SOUTHWICK – Department of Public Works Director Randy Brown is seeking a few additions to the budget for next fiscal year.
Brown presented capital needs and new item highlights of the FY2017 budget to the Southwick Board of Selectmen this week, including requests for a dump truck replacement, a tractor, and a four-foot sweeper attachment for the DPW’s snow removal machine used to clear town sidewalks.
“That won’t replace the street sweeping contractor,” Brown clarified, but allow the DPW to sweep sidewalks in front of municipal buildings.
Brown said the town water tank needs to be inspected this year, and this is the third year of the three-year leak detection cycle.
Other regular maintenance items that will be in the DPW budget include hydrant replacement and trafic light and signal replacement.
“We have all the College Highway lights and we’re getting some new traffic signals,” said Brown.
Brown said much of that work requires an electrician and therefore must be contracted out.
“And we don’t have a lift,” he added.
Selectman Russell Fox asked if there was any commitment to convert the lights to energy saving LEDs.
Brown said he has spoken with Eversource on the matter, and the company does not have a municipal rate for LEDs at this time.
Chief Administrative Officer Karl Stinehart said there are green programs the town could explore to help pay for LED conversion.
Brown said a new roller and trailer was needed for paving. The one currently used is costly to repair.
“If we need parts, we have to have them fabricated for us,” he said.
In the sewer department, Brown said grates were needed at the pump stations for safety reasons. Stinehart suggested that funds left from a DPW project that came in under budget could be used for the grates rather than add them to the budget.
Brown asked if he would need a town meeting vote to do that, but Stinehart said he could get approval from the town accountant.
Brown will present the entire DPW budget to the board and finance committee joint hearing Feb. 6.
Hearings begin at 8 a.m. at Town Hall and are open to the public. A schedule of hearings is available on the calendar on the town web site.
