Wellfleet Board of Water Commissioners
Minutes of Meeting of August 17, 2006
Senior Center Conference Room
Present: Mark Berry, Chairman; Moe Barocas, Erik Mitchell, Lynn Hiller
Also Attending: Mark Vincent, DPW Director
Absent: Emily Beebe
Chairman Mark Berry called the meeting to order at 7: p.m.
WhiteWater Presentation
WhiteWater President Bob Maynard along with Russ Tierney, Division Manager of WhiteWater, attended the meeting to deliver a PowerPoint presentation. The purpose of the presentation was to explore the options for the Wellfleet Municipal Water System. Russ Tierney gave some background on WhiteWater and the other water systems it operates in Wellfleet. He reviewed the possible options for water systems: municipal ownership, private ownership, enterprise fund, public/private partnership, leaseback, contracted operations, or a long term design-build-operate (DBO) contract.
The session became an informal question and answer exchange covering topics of grant money; setting rates; making a profit; examples of places using the finance-construct-leaseback option, and the Little-Davis-Bacon Law also known as the prevailing wage law.
Wellfleet is currently using the contract operations option through WhiteWater. Maynard said a public/private partnership or the lease back options would also be viable for Wellfleet.
Give and take discussion followed regarding: use of local workers for construction; 2005 figures for the development of the Boy Scout Camp well if WhiteWater was developing it; and gaining public support for an expanded water system
Maynard said the plan should be for a hundred year system. He discussed providing a drinking water system and another system of untreated water for fire protection. At some point, Maynard says, people in this country will start thinking about using this dual system.
Further discussion involved: water testing in private homes; insurance savings when fire protection (water hydrants) are provided; present costs to run the Wellfleet system; ways to turn a profit; reasonable connection fees; capacity of the present system; planning for future Town needs; holding informational public meetings to pitch water expansion before Town Meeting; and betterments as incentives for advance hook-ups
Possibilities for South Wellfleet, the Pleasant Point water system which WhiteWater operates and the Bookstore Restaurant’s water were also discussed.
Berry asked about in-ground piping material. He asked what material would solve high PH in the water problem. The flow through the pipe has to be maintained, according to Tierney. Flushing keeps the PH level acceptable. Maynard and Tierney suggested options for better technology and HTPE material.
Mark Vincent reiterated being wary of low bidders for construction because change orders inevitably follow and raise the overall costs.
Berry speculated what the first step would be if Wellfleet went with a DBO option. Maynard said DBO allows the Town the option of spending less up front. Mark Vincent said getting a positive vote at Town Meeting is the first step. Tierney pointed out that the prices would just keep going up if the system did not get Town Meeting approval.
Mark Berry moved to adjourn; all concurred, and the meeting adjourned at 9:10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
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Mary Rogers, Committee Secretary Mark Berry, Chairman
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