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63 ~ to haul sludge. Dan Tingle explained that you would still have to pay the disposal fee to Belmont on top of paying an hourly fee for the contractor's truck. and labor. The last time Dan check on the cost three years ago it was double or triple what it costs us to haul it ourselves. We are currently hauling 19 loads per week at 4,000 each load. There is approximately 150,000 gallons currently stored in tanks that need to be hauled out to reduce the amount of sludge and get the ammonia levels down. Tim Currens explained that Belmont could get into a position where they can no longer accept out of county sludge that they are not responsible for. Dan got an estimate of $12,000, which includes our dispasal fees, for someone to haul for three or four weeks to catch us up. Councilman Warthen. asked if we hired someone 4 times a year at $12,OOD each time, could we stay caught up? Dan said we could. do that but it might be more cost effective in the long run to go ahead with Phase I and that is what he would like to see happen.. Dan explained that during warm weather he still might not be able to meet our limits even with the additional hauling. Tim Currens stated that the State is requiring the Town to came up with a plan to get the ammonia levels down in order to avoid fines and penalties. Councilman Warthen made a motion, second by Councilman Clark to authorize Dan to contract the hauling of the excess sludge until a decision could be reached regarding the plant upgrade. Motion can-ied ~-D. Tim Currens will contiict HNTB to see if the State will be satisfied with that plan. Councilman Bryant slated that a decision on Phase I is still needed. soon. Vickey Feeney was present, at the request of Councilman Bryant, to discuss the sewer backup in her home last December. He explained to her that the process for recovering her losses would be for her insurance company to pay her anal then they could come back to the Town's insurance company to attempt to recover their loss. She stated that her insurance adjuster still wants the Town Co accept responsibility and they are concerned that if they pay a check to her and she cashes it, she would be releasing any further claim against the Town. Councilman Bryant asked Larry Long of Hadley, Cook and Quillen, which is the Town's insurance carrier, to further explain to Mrs. Feeney haw the process works. Larry explained that her insurance company could pay her and then subrogate against the Town's insurance company to get paid back what they paid out, but that is the most they could recover if they show that the Town was negligent. Mrs. Feeney stated that she has received two letters from. the Town's insurance company stating that the Town was not negligent. Larry Long said that Joe Beikman, Sewer Superintendent, had told the Town's insurance company that there had not been a problem in that particular sewer line since 1990. He went on to say that if someone puts something down the sewer and a blockage occurs the Town is not responsible for that blockage. However, if they come and clean it otrt and it backs up into someone else's sewer or comes back into hers, then the Town is negligent. Vickey then stated that she had lived in the home for almost three years and that she and her mother had made calls to the Town concerning small amounts of water its her basement before, however no one had ever come to her house to check it out. Then, in December when the major blockage occurred, she had three :feet of sewage in her basement that stayed there until someone from the Town came and cleaned it out, at which time it drained immediately. She stated that right Chen and there, she was told that it was the Town's fault. She said it was never stated in the letters that she had had a flow problem for three years. Larry Long said that it was the adjuster's understanding that the previous water in her basement was surface water and not sewage. Tim. Currens explained that the law states that if there is an immediate blockage from something that has been put down the sewer, the Town is not negligent_ However, if her insurance company would go ahead and pay her claim then they could sue on her behalf to attempt to recover their loss. Larry Long said that if that happened, the Town's insurance company would pay their legal fees. Councilman Bryant asked Joe Beikman iF he knew what caused the blockage in the line? He answered that he believed it was grease. Councilman Bryant told Vickey that that is the process she would have to go through. Vickey stated that she was hearing that for the first time and. asked why she was told previously by Councilman Mathis that if she would copy receipts anal lure in claims, which she has done, that she would be paid, and that has not happened. Councilman Bryant stated that that is why he asked her to be at this meeting so everyone would be involved in the swine conversation and went on to explain that the Town Council cannot pay out money for claims that the Town's insurance has denied or people would be coming to them with claims all the time. Councilman Warthen asked Vickey when she contacted the Town Hall? She; stated that she called. Joe Beikman's office when she came home to the backup on or around December 20~' but no one came to look at it until around Jantrary 6'''' and. that she was told on the phone that it was her fault because she did not call the police department, which she says she did not know to do. Councilman Bryant then stated that Vickey's insurance adjuster had indicated Co him that she would write her a check whenever she said to. He advised Mrs. Feeney to have them to do that 1 1 1 to start the process. She said she would.