Officials have approved a $2,000 plan to install a new water connection in the municipal parking lot that will allow town groups to continue holding fundraising car washes there without costing the town money.
Car washes in the municipal parking lot across from the Civic Center are an annual fundraising rite of spring for youth sports teams and other organizations.
Dozens of groups hold car washes every year, but with the municipal belt tightening, town officials are looking at ways to ensure the events aren't cleaning out Norwood bank accounts.
Selectmen Chairman Tom McQuaid asked General Manager John Carroll to talk to water department officials to find a solution to the problem of having to pay a water department employee overtime during car washes to have somebody to turn the water on and off at the site.
Rather than charging groups fees to host car washes so the town can recoup expenses, selectmen wanted an alternative.
Carroll said he met with Department of Public Works Superintendent Joe Welch and Town Engineer Mark Ryan and both agreed the best solution is to tap the water main beneath Nahatan Street and install a 1-inch water service pipe that will run to an above-ground lockable cabinet.
Carroll said that during car washes, the cabinet can easily be opened by a DPW employee who would already be on duty, thereby saving the town money.
Another option, installing a permanent connection on a fire hydrant, was dismissed, Carroll said, due to concerns it could easily be damaged.
Cost of the 1-inch pipe and cabinet will be $1,500 to $2,000, which Carroll said can come out of the existing budget.
Carroll estimated the town pays $3,000 in overtime annually.
"That's a lot higher than I thought," said Carroll. "It was surprising."
"This will be a one-time expense and we'll be done with it, and then we won't have to be paying somebody time-and-a-half to turn on and off the water," said Selectwoman Helen Donohue.
Daily News staff writer Brian Falla can be reached at 781-433-8339 or bfalla@cnc.com
