Wellfleet Board of Water Commissioners
Minutes of Meeting of June 8, 2006
Senior Center Conference Room
Present: Mark Berry, Chairman; Erik Mitchell, Moe Barocas, Jean Schaefer
Absent: Lynn Hiller
Chairman Mark Berry called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Discussion with the Town Administrator
The Board of Water Commissioners (BWC) began discussing figures from the DEP Annual Report with Town Administrator Tim Smith, who was attending the meeting. The numbers don’t match up with those in the Chemical Report, Jean Schaefer said. Tim Smith said he’d like to see any questions that the Board has addressed to Russ Tierney of WhiteWater. Smith asked the BWC what information they wanted.
Schaefer wanted to know how close the system is to its 37,500 gallon limit. Smith explained the difference between actual and theoretical capacity. The BWC was concerned about the two different sets of figures.
Schaefer also said there were some reports the BWC had requested but had not yet received and wondered if the Board should do. Smith said the Board has had access to all the files. There are more files available at Town Hall and at the DPW, he said.
Schaefer would like to receive DPW Activity Reports each month. She said the BWC had not received their April report. When WhiteWater takes over July 1, there will be monthly meetings that BWC would like to attend.
Schaefer said the BWC had not yet received the Chemical Report for April. Smith said the BWC will receive all the reports, but it is not the BWC’s position to run the system. The Board will receive all the information, but Smith is not willing to go back and forth with the details of it. BWC can rewrite the policy, he said, but not run the system. Smith said he can give information on expanding the system, but he reiterated that it is not the BWC job to run the system.
Moe Barocas said the BWC wanted to have the knowledge base to understand the system. Smith explained the risk of hooking up additional properties. The problem with the system is its finite capacity, Smith said. Unless BWC changes the policy, he said that there could not be more hook-ups.
The Board continued the discussion with Smith concerning efficiency; expansion plans at the Boy Scout Camp and with a water tower; bringing expansion proposals to Town Meeting; flushing at the end of the system; hook-up costs according to demand; betterments by which everyone pays a tax in other towns; hook-ups based on Title 5.
Smith urged the Board to focus on policy: “Does the BWC want to build a water tank? Does it want to develop the Boy Scout Camp?” he asked.
The BWC considered future needs for a new fire station, the police station, a health care facility, and the potential hook-up of Harborside Village. Smith suggested having WhiteWater come back and discuss options for further development. There are public/private systems that can serve the Town instead of a Town run system. Any decision has to go to Town Meeting. Smith suggested following WhiteWater’s plan for development as it is now laid out.
From the floor, former Water Commissioner and Selectwoman Helen Wilson said the system has happened incrementally; then it stalled. Smith said the Town and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) had to make an agreement on development of the water system.
Moe Barocas expressed financial concern for people on low or fixed incomes having to support a big system. Smith said the present system is amortized over a number of years. The people hooking up are paying the big costs, not the general populace. Smith said 190 hook-ups need to be identified in order to proceed with a larger system.
Jean Schaefer outlined an idea for giving some of the summer cottages’ water to year-round users who wouldn’t have to pay participation fees until they were permanently hooked up. There were several precautions and potential problems with the idea, but she had just suggested it as a possibility.
Barocas asked about bringing the tower issue to Town Meeting. Helen Wilson suggested looking into the care and upkeep of water towers. A water tower with seasonal use needs flushing, she said.
Mark Berry would like a form for a questionnaire to survey potential customers, not just the known people waiting for hook-ups. Smith said you need to know what the survey’s end purpose is supposed to be. He believed that a survey was premature at this time.
Berry wanted to know why Wellfleet couldn’t get hook-up rates into a lower range. Smith said that would be a policy change that the Board could attempt to initiate. Smith said the Board should decide what it wants to do, he would get the technical information, and a proposal could be brought to Town Meeting.
Further discussion concerned financial considerations for the present system, septic systems on undersized lots, nitrogen-loading regulations, and regulations that would be needed for a sewer system.
Tim Smith gave Moe Barocas his completed Task List form, planning for future municipal projects. Smith said there is the financial means to proceed with a larger water system. There may be a fall Town Meeting, where a proposal could be presented. He suggested getting WhiteWater back to consider options: being autonomous, having a private/public partnership or going to private operation. The Board considered the possibilities but agreed to have Smith set up another meeting with WhiteWater. He said he could also have Paul Gabriel come back to discuss the expansion process with the BWC. He will notify the BWC of possible dates through the Committee Secretary.
Priorities List
Erik Mitchell said item #1 should be checked off as done. Schaefer wanted to move to the #3 position part of #7 on hook-up fees. Fees ill be an agenda item for the next meeting, but the Board and Town Administrator discussed figures, rebates, residential equivalents, calculations for hook-ups for residential and commercial properties, concerns for the protection of public health, and amortization.
Letter to Board of Selectmen
Discussion of the letter sent to the Selectmen on 4/21/06 and resent on 5/5/06 was tabled by consensus.
Rules & Regulations
Consideration of Rules & Regulations became an agenda item for next weekMary’s meeting, which will be held Thursday, June 15, 2006.
Other Business
Mark Berry disclosed that he does business with the Balch family.
Mark Berry read into record a letter from Betty Balch, requesting a hook-up to the Marina water system. Her house is currently metered through the Cap’n Higgins restaurant, which is for sale. Smith will look over her request which was placed as an agenda item for the next meeting.
Adjournment
Eric Mitchell moved to adjourn. Mark Berry seconded, and the motion carried unanimously 5-0. The meeting adjourned at 9:35.
Respectfully submitted,
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Mary Rogers, Committee Secretary Mark Berry, Chairman
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