CROMWELL — Board members of the Turkey Creek Regional Sewer District met to discuss a few important decisions Monday evening, Jan. 16. The board opened the meeting by welcoming existing board member Jim Boone as the new board vice president.

The elephant in the room — the fence on the corner of Vawter Park — was again brought up during the meeting. Engineer Brian Houghton designed the cedar fence to go around the lift station and shield it from unwanted attention or damage. Board member Robert Dumford perhaps summarized the board’s sentiments best to Houghton; “We did a great job, engineers did a great job, contractors did a great job, but we are catching a lot of crap for this fence.”

After going back and forth on what to do about the large construct, the board decided to listen to the public and have the fence removed. Houghton presented quotes to the board from two different companies to remove the cedar wood and reinstall a chain-link fence coated in PVC. Estimates came in at $4,100 and $4,400 approximately, numbers hard to swallow because the district had already paid for the first fence within NIBLOCK’s contract.

The board had also partnered with its attorney, Dick Green, to attempt to obtain an easement to place an 80-feet radio tower on private property behind the Vawter Park station. The board has decided to go in a different direction, and is working with IT personnel to find a better solution for pump communications using radio.

District Superintendent Timothy Woodward had just a few updates for the board Monday evening; his focus was on preventative maintenance physically and monetarily. Woodward alerted the board to a recent gear box breakdown that cost the district $4,486 in parts alone plus the expense of two days labor to install the new box. He noted the same gear box is in four other stations, and by having the 26-year-old broken gear box repaired he would be able to save the district from a headache and a larger expense by having a spare on hand.

Woodward also recommended the district begin billing Strombeck Brothers North Webster Septic Tank Cleaning Service at a rate of $0.05/gallon for dumping, a slight increase from the existing charge of $0.033/gallon. He told the board he is currently working with another local company on providing services for their dumping as well, another way to bring business to the district.

The next monthly meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 20, at 4852 N. 1200W, Cromwell.

In other news:

• The town of Syracuse has not responded to the district in reference to its challenge of the past two months of bills. Attorneys for the district are suggesting upcoming litigation.

• NIBLOCK is completing punch list items and will be off the job site soon.

• Woodward alerted the district to a new NIPSCO policy that will not allow directional drilling on private property. NIPSCO will use only open cut on those properties, which puts the TCRSD sewer systems at risk. Woodward provided digital maps to NIPSCO to help prevent damage.