DPW to use grant to plan revisions to water system

Date: 1/24/2011

Jan. 24, 2011

By Chris Maza

Reminder Assistant Editor

EAST LONGMEADOW — The Town of East Longmeadow's Department of Public Works (DPW) recently won a Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) grant that will assist in coming up with a plan to improve town-wide water systems.

The CIP is designed to help DPW and water suppliers identify and outline whatever short- and long-term improvements to the water system may be needed over a 20-year period.

"We maintain an advance on our capital plan," Sean Kelley of the DPW said. "This deals with mapping, population analysis and other processes and helps take a deeper look at our existing and future needs. It's a study that might be a little more accurate."

According to documents provided to Reminder Publications by the DPW, the primary goals of the grant-sponsored plans is to:

"Improve upon and ensure the efficient delivery of drinking water that continues to protect the public health;"

"Develop an accurate assessment of the full scope of funding that would be necessary to implement captial improvement needs to the water works system to ensure that public health requirements will be met over a 20-year time horizon;" and

"Introduce the concept of establishing an annual investment amount into the budget process for performing capital improvements."

According to Kelley, the grant award to the town was $7,500, however, to qualify, a total of $10,000 must be spent on the CIP. Therefore, the remaining $2,500 will be taken out of the DPW's budget.