precinct is currently studying the feasibility of receiving sewer flow from Conway Village into the North Conway wastewater treatment facility.The Conway district and North Conway Water Precinct have awarded a contract with their respective engineering firms to look into the financial and practical aspects of this endeavor, wrote Bernier.Commissioners in their report outlined several other accomplishments of the year, including completing the water interconnection between North Conway Water Precinct and Birch Hill.