WPCA Regular Meeting Minutes
November 9th, 2016
Present: Regular Members- Chairman Richard Prendergast, Vice Chair Donna Bednar Treasurer Douglas Wilkinson, Dimitri Tolchinski, Sal Cancelliere, Robert McCarthy, and Ernest Lorda. Joe Carpentino arrived at approximately 7:45. Also present was first selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder. Approximately 5 members of the public were present.
Call to Order- Chairman Richard Prendergast called the meeting to order at 7:30 pm.
Approval of Minutes- 11th of October 2016
No amendments or corrections were made to the minutes. Ernest Lorda made a motion to approve the minutes, and Mr. Wilkinson seconded the motion. The previous minutes were approved.
Chairman Report-
Discussions with Wood and Curran- We are in continuous discussions with Wood and Curran about scope of work for Hawk’s Nest beach and also about the DEEP suggestion to add an additional data collection well on Route 156. Our lawyers feel that this additional well is not necessary at this time.
Discussions with Attorney Lord- We have received an approximately $2,000 invoice for our attorney’s participation in numerous conferences and discussions.
Budget Updates and Expenses-
- Budget Update- Treasurer Wilkinson said that the committee is doing well financially and has only spent money on meeting clerks and one invoice.
- Review of new invoices- we received the new $2,000 invoice from Attorney Lord.
In this time, Mr. Prendergast spent time to review a new development. We may need to include in our next year’s budget a line item for expenses not covered by the health district.
Correspondence-
Dear sir,
As a special case we request that the period between septic tank pumpouts be extended for the present two occupants for the following reasons:
- The home is occupied by two 75-year old seniors who produce less waste water than one average adult.
- The present system (that was required by the town) is on 2.8 acres and is built for a family (three bedrooms) and is large enough for a small motel.
- Tank pumping backwash will introduce material into my tank groundwater from previous pumpouts. This material could be pathogens, insecticides, pesticides, and heavy metals.
- We live on a low income. This would add to the already large property tax burden
- Your records should show the very low amount of sludge taken from the last pumpout.
Sincerely yours,
Fay and David Kumkowski
Dimitri Tolchinski argued that we should not blindly deny the request without an investigation into the scenario. Joseph Carpentino made a motion to table the correspondence until the next meeting. and Douglas Wilkinson seconded the motion. The members voted to table the motion.
Old Business:
- Review ground water well evacuation scope of work: we began with a discussion on the cost of the plan. Mr. McCarthy said that we can approve the total cost but can continue to have the engineers argue that the proposed well is not necessary at this time. Mr. Prendergast made a motion to accept the scope of work in the cover letter and have our engineers fight to get the best possible deal for our town. Mr. Wilkinson seconded the motion. All members voted unanimously to approve the motion. A second motion was made by Mr. McCarthy to approve the estimated cost of the project at $19, 278. Donna Bednar seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously voted for.
- Coastal Waste Water Facilities final draft for submittal- Prendergast stressed that once the plan is submitted we can still amend this plan at any time. Essentially, there is very little risk. There was a brief discussion on the EDUs. The members of the board stressed that there is concern that EDU counts must be consistent to be fair to all parties.
New Business:
Dimitri Tolchinski and Sal Cancelliere volunteered to do research to ensure that the EDU counts are fair and consistent across the town.
Public Comment:
Dave Mitchells Columbus Avenue had three comments. First, he wants DEEP to be responsible for the new wells. Second, he wants the state to describe the purpose of the new data collecting well. Thirdly, he wants a clear definition of EDUs.
Bonnie Reemsynder also had three comments. First, she commented that the town’s pumpout schedule of every 7 years is very liberal. Second, the town has a social services department that may be able to help with the financial burden of pumpouts. Thirdly, she wants to keep the EDU counts simple because output will change.
Prendergast closed public comment and thanked the public. He agrees that we should keep EDU counts simple, fair, and consistent. Doug Wilkinson made a motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Ernest Lorda.
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