Water Pollution Control Authority
Tuesday July 8, 2014
Present: Doug Wilkinson, Frank Chan, Dimitri Tolchinski, Rich Prendergast, Tom Risom; alternate Andrea Lombard, Kurt Zemba; First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder; Sanitarian Sonia Marino; Dave Prickett & Jay Sheehan from Woodard and Curran
Absent/excused: Rob McCarthy, Ernest Lorda, Donna Bednar
Also present: Selectwoman Mary Jo Nosal, Selectman Skip Sibley and approximately 12 members of the public
Call to Order~
WPCA Chair Kurt Zemba called the meeting to order at 7:30pm.
~Approval of the Minutes – June 10, 2014
A motion was made by Rich Prendergast, seconded by Frank Chan, to approve the minutes of June 10. Motion passed.
No correspondence was reported.
Address by First Selectwomen Bonnie Reemsnyder:
Project Update and Meetings with Shoreline Associations and DEEP
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder summarized meetings that have taken place within the past
6 weeks between the Town and the DEEP; and among the Town, beach associations (Old Lyme Shores, Old Colony Beach, Miami Beach, White Sand Beach), project engineers (Woodard & Curran for the Town; Fuss & O’Neill for the beach associations) and the DEEP on June 25.
She expressed confidence that the wastewater project is moving in the right direction.
At 7:40pm, alternate Andrea Lombard arrived and was appointed to be a voting member for the meeting.
Chairman' s Report
Upcoming Meetings
Kurt reminded members that no August meeting is scheduled for the WPCA.
A weekly conference call will take place with Atty. Lord, Woodard & Curran, First Selectwoman Reemsnyder and Kurt or another representative from the WPCA so that communication stays current.
Communications with Beach Associations
Kurt has asked Dimitri Tolchinski to be available to meet with beach associations, answer questions about the project and act as WPCA liaison. He asked Rich Prendergast to assist as well.
The Town and Chamber of Commerce are co-sponsoring a Business Breakfast on Wednesday, July 16 at 7:30am. Kurt and Bonnie will present a Wastewater Project update.
A follow up meeting between the Town, DEEP and beach association representatives has been scheduled for August 8. Attorney Lord is working on a Memorandum of Understanding between the Town and beach associations for the meeting.
Software - Programming Update
Tabled to the October meeting.
Communications Regarding Shoreline WWM Approach to Community
Kurt anticipates that a Town Meeting may be required in October to authorize additional project funding. One or two Public Information meetings would be scheduled in September.
He asked that Donna Bednar coordinate the preparation of press releases about the project, an article for the Fall Old Lyme Events (due the first Friday in August), and the Public Information sessions.
He indicated that the First Selectwoman has had conversations with the chairs of Planning and Zoning to make them aware of Wastewater project needs.
Shoreline Project – Woodard & Curran (Dave Prickett, Jay Sheehan)
Attorney Lord has agreed to represent the Town, WPCA and Health Department with regard to the Wastewater project. Attorney Mike Wells will continue as Counsel for routine and septic issues.
Overall Project Status for Centralized System and Facility
Woodard & Curran will be moving forward in two directions as the project goes forward: planning for the centralized system that will serve the shoreline as a whole; and planning systems for the shoreline areas under the WPCA jurisdiction (Sound View, Hawks Nest, White Sand Beach).
DEEP and Partial Reimbursement for the Project
Individual Shoreline Area Plans for Connection: Sound View - Hawks Nest are first priority
Overall Preliminary Timetable - 2014 – 2015
The DEEP has asked Woodard & Curran to prepare an EIE (environmental impact evaluation) on the entire project.
Dave Prickett cited the need for the project to have “one road map” for the Coastal Wastewater Management Plan. There are currently four documents that ned to be interwoven into a single document.
A motion was made by Dimitri, seconded by Doug Wilkinson, to approve expenditures of up to $49,700 on the project from the WPCA budget. Motion passed. This amount is intended to cover administrative costs associated with project planning through the end of this calendar year.
A motion was made by Frank Chan, seconded by Doug Wilkinson, to recommend that the Board of Selectmen approve additional funding of $61,000 for the project. Motion passed.
This amount represents anticipated engineering costs to make necessary adjustments to the project report in order to reflect the new collaborative approach. The edited report will form the basis of the document needed for the design phase.
Dave Prickett distributed a draft timeline for the project, describing it as a dynamic plan that continues to evolve. Additional subcategories will be added and the timeline will become more comprehensive as the project moves forward.
The next steps are to administer MOUs (Memorandums of Understanding) between the beach associations and the Town, and IMAs (inter-municipal agreements between Old Lyme and East Lyme and Waterford, and between Old Lyme and the New London facility for a capacity
Agreement). Attorney Lord is drafting the MOUs and the First Selectwoman will be negotiating with the other towns. She has already met with the First Selectmen of East Lyme and Waterford.
Kurt reiterated that the Town’s goal is to minimize costs for the end users.
Sandy Cameron, President of Hawks Nest Beach, met with Bonnie this week with questions about the project. Kurt asked that Woodard and Curran review the data from their original study in reference to Hawks Nest Beach and be ready to present options at the September WPCA meeting.
Budget Update - Current and Next Fiscal Year
Kurt distributed and reviewed the WPCA Budget for 2013-2014 and 2014-2015.
Old Business
Stormwater Compliance Status
A letter from Brian Curtis of Jacobson & Associates to the DEEP, confirming the work they will do on the Town’s behalf for MS4 compliance was distributed. Brian can attend the September meeting of the WPCA. Kurt would like to authorize Jacobson to manage stormwater compliance for the Town with oversight from the Department of Health. He will ask Brian to develop and submit a budget for required compliance testing and reports.
Sanitarian Sonia Marino stated that Public Works also has Stormwater requirements but that is not part of Jacobson’s work at this time.
New Business
Sanitarian's Report
She has been in contact with the State’s Drinking Water section and private wells department, as well as Ct Water Company, and will be scheduling a meeting so that the Town’s water needs can be coordinated on a townwide basis. It is important to consider drinking water now in conjunction with the Wastewater project so cost efficiencies can be realized.
Sonia expressed concern over correspondence sent out by Wind River (the new owner of Shoreline Sanitation) about septic system pumping. WPCA members believe it is important to meet with Wind River management to clarify the Town’s expectations and avoid misleading
residents about requirements.
The WPCA used to do a semi-annual letter to residents explaining requirements. Members agreed that information about septic pumping requirements should be included in the Fall Old Lyme Events and be published on the Town website.
Tom Risom suggested looking into the permit held by the Town for the septage transfer facility operated by Shoreline.
Public Comment
Sandy Garvin asked about the impact of the Wastewater project on Hawks Nest Beach properties. Another HNB resident was referred to the Town website for access to the Woodard & Curran Wastewater report.
White Sand Beach residents asked about the Town Meeting process, CT Water Company obligations to the Town, and when WSB will be in the project timeline.
Adjournment
A motion was made by Rich Prendergast, seconded by Doug Wilkinson, to adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 9:14pm.
Cathy Frank
July 10, 2014
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