Wellfleet Board of Water Commissioners
Minutes of Meeting of April 6, 2006
Senior Center Conference Room
Present: Erik Mitchell, Lynn Hiller, Moe Barocas and Jean Schaefer
Absent: Mark Berry
Also Attending: Helen Miranda Wilson, member of the Select Board and former Water Commissioner; Carl Caruso, Chairman of the Finance Committee
Vice-Chairman Erik Mitchell called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m.
The Board of Water Commissioners discussed obtaining information through the Freedom of Information Act. Jean Schaefer discussed what Elizabeth Lane of Kopelman & Paige had said about access to public records.
Lynn Hiller moved to approve the amended minutes of March 16, 2006. Moe Barocas seconded, and the motion carried 4-0.
Lynn Hiller and Jean Schaefer had compiled priority ideas which the Board reviewed and marked up as high, low or medium priority. Items on the list rated as high were: grants, rationale for defining capacity, updating the GIS date base with Board of Water Commissioners (BWC) information, investigating and implementing ways to best use current capacity, and expansion definition / planning. The items that were rated medium were: amending the rules and regulations, creating a brochure on conservation, doing a survey, getting the Boy Scout well operational, and setting up more outreach meetings. Low on the priorities list were: creating a brochure on water testing, updating water test data into the GIS data base, and ensuring BWC duties and powers. An item about including information in the Consumer Confidence report was
skipped over as a priority because it was an item of other business to be discussed.
Moe Barocas discussed the advantages of a fire suppression system from an insurance and financial point of view. He said he plans to keep investigating the possibilities for a water hydrant system. He would be willing to talk to Alice Boyd about available grants. Erik discussed an earlier attempt to bring a fire suppression system to Wellfleet. Moe asked if Whitewater is a company that installs these systems.
Jean Schaefer moved to authorize Moe Barocas to represent the BWC to explore grants to expand the water system infrastructure for fire suppression and consumer water consumption and estimates for planning purposes. Barocas seconded, and the motion carried 3-0-1. (Hiller abstaining)
Helen Wilson offered some caveats regarding future maintenance as well as installation of such as system. Jean Schaefer said it would have to be a phased plan if it were implemented.
The Board discussed with Helen Wilson and Carl Caruso, Finance Committee liaison, the Charter Review Board changes that would be presented as a petitioned Article at Town Meeting. Caruso suggested that someone from the BWC go to the Charter Review Board’s meeting April 7, 2006 to represent the Water Commissioners needs.
Helen Wilson outlined some of the options that would be available to get the Charter changes passed in the future if not at April Town Meeting. Jean Schaefer noted the importance of the Charter for defining the BWC role.
Wilson and Caruso offered some advice. Wilson suggested having Mark Vincent or Kevin Cahoon attend BWC meetings on a regular basis. Carl Caruso suggested that BWC make motions and vote on actions to be carried through.
Jean Schaefer said the Environmental Partners bids were opened March 24, 2006. There was only one bid from Whitewater. Jean felt confident that Mark Vincent could handle the bid.
The Board of Water Commissioners has the opportunity to put items in Whitewater’s Consumer Confidence Report. This is an agenda item for the next BWC meeting. Jean suggested items that the Board might submit.
The Board had received a request from Historical Society by Helen Purcell for a hook-up. There were some procedural problems because the application and the Rules & Regulations seem to indicate that the application be submitted to the BOH, but it goes to the Town Administrator.
Lynn Hiller mentioned Russ Tierney’s discussion with the BWC in regards to bids. Schaefer said that the Board had not yet received the information Tierney promised the BWC in February.
Helen Wilson distributed a handout on the Board of Selectmen’s Statement of Goals. This is how BOS should operate, she said. The document, originally created in 1987, was last revised in 2001.
Barocas moved to adjourn; Hiller seconded. The motion carried 4-0, and the meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
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Mary Rogers, Committee Secretary Erik Mitchell, Vice-Chairman
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