The work to rebuild Patten Street will move forward.
Covered at the Monday, Sept. 8 village board meeting, is a $1 million Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) award, to be used with updating village infrastructure.
Village board and staff members traveled to Augusta on Aug. 27 to receive the award from the Governor.
Included as CDBG recipients along with Boyd were the cities of Augusta ($383,600) and Cornell ($1 million), along with Plum City.
With the newly approved grant for Boyd’s Pattten Street Ayres Associate Brian Lambert was expected back in October to discuss the schedule moving forward. Ayres has been doing grant submittal and other work for the village related to Patten Street.
Also in news from Boyd meanwhile are wastewater treatment plant related purchases. Acting Monday, Sept. 8 the village board approved the purchase of new influent pump parts for the treatment plant tank, after the current pump was revealed to be leaking oil. With the cost of repair not much different from a new unit, Boyd Street and Utilities head Bob LaMarche shared that he felt it was better to replace than rebuild. The influent pump is a variation on trash pumps and can take up to three inch rocks, but was 21 years old and in need of replacement. Motion to approve purchase of influent pump parts was made by Trustee Michael Eslinger and seconded by Casey Dorn.
Also approved by the board Sept. 8 was replacement of dissolved oxygen (DO) sensors in the wastewater treatment plant tank. The $6,444.80 sensor bid as approved comes after some prep work was done.
“We had to get the cables run, and we did that,” LaMarche said of running wires and conduit for the sensors. The sensors are meant to detect low oxygen in the tank, as this can affect biochemistry.
“It’s a pretty good concept, it should work,” he said of the sensors.
In other wastewater news from Boyd, rates are going up. With several samples showing increased BODs and solids at the plant, the rise in rates was meant to make Boyd equal to Thorp, encouraging hauling while discouraging what hurt the plant’s numbers.
“Hopefully bring back the good stuff that isn’t so strong,” LaMarche said of raising the haul rate to $20 per thousand for outside loads. LaMarche went on to report that sewer jetting would be starting the end of the week and that a one to two year level sensor in the blue tank had gone bad.
“That’s where we’re at,” LaMarche said. “Everything else is doing good.”
In non-wastewater updates, the village board approved payment of disbursements, with motion by Dorn seconded by Eslinger. The park was expected to be closed before next meeting as fall descends on the area, while the scoreboard clock was revealed to the on continuously at Lotz Park.
“I’ve heard good and I’ve heard back about it,” LaMarche reported for Streets and Utilities. “Not bad, just ‘why is it on?’”
“You can check the time on your way to the fire station,” one trustee quipped.
The Boyd Village Board meets on the second Monday of the month in the village hall on Murray Street at 7:00 p.m. The public is invited to attend.