The Boothbay Region Water District trustees denied a request on Aug. 25 to extend the water-on season. Southport resident John Newbury wrote a letter requesting to extend the season as long as possible. In his letter, Newbury, a Boothbay Harbor Water Commissioner for 12 years, stated he has advocated extending the season for several years. Newbury believes extending the season would benefit seasonal property owners and the local economy.

“I know it takes me a few days to pack up and close. I would not invite guests for Columbus Day weekend if I knew I had to close my house two or three days after they left,” wrote Newbury. 

He advocated changing the shutoff date from the third Thursday in October to the Monday after Columbus Day.

But the trustees believed the change wasn’t in the district’s best interest. The water season runs from May 1 to Oct. 1. The longer the season goes beyond Oct. 1, the more liability the trustees assume, according to District Manager Jon Ziegra.

“It’s something that can’t be put off any later. It’s been a long agreed upon date which we’ve gone over many times with other groups,” Ziegra said. “It takes a month to shut down the system. It has snowed in October two of the past three years. So the longer the season goes, the more vulnerable the season is to freeze damage.”

In other action, the trustees accepted Northern Data Systems’ (NDS) $13,750 bid to integrate new software into the existing system. The new software allows employees to connect with the system in the field. According to Ziegra, the new system is expected to save both time and money. 

Based on 2014 figures, the cost per job order was $47.08. The new system would reduce those costs to $32.58.

“The estimated savings for 2014 would’ve been $18,637. The integration costs $13,750 so it would pay for itself in .71 years,” (8.5 months) he said.

Ziegra signed the contract with NDS on Aug. 27. He is not sure when the new integration will be fully operational.

The trustees also received three bids for the Southport Interconnection and Tank Replacement project final stage. The first three stages are already complete. The fourth stage consists of connecting 1,000 feet of pipe to the work already done from Sawyer’s Pond to an existing main at Cross Point Road.

The low bidder was E.M. Wood Construction of Boothbay. The trustees submitted Wood’s bid to their engineers for review. The trustees are expected to decide whether to accept the bid at the next meeting.

The trustees will meet next at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8, in the business office.