Selex, ClearSource
Don’t Agree
By M. D. Drysdale

Randolph Selectmen were "unmoved," in the words of Town Manager Peter Butterfield, during a meeting with officers of ClearSource to discuss money the town says is owing.

At issue is the balance of a $50,000 payment that ClearSource agreed to pay back in April, 2007 for a sewage allocation at its water bottling plant on Route 66 in Randolph Center.

That figure was, at the time, a step down from an even higher amount that the town had hoped to charge, based on the water usage that the bottling plant was experiencing. ClearSource officials at that time convinced them that they could reduce water use enough to merit the charge of $50,000.

The payment was to be made in five $10,000 payments, one per month starting April 30. However, only two payments were made, both of them late, according to town records.

Selectmen considered the problem at a couple of meetings this winter and were told that the water company had not responded to the concerns of town officials. As a result, the board voted it would proceed toward a lawsuit unless the company would come to the table, and Atty. Peter Nowlan sent a letter to the company CEO in Pennsylvania to that effect.

ClearSource, as the result of an October merger, is headquartered in Wissahickon, Penna. The merged company took on the ClearSource name.

The letter apparently had the desired effect, Butterfield said, and on Tuesday evening Plant Manager Doug Concialdi, along with Michael Pessiki, the chief financial officer, met with the selectboard for an hour of what Concialdi called "spirited conversation."

The company has been successful in cutting down its water usage to 4000 gallons a day, much lower than previously expected, company officials said. That meant they should have to pay just the $20,000 pus interest they have already paid, it was argued.

Although not disagreeing with the company’s figures, the board was "unmoved," Butterfield reported. It was pointed out that an allocation payment is supposed to be paid up front, not negotiated as the usage is taking place. Also, board members were clearly annoyed that the company decided unilaterally what it should pay, and was difficult to communicate with.

Officials responded by pointing out the new ownership has just been in place since October, Butterfield said, They promised better communication, he said.

Regardless, the selectboard would not agree to forgive the remaining payments. The ClearSource officials were asked to make the case to headquarters in Pennsylvania and be ready with an answer on Monday, with the threat of a lawsuit looming in the background.

"Both sides are mulling over their options," Concialdi declared.

Less Business

The decreasing use of water at the Route 66 plant is partly because it is doing less business. One of the three production lines is about to be dismantled and sent out to the company’s other plant in Pennsylvania.

That’s because the merged company is now a "two-plant system," Concialdi said, and distribution will work better with the third production line set up there.

Responding to a question, he also confirmed that employment has fallen sharply over the last three months, but he denied it was much different than in past years. There is typically a slowdown involving layoffs during the winter months, he said.

When the merger took place in October, employment was reported to be 110 at the Randolph plant. It is now 63-65, Concialdi said. That, he said, is "about the same as last January."

Dismissing what he referred to as "multiple rumors" about the company’s future, he declared he foresees increasing sales volume and increasing employment as summer approaches.