Dear fellow residents and water customers,

Permit me to use the opportunity of our first water billing of 2009 to update you on some developments in the Fire District.

The Prudential Committee has found it necessary to raise the District’s water rates this year – only the second time since 2003. Our metered water rates are rising by about $0.005 per cubic foot – to $0.021 per cubic foot for residential and $0.0235 for other customers. The minimum quarterly rate (for under 1000 cu.ft. per quarter) becomes $21. Champlain Water District (CWD), which produces and sells water to us, has raised its rates four times since 2003, with the largest coming this year. Their total increase since 2003 amounts to 29% and reflects mainly a significant decline in the amount of water sold to industrial consumers in the Greater Burlington area. As the Fire District’s rates have only risen once in the past six year – by 5% in 2007 – we now find it necessary to raise our rates. The linked chart shows that the District’s rates have been by far the lowest in Greater Burlington, and I suspect ours will still be among the lowest this year after all the other water systems revise their rates. That we’re able keep our rates low is due in no small part to your fine cooperation in paying water bills in a timely fashion and using water wisely. Thank you.

Next month the State is scheduled to begin repaving College Parkway (Rt 15). In anticipation of this major project, the District is completing a number of capital projects to improve and upgrade our water system since most of the District’s water lines run under that roadway – one of the most heavily travelled in Vermont. We need to make sure our water system is able to withstand such traffic and to work well in emergencies. Our work will be funded by the District’s reserves and, we hope, with some assistance from the federal ‘economic recovery’ (or stimulus) plan as we qualified for consideration in the State’s share of those funds.

At the District 72nd annual meeting in January, voters re-elected Marcel Rainville to a new three-year term on the Prudential Committee – on which Brian Lee and I continue to serve – and re-elected Jeff Vincent as Treasurer and me as Clerk. The Committee re-appointed Jerry Flanagan as District Manager and Thomas Van Dzura as Assistant Treasurer; I was re-elected Chairman and Jay Nadeau continues to serve ably as our Water Superintendent. So, the same ‘team’ will be serving for a fifth year. We welcome your observations and suggestions for improving our District. You will find current notices on the District’s website (www.cfd1.org).

With Easter greetings and best wishes, I remain,

Yours very truly,

Joseph McLaughlin, SSE
Prudential Committee Chairman