Search

Finance Committee - 7/5/2018 Page 4

Alderman Harriott-Gathright

The amount is $100,000.00 just so you guys know. My question was do we have flaggers in the city you know,
do we have employees as flaggers?

Mayor Donchess

No, the answer is no. No.
Alderman Harriott-Gathright

So every time we see someone holding those flags out there they belong to some other company, they are not
city employees or anything like that?

Mayor Donchess

Correct, unless you see Police Officers, who are City employees. But when they are in that type of role, that is
a detail paid for by the private company not by the City. So on a major road, you have Police like on Concord
Street, they have some flaggers but they also have at least one Police Officer. That is like a situation where
the officer volunteers to do this in his or her off hours. It might not even be from Nashua, sometimes they can’t
find a Nashua cop who wants to the job. They get paid by the City but the City is reimbursed by the contractor
for those hours

Alderman Harriott-Gathright
| am just thinking ahead, do you think it is worth the City having those types of employees?

Mayor Donchess

Well no because it is very, very seasonal. | think it is just very involved. Then we are subject to a lot of
restrictions that we would prefer not to be subject to for temporary employees which then could become
permanent and then very involved. Anyone else? And that is an all-end rate. With the City there would be
health care, there is pensions, there is everything else. So $28.00 would become $56. No other questions or
comments?

MOTION CARRIED

From: Dan Kooken, Purchasing Manager
Re: Vegetation Removal — Merrimack River (Value: $42,750)

MOTION BY ALDERWOMAN KELLY TO ACCEPT, PLACE ON FILE AND AWARD THE CONTRACT TO
WILLIAM P. DAVIS EXCAVATING, LLC, IN THE AMOUNT OF $42,750. FUNDS

ARE AVAILABLE IN DEPARTMENT 169, WASTEWATER

MOTION CARRIED

Finance Committee - 7/5/2018 Page 5

From: Dan Kooken, Purchasing Manager
Re: Canal Street Bridge Improvements Bridge Engineering Services (Value: $42,543)

MOTION BY ALDERWOMAN KELLY TO ACCEPT, PLACE ON FILE AND AWARD THE CONTRACT TO
CLD/FUSS & O’NEIL IN THE AMOUNT OF $42,543. SOURCE OF FUNDING IS DEPARTMENT 161,
STREETS; CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS, BRIDGE REHABILITATION PROGRAM

ON THE QUESTION

Mayor Donchess

Mr. Dookran is here to answer any questions on this item if you have them. This is just for the reconstruction
of the red listed Canal Street Bridge. It is part of the project, we have budgeted money to design an
improvement and execute a rehab of the bridge

Alderman Caron

Thank you. Is Hudson sharing some of this cost or is it just our side of the bridge?

Mayor Donchess

This is the one by BAE it’s not Hudson.

Alderman Caron

Oh it is the other one, okay. Too many bridges.

Mayor Donchess

So this is ours. This is over the Nashua River, not the Merrimack.

Mr. Dookran

We don’t want that one to fall in the red list.

MOTION CARRIED

From: Dan Kooken, Purchasing Manager
Re: WWTF HVAC Upgrades — Change Order #4 (Value: $17,940)

MOTION BY ALDERWOMAN KELLY TO ACCEPT, PLACE ON FILE AND APPROVE CHANGE ORDER #4
TO THE CONTRACT WITH MONADNOCK BUILDING COMPANY IN THE AMOUNT OF $17,940. TO
FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE IN DEPARTMENT 169, WASTEWATER

ON THE QUESTION

Mayor Donchess

| think you have met Mr. Boucher before, who is the Superintendent of the Waste Water Treatment Plant. Do
you want to take a moment to explain this change order?

David Boucher, Superintendent of Waste Water

Sure, thank you. This is the on-going HVAC upgrade nearing the end. This change order is a result of an
inspection from the Building Inspector and the Fire Department. It took place, it was realized after the bid had

Finance Committee - 7/5/2018 Page 6

gone out so this is not included in the original bid. This is for extra smoke detectors needed within the duct
work, two extra. They have to be addressable so each smoke detector has to be routed back to the fire alarm
panel at the main entrance. Because of the distance where the smoke detectors are located, the price is
elevated. But this is to meet code.

MOTION CARRIED

From: Dan Kooken, Purchasing Manager
Re: Combined Sewer Overflow Flow Monitoring Program (Value: $56,100)

MOTION BY ALDERWOMAN KELLY TO ACCEPT, PLACE ON FILE AND AWARD THE CONTRACT TO
FLOW ASSESSMENT IN THE AMOUNT OF $56,100. SOURCE OF FUNDING IS DEPARTMENT 169,
WASTEWATER

ON THE QUESTION

Mr. Boucher

This is a company that we want to have on board. They already have their equipment installed in all of our
combined sewer overflow locations. What this company does, is they take all the data that is collected each

month, they compile it into a report that we have to submit to the regulatory agencies. We would like to
continue with their service, we have been happy with it, for another year. This is a one year contract.

Mayor Donchess

Those reports to the EPA and DES are mandatory.
Mr. Boucher

Correct.

MOTION CARRIED

From: Dan Kooken, Purchasing Manager
Re: Secondary Clarifier Return Actibated Sludge Tubes (Value: $62,812)

MOTION BY ALDERWOMAN KELLY TO ACCEPT, PLACE ON FILE AND APPROVE THE PURCHASE
FROM EVOQUA WATER TECHNOLOGIES IN THE AMOUNT OF $62,812. FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE IN
DEPARTMENT 169, WASTEWATER

ON THE QUESTION

Mr. Boucher

So this is the for the purpose of piping and also for a company to come in and install the piping in one of three
of our clarifiers. So the purchase is for the piping for 3 clarifiers, but this company will install it one, show us
how it is installed and then staff will install it in the other two. We have equipment in these clarifiers that
currently doesn’t work so this is some newer technology that will work in order to remove sludge from the
bottom of the tanks and deliver it to another location at our facility.

MOTION CARRIED

Finance Committee - 7/5/2018 Page 7

From: Dan Kooken, Purchasing Manager
Re: Purchase of Polymer (Value: $400,000)

MOTION BY ALDERWOMAN KELLY TO ACCEPT, PLACE ON FILE AND APPROVE THE PURCHASE
FROM SNF POLYDYNE, INC., IN THE AMOUNT OF $400,000. SOURCE OF FUNDING IS DEPARTMENT
169, WASTEWATER

ON THE QUESTION

Mayor Donchess

And of course this is just one of the chemicals that is used to clean the water.
Mr. Boucher

Correct.

MOTION CARRIED

From: Dan Kooken, Purchasing Manager
Re: Purchase of Sodium Bisulfite (Value: $53,500)

MOTION BY ALDERWOMAN KELLY TO ACCEPT, PLACE ON FILE AND APPROVE THE PURCHASE
FROM PVS CHEMICAL SOLUTIONS IN THE AMOUNT OF $53,500. FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE IN
DEPARTMENT 169, WASTEWATER

MOTION CARRIED

From: Dan Kooken, Purchasing Manager
Re: Purchase of Sodium Hypochlorite (Value: $200,000)

MOTION BY ALDERWOMAN KELLY TO ACCEPT, PLACE ON FILE AND APPROVE THE PURCHASE
FROM UNIVAR U.S.A., INC., IN THE AMOUNT OF $200,000. SOURCE OF FUNDING IS DEPARTMENT
169, WASTEWATER

MOTION CARRIED

From: Dan Kooken, Purchasing Manager
Re: Purchase of Flame Arrestors (Value: $19,329)

MOTION BY ALDERWOMAN KELLY TO ACCEPT, PLACE ON FILE AND APPROVE THE PURCHASE
FROM NEW ENGLAND ENERGY SERVICES CO. IN THE AMOUNT OF $19,329. FUNDS ARE
AVAILABLE IN DEPARTMENT 169, WASTEWATER

ON THE QUESTION

Mayor Donchess
Why don’t you tell us what flame arresters are?
Mr. Boucher

We have a digester complex at the Waste Water Plant, there are two tanks that produce methane gas and
another gas storage tank. Each of these tanks have flame arresters on it, if there was ever a flame outside of
the tank, it can’t go back into the tank and ignite. These flame arresters, over time, get clogged and have to be
replaced. So we want to have NESCO, New England Energy Services Corp. come in. They have already
done one for us, that was needed because the gas wasn’t regulated in the system.

Finance Committee - 7/5/2018 Page 8

So this company will come in and do all the others. Unfortunately, not a lot of people sell the flame arresters
that we need. It is coming direct from the company. So we are just hiring this other company to come in and
install it for us because they are rather large and out of the capability of our staff?

Alderwoman Kelly

| was just interested, so you are replacing them completely? How long of a life did we get out of the last?
Mr. Boucher

You can get a long life out of it if you remove them and clean them. Unfortunately these have been in so long
they have gone beyond that point of cleaning. And we know this from the one that we just exchanged. You
can get quite a long life out of them. And we will have it on a maintenance program now.

MOTION CARRIED

From: Dan Kooken, Purchasing Manager
Re: FY19 Sanborn Head Associates Engineering Services - Landfill (Value: Not-To-Exceed $80,000)

MOTION BY ALDERWOMAN KELLY TO ACCEPT, PLACE ON FILE AND AWARD THE CONTRACT TO
SANBORN HEAD AND ASSOCIATES IN AN AMOUNT NOT-TO-EXCEED $80,000
SOURCE OF FUNDING IS DEPARTMENT 168, SOLID WASTE

ON THE QUESTION

Mayor Donchess

And we have Mr. LaFleur who is the head of the landfill. So tell us what the engineering services are?
Jeffrey LaFleur, Superintendent of Solid Waste

Yes sir. We hire this company it is our landfill company and they specialize in landfills. It is the same company
that we have been working with for over 7 to 10 years now. They take care of all our air permit applications;
they take care of all that. They take care of our financial assurance. They take care of any anomalies that
happen up at the landfill that have to do landfills and work with DES with us.

MOTION CARRIED

From: Dan Kooken, Purchasing Manager
Re: 3 Year Water Quality Testing and Monitoring at Nashua Landfill Sites Contract Award
(Value: Not-To-Exceed $104,190)

MOTION BY ALDERWOMAN KELLY TO ACCEPT, PLACE ON FILE AND, CONTINGENT UPON BOARD

OF ALDERMEN APPROVAL, AWARD THE CONTRACT TO CHEMSERVE ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSTS
IN THE AMOUNT OF $104,190. FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE IN DEPARTMENT 168, SOLID WASTE

ON THE QUESTION

Mayor Donchess

This will go the Board of Aldermen because it is a contract beyond one year. So if recommended by this
Committee would go to the next meeting of the Board of Aldermen. Maybe just tell us briefly what the services
are?

Finance Committee - 7/5/2018 Page 9
Mr. LaFleur

Yes sir. The ChemServe goes around to all our closed landfills and our landfill at 840 West Hollis Street, they
test all our groundwater and make sure we are within compliance and see if there are any anomalies. Itis a
little bit higher this year because we have to start doing the PFAS and PFOAS, the chemical that was found
throughout the State now, we are having to test for that. So that is a little bit higher testing rate; 3 year contract
it just makes it easier on all of us. | have to do the testing yearly so | figured let’s go out for a 3 year contract
so we don’t have to come back yearly to bother you nice folks at night

Alderwoman Kelly

Thank you Mr. Mayor. Does extending it for 3 years give us any savings by locking in a certain rate with them?

Mr. LaFleur

Typically yes, but again with dealing with DES if any changes happen, | have to do a change order to it. It

hasn’t happened in a few years, but like | said, we had the PFAS and the PFOAS come in and | have to expect

that. But yes, typically 3 year contracts | get better pricing on all that.

MOTION CARRIED

From: Dan Kooken, Purchasing Manager

Re: 3 Year Air Quality and Landfill Gas Testing Shady Lane Landfill & New Searles School Contract
Award (Value: Not-To-Exceed $53,433)

MOTION BY ALDERWOMAN KELLY TO ACCEPT, PLACE ON FILE AND, CONTINGENT UPON BOARD

OF ALDERMEN APPROVAL, AWARD THE CONTRACT TO TRC ENVIRONMENTAL CORPORATION IN
AN AMOUNT NOT-TO-EXCEED $53,433. SOURCE OF FUNDING IS DEPARTMENT 168, SOLID WASTE

ON THE QUESTION

Mayor Donchess

Questions or comments?

Alderman O’Brien

Thank you. | seem to remember this was a big hot button issue with the people of Ward 9 several years ago.
So to follow up on that, | imagine that you share the results of this testing with the school department, correct?
That they know exactly, if anybody at home, they know the school department is on top of it as well and
knowing the air quality for the New Searles is adequate.

Mr. LaFleur

Yes all the records are all open to the public, in fact when we download it to DES it is on one stop so anyone in
the US can go on there and bring it up and take a look at it.

MOTION CARRIED

Finance Committee - 7/5/2018 Page 10
From: Dan Kooken, Purchasing Manager
Re: Purchase of One (1) 2019 Rampant 20 Ton Ramp Trailer with 24’ Flat Deck and 6’ Dovetail

with 8’ Hydraulic Ramps (Value: $20,213)
MOTION BY ALDERWOMAN KELLY TO ACCEPT, PLACE ON FILE AND AWARD THE CONTRACT TO
RAMPANT TRAILERS, LLC, IN THE AMOUNT OF $20,213. FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE IN DEPARTMENT
160, ENGINEERING; HIGHWAY BLOCK GRANT
ON THE QUESTION
Alderman O’Brien
Yes it sounds like a wonderful trailer but who is going to get it and what is it going to be used for?
Mr. LaFleur
It is going to be used primarily for our mill and fill program, it is going to streamline that program, giving us
some efficiencies in the equipment moves. We will be able to put a roller and a paver and a bobcat on the
same trailer instead of doing 3 separate moves. So we should get a little more done in a day.
Alderman O’Brien
Outstanding, very good. Thank you.
MOTION CARRIED

From: Dan Kooken, Purchasing Manager
Re: Purchase of One (1) Johnson Vacuum Air Sweeper (Value: $259, 100)

MOTION BY ALDERWOMAN KELLY TO ACCEPT, PLACE ON FILE AND APPROVE THE PURCHASE
FROM SANITARY EQUIPMENT COMPANY, INC., IN THE AMOUNT OF $259,100. SOURCE OF FUNDING
IS DEPARTMENT 161 STREET, CERF

ON THE QUESTION

Mayor Donchess

And of course, this is a street sweeper obviously. Any discussion or questions on this item?

Alderman Caron

So you are getting rid of the 2007, it’s not being traded in, or it will be traded in?

Jonathan Barra, Superintendent of Streets

We have another one coming up in this fiscal budget.

MOTION CARRIED

UNFINISHED BUSINESS — None

NEW BUSINESS — None

Finance Committee - 7/5/2018 Page 11
RECORD OF EXPENDITURES

MOTION BY ALDERWOMAN KELLY THAT THE FINANCE COMMITTEE HAS COMPLIED WITH THE CITY
CHARTER AND ORDINANCES PERTAINING TO THE RECORD OF EXPENDITURES FOR THE PERIOD
FROM JUNE 15, 2018 TO JUNE 30, 2018

MOTION CARRIED

GENERAL DISCUSSION

Mayor Donchess

| do have one which is this. | just want to get your reaction which you don’t have to give now, | just want to
mention this issue, think about it. Right now what you see on this agenda and the Board of Public Works sees
the same items are any expenditures or contracts above $10,000.00. So if it is $9,000.00 it is not on here on
the theory that compared with the more major purchases it is relatively small and therefore doesn’t come here.
Some of the departments, particularly Public Works, have suggested that we raise the threshold because they
say and you can hear it from them directly if you wish.

It takes a lot of person hours to put all these packets together, some of these items are small, sometimes it is a
commodity and they would like to raise the threshold to $25,000.00 instead of $10,000.00, which means
obviously on this agenda 3 of the items under $25,000.00 threshold would not have been on the agenda.
There are a couple for $19,000.00, $17,000.00 and one for $20,000.00. Their other argument is that the
$10,000.00 has been in place for a long time and has been kind of eroding as a result of inflation; $10,000.00
doesn’t buy what it used to, that type of thing.

Anyway, if the threshold were to be raised, this is an Ordinance, so it would require Aldermanic action so
obviously all members of the Board of Aldermen votes on it. And since they have mentioned it to me a couple
of times, | thought | would raise it with you and see if you have any thoughts now. But it doesn’t have to be
now, it could be later, this not urgent.

Alderman Laws

How long has the $10,000.00 threshold been in existence?

Mayor Donchess

We are looking into that, but itis at least 10 years | think.

Dan Kooken, Purchasing Manager

| can answer that, it was 2002. It was $15,000.00 at one point and got lowered back down to $10,000.00 in
2002.

Mayor Donchess

Now the other argument Public Works makes is that they have checked with other communities and more
typically there is a threshold of $25,000.00. | don’t know why it was lowered, | guess more scrutiny by the
Aldermen. Maybe it was Mr. Teeboom and one of his reforms, | don’t know.

Mr. Kooken
If | may, | have got quite a bit of data on this and we’ve done comparisons with Manchester and Concord and

where they are at, where we are at. | can e-mail those to the group if you'd like those. | also have more
spreadsheets that, | have copies | can e-mail those, they give breakdowns like percentages

Finance Committee - 7/5/2018 Page 12

We actually have probably reduced the volume of items by 30% so it would only reduce the amount of dollars
you are seeing by 2 to 4%. That may vary a little bit but not a terrible lot.

Mayor Donchess

Now if you do e-mail the entire committee, could you make sure that the communication appears on the
agenda of the next Committee meeting so that we are not privately communicating about issues of substance?
So if you send it, let’s put it as a communication on here and just accept it and everybody will be able to see
what has been sent; everybody meaning the public and the other Aldermen.

Alderman Laws

| have got no problem personally with doing this especially if it is pretty standard for other municipalities to do it
this way. My main concern would be that | feel like we are standing on the precipice of a cliff right now and at
the bottom are going to be a bunch of angry people with pitchforks once this tax revaluation comes out. If we
start making it easier for government to spend money without being held accountable for it, | feel like people
are going to riot in the streets. That’s my concern personally. | think maybe now, again, | am in support of the

idea but maybe now isn’t the time to do it. Maybe we should wait until the blood has dried a little bit before we
start.

Mayor Donchess

You are using such colorful language

Alderman Laws

If I'm really dramatic than and it takes a little wind out of their sails.

Alderman Caron

| remember when we had the threshold brought up because we didn’t have to do some of the things especially
for Park Rec and Alderman Laws makes a valid point but maybe we need to think about maybe a small
increase, going to $15,000.00 or something like that so people don’t think we are out of control. But | think I’d
like to see the communication of other communities our size and see where it goes. But you are right, because
they are in here for such minute things, $10,000.00 and a lot of it is repair things, which is everyday work for a
department.

Alderman Laws

Well perhaps what would $10,000.00 be adjusted for inflation over the last 16 years?

Mr. Kooken

| actually have that | believe.

Alderman Laws

| feel like that would be a fair compromise. It would be much easier to agree to something like that with the
community and say this is the way it is.

Mr. Kooken

$10,000.00 is now $14,000.00. based on 2018.

Finance Committee - 7/5/2018 Page 13
Alderman Laws

That doesn’t really do much.

Alderwoman Kelly

Thank you, | would ask the members of the board that were here, do we remember what the circumstances
were around bringing it up to $15,000.00 and then bringing it back, that’s my question.

Alderman Caron

| wasn’t on the board.

Mayor Donchess

| wasn’t here at the time. | mean | can guess, it was just someone wanted more oversight. Were you on the
board?

Alderman Caron

No | wasn’t. | think | was probably still working when they changed it. And you’re right, some of it was I’m
sorry to say, it is micro-managing. And departments have to do their day to day job. If you are looking at a
$10,000.00 repair cost and you have to wait two weeks for approval from finance it is holding up their work
schedule. I’m sure you, Alderman O’Brien, you’ve had that same situation in the Fire Department.

Alderman O’Brien

Fire exactly. | mean this, if | may Mr. Mayor? | think this would be more efficiency in government. | think we
exist as a board, we still provide the oversight, it’s not like we are going anywhere. We will still be able to
monitor to see exactly what each division is particularly doing. This just raises it so less paperwork and will
actually probably benefit, the employees won’t be coming, filling out all this stock and getting prepared for our
meetings. So it will probably increase it on their end, their efficiency, it could even be a cost-saving issue to
some degree where you are not coming up and filing before the board.

| would recommend at least going back to $15,000.00 is an easy start. We seem to be comfortable, we were
there before and if it works good we can go even higher, go to the $25,000.00. But today, | just ran some
numbers on the inflation calendar and things are more money today. It makes sense to raise it.

Mayor Donchess

One of the arguments they make as just stated by Alderman O’Brien which is that actually putting all these
memos together and explaining every purchase and then doing it twice, at least for Public Works, because
they do this at the Public Works Board and at the Finance Committee. This is a lot of person hours put into
getting a $10,000.00 item approved. It probably is multiple person hours to get something that is 1/100 of 1%
of the budget approved. So that is kind of part of their argument. | didn’t do the math on the 100" of 1%, a
10" of a per cent.

Alderman Laws

So | will reiterate where | am at. | completely agree with Alderman O’Brien and Alderwoman Caron. | think that
there are probably far more unintended consequences that are going to benefit the City as a result of this than
the alternative. The only concern | have is just the optics of it and unfortunately not as many people watch
these meetings as would probably benefit the City. So all it takes is just one person to be like “Well the Board
of Aldermen raising your property taxes and now they are trying to make it so they can spend more money
without you knowing about it”. And it just is a matter of how we package this. We have to be completely open.