Thursday, March 8, 2007 Older Editions

Public Works request: $250,000 truck will be back

By Brian Messenger

The Department of Public Works' request for a sewer flusher truck will not go before Town Meeting voters - at least until next year.

DPW Director Jack Petkus removed from the Town Meeting warrant a $250,000 request for the truck that would be used by town workers to unclog sewer line blockages.

The department currently uses a less-effective trailer unit and has in the past used sewer-truck rentals in cases of emergencies.

Petkus, who said the current unit is used weekly, still hopes to gather more data this year and plans to come back at 2008 Town Meeting with a new request and more thorough presentation.

"I think the people, including the Board of Selectmen, will see it differently," said Petkus.

Selectmen signed the Town Meeting warrant Monday. Voters will see 64 articles.

"The concern that we had is that it's a huge expense," said Selectman Mary Lyman. "There are rentals available for emergency purposes. Our question is how many times and how long did you wait for them to come out?

"At those price tags, there'd have to be a lot of calls for it."

With manholes typically 250 to 300 feet apart, Petkus said the current trailer, with parts that extend up to 150 feet, makes the work harder to complete.

"It takes two setups to do one clean," he said.

A sewer flusher truck would extend up to 500 feet below the street to unclog sewer lines.

"If you know where the blockage is you can go right in there without doing it twice. In essence you can cut your work in half," said Petkus.

"Next year we'll come in with the data and make the right presentation," he said. "We're going to document the usage of the trailer-mounted unit."

Grease buildup tends to be the main problem in Andover's sewers, according to Petkus. The grease solidifies after it is mixed with cold water and it can eventually coat the pipes.

"It's absolutely gross," he said.

"We're trying to do more with less and we're trying to work smarter," Petkus said. "Sometimes you have to spend money."

Lyman said the board would give Petkus consideration if the request comes up again in the future.

"We'll hold judgment until next year when they present it at that time," she said. "It's such a large price tag. You really want to know you have to have it, [it's] not just a toy. We can't afford nice-to-have items."

"It's a tremendous saver - time, labor," Petkus said. "We certainly should be back next year."