Wellfleet Board of Water Commissioners
Minutes of Meeting of November 3, 2005
Senior Center, Conference Room
Present: Mark Berry, Chairman; Erik Mitchell, Jean Schaefer, Lyn Hiller and Moe Barocas
Chairman Mark Berry called the meeting to order at 7 p.m.
Minutes
Erik Mitchell made a motion to approve the amended minutes of September 29, 2005. Mark Berry seconded the motion. The motion to approve the minutes carried 5-0.
Mark Berry made a motion to approve the October 6, 2005 minutes as amended. Lyn Hiller seconded; the motion to approve the minutes carried 4-0-1.
Consideration of the minutes of October 20, 2005 will be carried to another meeting.
Meeting with the Board of Health
Mark Berry reported on his meeting with Health Agent Hillary Greenberg and Chairman of the Board of Health, Richard Willecke. Their concern, Berry said, was how hook-ups to a water system would affect their septic approvals. Many properties do not meet the Health regulation that requires 100’ between the septic system and the well. In instances where the property owner is required to upgrade the septic system, the BOH must grant variances and require on-site innovative alternative septic systems, which are very expensive to install and maintain. If these properties were connected to a municipal water system, only a Title V septic system would be required. If BOH know that the BWC plans to expand the municipal water system, then they can provide some temporary regulatory relief until the expansion
occurs. A list of properties that are now connected plus those who meet the water quality ranking criteria and want to hookup was reviewed. The Board asked questions about the factors that put people in a high category of need. The Board discussed the water that is pumped out at the end of the line, near the Bookstore Restaurant. They also discussed why the Bookstore Restaurant was not hooked up and ways that might offer them incentive to do so.
Preliminary Water System Master Plan
Leading into the look at the Preliminary Water System Master Plan, Moe Barocas said that taking a survey of all the properties along the current and potential water mains route should be the next step for the Board of Water Commissioners. The Board discussed who should be surveyed, what kind of questions should be asked, and the cost of conducting the survey. Also community sharing of costs for the system was discussed.
Mark Berry felt the Board of Water Commissioners should get right to Steps 4 & 5 in the Master Plan. These steps provide larger capacity water systems with wells at the Boy Scout Camp and at “Wellfleet-By-The-Sea” (near White Crest Beach). Barocas said the survey was a crucial first step to get those plans in place. Mark Berry said the survey would validate the need for a bigger system, but the BWC also would need to get the Board of Health, the Planning Board and the Board of Selectmen to concur. Berry said that the BWC agrees that it wants to do a survey, but he said the questions didn’t have to be prepared at this meeting.
Moe Barocas wanted to know about the problem areas of the entire town, but Erik Mitchell and Mark Berry felt the BWC should start with the known problem area of the Central District. Berry was also concerned about the fire hydrants that are only in use for flushing purposes. He would like to know the impact on insurance if better fire protection were available in the Central District. The larger system would provide this as well as health benefits to the Central District.
Barocas felt that a survey of the 822 potential candidates for hook-ups would be the place to start. Erik Mitchell suggested putting together a variety of Warrant Articles for dealing with different possibilities. Jean Schaefer recommended inviting Mike Quink from the DEP to meet with the BWC. Mitchell said he would contact Quink and suggest the December 1, 2005 meeting to start at 5 p.m.
Chairman Mark Berry said he was still scheduling a tour of the pumping facilities with DPW Assistant Director Kevin Cahoon or with Paul Lindberg sometime after Thanksgiving. The BWC has yet to see water readings for those already on the water system. Barocas made a motion to request the DPW readings for the 41 hook-ups on the system. Mark Berry seconded the motion. The motion to get the water readings carried 5-0.
Planning for Meeting with Board of Selectmen
Berry wanted the Selectmen to know that the BWC wants to pursue the expansion of the water system following the Water System Master Plan by Environmental Partners. By consensus the first major goal of the BWC is moving toward expanding the capacity of the municipal water system to the first step where capacity exceeds potential demand. As Erik Mitchell suggested, the BWC should assess the feasibility of such a goal by looking at the current and projected demand, the current and future financial realities and understanding the current and future regulatory pressures. Once the assessment is completed, decisions can be made about the contents and timing of Town Meeting Warrant Articles. The BWC will need the assistance of the DEP, BOH, DPW, Finance Committee, and BOS to carry out this assessment. A survey is one way to
assess demand. The BWC needs money to produce such a survey. Committee Staff Secretary, Mary Rogers will ask TA Tim Smith about a BWC budget and request financial information about the current water system as well as asking for the water meter readings.
Lyn Hiller presented a list “What We Do/How We Do It” that everyone agreed was an excellent basis of discussion for the meeting with the Selectmen. In addition to Lyn’s list, Moe Barocas sought a more definite framework of how the BWC was to function until Charter changes were in place by possibly asking the BOS and the TA how they want to procedurally interact with the BWC given the current situation with the charter. Mark Berry will lead the discussion between the BOS and BWC in a joint meeting scheduled for November 17, 2005, 7pm at the Senior Center.
Mail
The submission date and instructions for material for the 2005 Annual Town Report was handed over to Secretary Jean Schaefer for preparation.
Finance Committee want to talk to BWC about the current situation that no liens have been placed against the properties who are paying their participation fees to the Town over time amortized at a 5% annual interest rate.
Adjournment
Mark Berry moved to adjourn; Lyn Hiller seconded; all were in favor 5-0.
The meeting adjourned at 9:45 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
_______________________ _____________________
Mary Rogers, Committee Secretary Mark Berry, Chairman
_____________________ Date
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