USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Reading > Town of Reading Massachusetts annual report 1952 > Part 13
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and routine service was provided in all phases of poultry and turkey farming.
Eric V. Larson, 361 Lowell Street, is a member of the Advisory Com- mittee which plans the Extension Poultry Program. He also participated in the 1952 Middlesex Flock Health Program. The Extension Service works closely with the Eastern Middlesex County Poultry Association, which holds informative monthly meetings at the Northern Residents' Association Hall.
A spray service is maintained by radio to all fruit growers as well as market gardeners. Fruit growers also follow closely the weekly twi- light meetings held during the growing season to keep abreast of production and marketing problems. There has been an increased de- mand from home owners for information on vegetables, flowers, and lawns.
Reading women enjoyed a discussion of "New Ideas in Food Prepara- tion" and a presentation of the "Christmas Everywhere" program. Mrs. Ralph L. Buck attended leadership classes in Textile Stenciling and taught this skill to a local group. Reading was also represented in the leadership class on American Country and Folk Dancing.
Just over one hundred boys and girls carried on 4-H activities in garden, poultry, livestock, horse, clothing, and food preparation. The clubs were under the leadership of Miss Lois Connor, who was also Chairman of the 4-H Town Committee, Mrs. Earle D. Benson, Mrs. Walter Connor, Ernest S. Durb, Mr. and Mrs. George H. Merrill, Mrs. Francis Mullen, Mrs. John O'Brien, Sr., and Mrs. John Timlin.
A splendid achievement program and exhibit was held in the spring. Thirty-three girls took part in the activities of County Girls' Day, where Ruth Campbell was one of three to be selected to represent th County in the State Dress Revue at the University of Massachusetts. She also was awarded the County Medal in the National Clothing Achievement Contest.
Fred Larson won the County Medal in the National Poultry Contest and Wendell Nelson the Boys' County Medal in the National Achieve- ment Contest. Ruth Campbell and Fred Larson were also awarded a trip to the State 4-H Congress in Boston. Twenty-three Club members at- tended Camp Middlesex. Reading members won a number of prizes at the County 4-H Fair. The Reading Lions Club awarded $25 for the best agricultural work. Among those sharing in the award were Fred Larson, Wendell Nelson, Muriel Earle, Ann Tomlinson, and Charles Vars.
WALTER S. HOPKINS, JR.,
Town Director
149
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS
To the Citizens of the Town of Reading:
The Board of Public Works submits herewith its Annual Report for the year ending December 31, 1952.
The Board organized with Mr. Walter S. Hopkins, Jr., as Chairman and Mr. Coleman J. Donahue as Secretary. Philip Welch was reappointed Superintendent.
Regularly scheduled meetings were held during the year, as were many special meetings and conferences.
Public Hearings were held on street acceptances, sewer extensions, drain easements, and pole locations. Acting as the Board of Survery several hearings were held on proposed housing developments, and for the establishment of lines and grades for existing and proposed private ways and for proposed new streets.
Petitions were received constantly during the year for sewer ex- tensions, drainage facilities, water mains, permanent sidewalks, granite curbing and for many other services. The cost of the requested services greatly exceeded the amount of the Annual appropriations.
The Board, therefor, tried to install the various utilities based on the greatest value to the Town, the greatest need of the largest number of citizens and within a planned integrated program.
Requests for storm water drainage facilities are being continually received. The total cost of such requests now on file is ten times the amount of the annual appropriation. Most of these requests are proper and reasonable. An effort should be made to accomplish more of this work annually.
The Water Department continues to face many pressing problems.
Three 24 inch gravel packed wells were put into use in 1952. Two of these are self contained units and are so connected that they can be pumped directly into the system, thus increasing the capacity of the well field. This increased capacity was of great value during the sum- mer months of 1952.
Construction of the new elevated storage tank was started in De- cember. The project will be completed early in 1953. The water De- partment is faced with a serious financial problem.
The necessity to install mains, construct wells, pumping stations and stand pipes has resulted in the issuance of several bond issues. The bond indebtedness of the Water Department has reached a high level. In 1953 about 22 per cent of the total income will be used for debt service. In addition the Department can now foresee the necessity of raising about $600,000 in the next 8 to 10 years. It can be seen that Water Department funds must be very carefully handled for many years to come.
The Board has endeavored to cooperate with other Town Boards and Departments during the past year and wish to acknowledge the cooperation extended to them by other Departments.
The Board wishes to commend the many conscientious employees of the Department for their loyalty and cooperation.
150
Reference is made to the report of the Superintendent for a more detailed account of the activities of the various divisions which com- prise the Department supervised by the Board of Public Works.
WALTER S. HOPKINS, JR., Chairman COLEMAN J. DONAHUE, Secretary KENNETH R. JOHNSON HAROLD D. KILGORE HARRY R. WALKER
DETAILED REPORT
There follows herewith a short statement of the activities of the various subdivisions of the Department.
WATER DEPARTMENT Main Pipe Construction
The residential boom continued on a relatively high level. This construction required, in most cases, extensions of water mains. In addition, the program of replacing small mains with larger sized mains was continued. In three streets, 11/4 inch mains were replaced with 6 inch mains. In all cases, hydrants were installed at proper intervals. These replacements will result in a better service to consumers plus better fire protection for the entire Town.
In all, 7,883.50 feet of new mains was laid, all 6 inches or larger.
Main Pipe Maintenance
No serious trouble were encountered during 1952 in the distribution system. Many annual tasks were accomplished such as raising and lowering gates, testing gates, relaying pipes to lower grades, gravel filling and patching trenches.
Service Pipe Construction and Maintenance
New water services totalled 127. A total of 7,603.30 feet.
In addition, 58 old services were replaced. A normal number of defective shutoffs were replaced and a normal number of leaks were repaired.
Rodding of partially clogged service pipes was continued exten- sively.
Meter Maintenance
Much effort was concentrated on the meter problem. In addition to placing 128 new meters on new services, 19 old meters were junked and replaced with new ones and 1090 meters were removed, repaired and reset.
It is good economy to keep meters in good repair as much of departmental income results from meter rates.
Fire Hydrants
14 new hydrants were installed in 1952 being, in most instances, placed on new main extensions. 4 hydrants damaged by vehicles were repaired, returned to use and bills sent to Insurance Companies.
Driven Well System
All wells in the system were thoroughly washed, cleaned and spudded. Careful check was kept of all wells so that wells producing
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water of high iron content or high color could be shut off from the system.
Three 24 inch gravel packed wells were installed on Town owned land and connected to the system. Two of these wells are equipped with self contained pumps and so piped that the water may be pumped directly to the distribution system should conditions arise that would make such an action seem advisable.
Deferrization Plant
The filtration plant operated efficiently during 1952 but required considerable more attention. Both filters were raked and scraped at increasingly shorter intervals.
Standpipes
No major repairs were necessary on either standpipe.
Construction of an elevated storage tank on Beacon Street abutting the present standpipe was started late in the year. Construction will be completed early in 1953.
Hundred Acre Pumping Station
A total of 352,404,400 gallons of water was pumped during the year.
This is an increase of 27,785,400 gallons over 1951. The daily aver- age was 962,852 gallons. The highest single day was 1,639,800 gallons. The highest week was 10,632,000 gallons.
The station operated well. Very few repairs were necessary despite a substantial increase in pumping. None of the repairs were of a serious nature.
HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT
Snow and Ice
The winter season of 1951-1952 was comparatively light with no snow storms of a very serious nature, although much icing took place requiring extensive sanding.
General Highway Maintenance
A road maintenance program was planned early in the year and executed during the warm summer months. Since the annual allotment for this work is about the same as in prewar years, it has been neces- sary to curtail this program as the cost of materials has been increased substantially.
Due to the constant opening of streets for the installation of utilities to new homes and the repair of existing utilities, it was necessary to increase substantially the use of patching materials.
In addition to major repairs, much was done on annual mainten- ance such as, sweeping, cutting brush, street signs, installing curbs, crushing gravel, repairing guard rails, repairing tools, repairing equip- ment, etc.
Chapter 90 Maintenance
The annual work of maintenance on main roads was accomplished with Town funds plus allotments from the State and County. Much remains to be done. To prevent complete disintegration of road sur- faces, it is urged that more funds be allotted for this purpose.
152
Chapter 90 Construction
The Chapter 90 Construction was let out to contract. To speed up this work it is suggested that appropriations be doubled and that the State be urgently requested to double their allotments. This work is being carried on at the same appropriation level as in 1939. Increased cost has cut the program in half.
Chapter 83 Construction (Street Betterments)
Seven streets were constructed under the Betterment Act with the abutting owners being assessed for the cost of construction. This is a growing item due to the residential growth of the Town and future years will bring added requests for street construction. The Town now re- quires that developers build the street complete but it will be a few years before the full effect of this requirement is felt.
Granolithic Sidewalk Construction
A total of 1,000 sq. yds. of Granolithic Sidewalk was constructed in 1952. The number of applications now on file exceeds substantially the normal yearly quota. Static appropriations and increased cost result in lesser length and yardage annually. Hence, some applications will not be serviced until 1955. A substantial amount of maintenance was accomplished. Due to new home construction, there was a distinct in- crease in the number of requests for this service.
Granite Curbing
831.80 feet of Granite Curbing was installed under voluntary appli- cations. Corner curbs were installed in many locations.
Storm Water Drains
3,794 feet of storm water drainage was installed plus 31 catch basins and 26 manholes in several locations.
Maintenance of Storm Drains
Because of the open winter of late 1952 much work was accom- plished in clearing open ditches. All basins were cleaned as usual, drains rodded and flushed as required, and in several instances, clog- ged pipes dug up and replaced.
Dump
The usual care was given the dump with an extra caretaker em- ployed during the summer months to give greater coverage and better fire protection. Bulldozing was done regularly. A short section of chain link fence was erected.
Park Department
All Parks and Playgrounds were popular throughout the year with each showing a substantial increase in attendance.
Organized recreation programs were provided at all areas by the Recreation Committee during the summer months. For details, the reader is referred to the report of the Recreation Committee.
In Memorial Park loam was stripped and piled, some filling and gravel dumped and spread, and approximately 100 feet of storm drain installed. It is hoped that this work will be continued for the next few years so that a substantial acreage of low land can be reclaimed and made available for recreation purposes.
Excess fill from various operations was used to fill low areas in several park locations.
153
SEWER DEPARTMENT Main Trunk Sewer Construction
Trunk sewers were laid in six streets totalling 2,482.70 feet. All work was done by Town forces. These sewers will provide much needed service to many abuttors.
Sewer Maintenance Many sewers were rodded, flushed and cleaned mechanically. Sewer House Connections
45 new house connections were installed. In addition, several old connections were excavated and relaid.
General
1952 was a busy year due, in most part, to the continued relatively rapid growth of the Town. The residential boom of the past 6 years continues at a substantial though somewhat reduced pace. It has brought, and will continue to bring, many requests for various kinds of service. In 1952 work showed the effect of this continuing boom. All divisions of the Department are affected.
The added work was accomplished mostly by the extensive use of equipment. Manpower continues to be in very short supply both quan- titatively and qualitatively. The salary schedule as approved by the Town is evidently not attractive to the great majority of workmen. Not only does it fail to attract quality labor but it also fails, and this is most important, to satisfy those already employed by the Department. In the past few years, many of our most experienced employees have resigned to accept other jobs. This is especially true of the Engineering Division. It is utterly impossible to hire experienced technical em- ployees for the salaries as established in the schedule.
In this respect, the schedule is completely unrealistic. As a re- sult much of the work is done by outside agencies at far greater cost. Also many records are not kept up to date, and others not kept at all. This policy is penny wise and pound foolish. A good schedule which recognized the value of trained, capable employees would be better for the Town as it would allow the Department to function more effici- ently and more economically.
The bond issues of the Water Department now amount to $287,000. In a few years the connection with MDC will necessitate an expendi- ture of approximately $600,000. Annual income is approximately $130,000. About 22% of annual income must be used for Debt service. Every effort should be made to establish, within the next few years, a reserve for the Water Department, which can be applied to future ex- penditures and debt reduction.
The addition of 3 self-contained gravel packed wells in 1952 should result in easing somewhat the critical conditions that prevailed in 1949 and 1950. It should be understood however that the total supply is limited and a combination of events might arise which would again re- sult in restrictions on the use of water.
1953 will be a year in which there may be some shortages of ma- terials. Shortages may occur in heavy items, such as, water mains, water services, castings, etc. Labor will undoubtedly be in very short supply. As a result it may be necessary for the Department to post- pone some projects which are now planned for 1953 and to contract work which is normally done by Town forces.
PHILIP, WELCH, Superintendent
154
FIFTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
MUNICIPAL LIGHT BOARD
for the year ended
December 31, 1952
MUNICIPAL LIGHT BOARD
JOSEPH H. REED, Chairman ALFRED H. DOLBEN, Chairman FRANK D. TANNER, Secretary
DONALD L. MILLER
Resigned Aug. 27, 1952
Term expires 1954 Term expires 1955
Appointed to fill vacancy
Manager CLARENCE L. THOMAS 25 Haven St., Reading, Mass.
MANAGER'S REPORT
To the Municipal Light Board
Gentlemen:
The unparalleled growth experienced in the post war period con- tinued throughout 1952 with an upswing which established several new all-time highs. Comment on these and some other significant items precede financial statements and summaries.
PEAK DEMAND: 10,900 Kilowatts. The previous year's peak was exceeded by 1650 kilowatts about 6 P.M. on December 19, 1952. The record amount of load added last year was more than that accumulated from 1895, the year the plant started operations, to 1928 when the peak load was 1600 kilowatts. Record demands for electricity such as have occurred in recent years call for proportionate expenditures for expand- ing capacity.
EXPENDITURES FOR PLANT ADDITIONS: $259,989.53. This was within a few thousand dollars of the combined amounts spent in 1948 and 1949 when new highs were recorded for plant additions. Part of the above sum was expended for facilities which give consideration to a long range plan as well as to immediate needs. The 14,000 volt cable to Wilmington went into use in December as a 4000 volt feeder pending completion of the substation unit it will subsequently supply to relieve the Ast St. Station. Apparatus for another substation unit now being installed at Ash St. will also be available for service in a few weeks.
Listed below are the various amounts spent to extend service to new customers and to supply the increased demands of existing ones.
Conductors, Poles, etc.
$ 45,949.11
Line transformers
8,371.41
Meters
10,058.01
Street Light Equipment
2,600.85
Underground Conductors, etc.
1,741.14
$ 68,720.52
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CUSTOMERS: 9914. Last year 479 new customers came on the lines, an increase of 25 per cent over the average number added annually during the post war period.
ELECTRICITY PURCHASED: 33,191,137 Kilowatt Hours. A record increase in the volume of electricity purchased last year offset a 17% rise in fuel adjustment charges so that the average unit cost of 1.594 cents was only a fraction of 1 per cent above the 1.592 cents paid in 1951.
ENERGY SOLD: 29,653,068 Kilowatt Hours. For the second consecu- tive year energy sales scored a record increase with 1952 kilowatt-hour volume rising nearly 31/3 million above the 1951 level.
REVENUE: $947,056.13. Revenue in 1952 indicated an average of 3.19 cents per kilowatt hour compared to 3.29 cents received in the year before. This decrease is typical of a trend which results from the greater use of electricity per customer in the lower priced part of rate structures.
PAYMENT TO TOWN TREASURER IN LIEU OF TAXES: $58,317.26. This amount based on 21/2 per cent of primary cost of plant and general equipment plus 10 per cent of the net profit for the preceding year was paid by the department to the Town Treasurer for relief of taxes in accordance with a motion at the annual town meeting in March 1952.
APPLIANCE DEPARTMENT: Gross income from merchandise sales in 1952 was $88,829.32, a decrease of $1,058.04 below 1951. Net profit from sales of merchandise was $6,954.97, a decrease of $1,865.34 below 1951.
In concluding grateful acknowledgment is conveyed to the Munici- pal Light Board for their helpful cooperation and to the employees who have carried out their duties to our customers.
In accordance with the provisions of Section 57, Chapter 164 of the General Laws, I submit herewith my estimate of income and expenses of the plant for the year ending December 31, 1953.
ESTIMATED INCOME AND EXPENSES FOR 1953
Estimated 1953
INCOME:
From Private Consumers
$ 995,959.36
From Tax Levy-
For Street Lights
17,000.00
For Municipal Buildings
7,916.18
From Miscellaneous Income
1,750.00
Mdse. and Jobbing
10,000.00
TOTAL INCOME
$1,032,625.54
EXPENSES:
Production
$ 593,890.00
Distribution
105,750.00
Utilization
16,800.00
Commercial
38,550.00
New Business
75.00
General and Miscellaneous
52,917.39
Depreciation
80,460.06
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Bond and Note Payments
15,000.00
Interest on Bonds and Notes
3,387.75
Uncollectible Operating Revenue Merchandise and Jobbing Expense Taxes - Outside Towns
1,020.00
14,500.00
Interest on Consumers Deposits
600.00
TOTAL EXPENSES
922,950.20
Excess - Income over Expenses
109,675.34
K.W.H. Purchased
36,500,000
K.W.H. Sold
33,181.818
K.W.H. for Reading Street Lights
582,476
Expense per K.W.H. Sold
2.7814c
Cost of Street Lights
$ 16,200.99
Appropriation for Street Lights
$ 17,000.00
A summary of Income and Expense, Total Cost of Plant, together with the statement of Assets and Liabilities, the Profit and Loss Account, and the Auditor's Certificate is appended herewith.
Respectfully submitted,
CLARENCE L. THOMAS, Manager
CHARLES E. STANWOOD & COMPANY
Accountants and Auditors 16 Court Street Boston, Massachusetts
January 31, 1953
To the Municipal Light Board
Town of Reading
Massachusetts
We have examined the accompanying balance sheet of the Municipal Light Department of the Town of Reading, Massachusetts, as at Decem- ber 31, 1952, and related statements of income and profit and loss for the year then ended, and reviewed the system of internal control and accounting procedures and, without making a detailed audit of the transactions, have examined or tested accounting records of the Depart- ment and other supporting evidence, by methods and to the extent we deemed appropriate.
In our opinion said financial statements present fairly the position of the Municipal Light Department as at December 31, 1952 and the results of their operations for the year then ended, in conformity with the "Uniform System of Accounts for Municipal Lighting Plants" as prescribed by the Department of Public Utilities of Massachusetts.
CHARLES E. STANWOOD & COMPANY
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REPORT OF THE MUNICIPAL LIGHT BOARD
The report of the Manager as submitted by him with certificate of the auditor is hereby approved by the Municipal Light Board and con- stitutes its report to the Town.
ALFRED H. DOLBEN FRANK D. TANNER DONALD L. MILLER
Municipal Light Board
TOTAL COST OF PLANT as of December 31, 1952
Cost of Electric Plant :-
Cost of Land - 286 Ash Street $ 2,575.80
25 Haven Street 7,459.46
Wildwood St., Wilmington 700.00
Haverhill St., North Reading
1,786.24
Cost of Structures - 286 Ash Street 66,848.87 25 Haven Street 28,093.90
Cost of Transformer Station and Substation Equip. 315,288.67
Cost of Transformer Substation and Equip. - Wilmington
50,672.43
Cost of Poles, Fixtures and Overhead Conductors
873,310.11
Cost of Underground Conduits
142,882.01
Cost of Underground Conductors
174,419.36
Cost of Consumers Meters
113,712.91
Cost of Consumers Meter Installations
38,794.11
Cost of Line Transformers
131,228.01
Cost of Line Transformer Installations
8,686.06
Cost of Street Lighting Equipment
67,565.16
Total Cost of Electric Plant $2,024,023.10
Cost of General Equipment
25,917.23
Total Cost of Plant and General Equipment
$2,049,940.33
SUMMARY OF INCOME AND EXPENSES
for the year ending December 31, 1952
REVENUES:
Residence Service
$ 710,938.75
Commercial Service
136,824.40
Primary Power - Wholesale
43,906.42
Municipal Service
15,566.21
Sales to Private Companies and Municipal Plants
2,902.28
Street Lighting Service
36,918.07
Miscellaneous Income
9,896.45
Total Revenues $ 956,952.58
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EXPENSES:
Production Expenses
$ 529,293.85
Distribution Expenses
84,379.98
Utilization Expenses
15,375.22
Commercial Expenses
35,366.98
New Business Expenses
33.81
General Expenses
53,127.92
Depreciation Expenses
70,022.33
Interest on Bonds and Notes
3,688.73
Taxes - Personal Property Outside Towns
13,245.60
Uncollectible Operating Revenues
1,169.54
Interest on Consumers Deposits
586.97
Retirement Pensions
3,752.84
Bonds and Notes Paid
15,000.00
Total Expenses
$ 825,043.77
Excess of Revenues over Expenses
$ 131,908.81
Transfer to Town Treasurer
58,317.26
Net Increase of Profit and Loss Surplus
$ 73,591.55
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
as of December 31, 1952
FIXED ASSETS:
Land
$ 12,521.50
Structures
55,410.70
Trans. Sta. and Substa. Equipment
249,210.34
Poles, Fixtures and Overhead Cond.
419,409.72
Underground Conduits
99,793.89
Underground Conductors
110,509.54
Consumers Meters
55,011.77
Consumers Meter Installations
19,791.47
Line Transformers
84,029.57
Line Transformer Installations
4,336.10
Street Lighting Equipment
8,838.01
General Equipment
25,917.23
Unfinished Construction
35,631.55
Total Fixed Assets
$1,180,411.39
CURRENT ASSETS:
Construction Fund
$ 64,308.71
Special Construction Fund - Wilmington
Depreciation Fund
15.581.88
Petty Cash
300.00
Consumers Deposit Fund
12,636.00
Accounts Receivable
86,253.84
Materials and Supplies Total Current Assets
$ 303,349.23
Prepaid Insurance
1,457.82
Totals
$1,485,218.44
124,268.80
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LIABILITIES:
Notes Payable
$ 75,000.00
Bonds Payable
142,000.00
Accounts Payable
1,956.07
Consumers Deposits
12,636.00
Town Treasurer - Petty Cash Fund
300.00
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