CIP Committee Prepares to Tackle First Requests

A total of 16 groups in Windham have either submitted Capital Improvement Plan items or provided an estimated submission date, according to Town Planner Elizabeth Wood.

Presentations from the Solid Waste Management Department and the IT/GIS Department will come first for the town's CIP subcommittee. Those will take place on July 25.

According to the project request form, David Poulson, Windham's Transfer Station manager, is making a 2013 request for a wheel loader for the station.

The goal is to replace the current 2006 JCB wheel loader. Poulson also sent a memo saying that the recommended replacement time-frame for a loader is estimated at eight years.

"The loader is a vital piece of equipment at the Station," Poulson said. "Without a loader, the waste streams cannot be moved or loaded into the trailers. In addition, our loaders are used for snow removal, towing, lifting and other related tasks. Without an operational loader, the operation shuts down.

Poulson added that newer equipment will reduce the maintenance budget. The Transfer Station also has another 2009 loader, and the plan would be to purchase a replacement identical to that piece of equipment.

Poulson listed the total cost at $80,000. The minimum dollar amount set by the town for 2013 CIP requests is $40,000.

Eric DeLong of the town's IT/GIS department also submitted a $75,000 request for a mass replacement of 50 workstations and two servers. According to the request, 50 or more new workstations and three servers would be part of the replacement.

One server would be for police, one for administration and the last for Vision/GIS.

In previous years we have purchased up to 10 new workstations per year, and servers are needed," said DeLong in the request. "Bulk purchase provides for better pricing regardless of source, (and) part of the savings goes to better performance.

DeLong estimates that the workstations will last the town five to seven years while the servers will last three to five years.

According to Wood, future presentations include the Fire and Police Departments on Aug. 8 along with the Highway Department and Searles Historic Committee on Aug. 22. Dates are not set for the Windham School District and Recreation Committee.

Departments and committees that will not be submitting requests this year include the following:

Tax Department

Assessing Department

Cemetery Trustees

Senior Center

Town Clerk's Department

Planning Board

Windham Economic Development Committee

Community Development Department

Several other departments and committees have not yet responded with requests:

Administration

Board of Selectmen

Heritage Commission

Library

Maintenance

Local Energy Committee

Housing Authority

Rail Trail Alliance

Cable

According to Wood, since the deadline has passed for submissions, there is no guarantees that departments and committees that have not yet responded to submit forms will be added.

"The CIP committee will do their best to accomodate them," she said.