(9/20) Director of Public Works Joseph Birch updated the burgess and commissioners on the status of multiple projects in town.
The water meter replacement project (Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) project) has been ongoing since March. The new technology automatically collects data pertaining to consumption, diagnostic and meter status without needing a physical presence to collect it. The data will be used for billing, troubleshooting, and analyzing the meters for town staff as well as customers via a special portal.
Department of Public Works (DPW) staff has canvassed the town twice already for meter replacements and will continue with appointments only from this point forward.
The Discovery water main replacement project is in the final phase. Plans have been reviewed by Frederick County water and sewer. The Discovery community, which is outside of Walkersville town proper, utilizes the Town's water services with additional fees, even though it is not technically in town. The pipes in Discovery are old and have suffered multiple breaks in the last few months. An estimated 600 homes would be affected by the replacement process.
Once the County’s comments and changes are reviewed and edited, the Plans will need to be resubmitted for final approval.
The Green Street project will be accepting bids in September for a trenchless structural pipeline repair, sidewalk, curb and gutter installation and repaving. A lining will be applied to the entire length of the Green Street pipe with an original estimate of $286,357. The project will not only fix the pipe problems but also improve the walkability of Walkersville.
A sidewalk will be added to the corner of Maple Ave and Green Street and the sidewalk in front of number three Green Street will be pulled out five feet to connect it to Fulton Avenue. The complication will be the width of Green Street from Fulton Avenue to the Town Hall (about halfway down Green Street) will be considerably narrower. The Council will be discussing the merits of turning Green Street into a one-way as a result after the bids are received and reviewed.
Birch also requested approval to order two vertical turbine meters for the reverse osmosis racks in the water plant for a total of $7,583. According to Birch, they have already replaced two and need to replace one more and have a spare on hand. The request was approved.
One more item Birch mentioned to the Council regarded the gas pumps the Public Works staff use. He said they were getting old and although they can still record gallons pumped out, they are no longer recording the total gallons remaining in the tanks. Birch is required to report these numbers at the end of every month, so will need to repair the pumps to do so. He is waiting on official quotes before putting a request for funding in the Council’s hands.
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