Wellfleet Board of Water Commissioners
Senior Center Conference Room
Thursday, April 10, 2008, 7:00 p.m.
Present: Chairman Mark Berry, Emily Beebe, Moe Barocas, Celeste Makely,
Julia Willecke
Chairman Mark Berry called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Woodes’ Letters and Request
Jeanne Woodes was present to explain her situation detailed in her letter of March 1, 2008. After a discussion of the method of calculating her connection fee by the former Board of Water Commissioners, their promise to reassess her fee later, and her actual water usage, the present Water Commissioners considered means of addressing her request. One suggestion was a thorough review of her present usage, keeping track of Woodes’ meter data through the summer. Another approach was amending the Rules and Regulations for seasonal-commercial or commercial buildings. This would require a proposal and an advertised public hearing.
Barocas moved to revise the regulation that establishes a connection fee based on household equivalents when there is a large disparity between actual usage and anticipated water flow to allow for board review.
Further discussion followed recommending gathering the data on Woodes’ usage; the Town’s policy of recouping 75% of hook-up costs; not having provisions for any variances; and the lack of definite figures for future costs and number of users.
Berry seconded Barocas’ motion. Barocas reviewed Woodes’ situation, how she came in after the other connections because her need was so dire, how others have requested hook-ups and the Board had denied them. The proposal for a Rules and Regulations revision would be examined by Town Counsel. A vote was taken on the motion to revise the regulation, and the motion carried 5-0.
Barocas made a further motion that before Woodes’ case is resolved, the Town take no further action on getting the hook-up fee that has not been paid. Upon reconsideration, Barocas withdrew his motion.
Beebe suggested getting data every two weeks. Beebe said the two existing readings are not sufficient. Monthly readings from May to September were the statistics that the BWC would like to see.
Bookstore Restaurant
Emily Beebe recused herself from the meeting.
Mark McKenzie of East Cape, Carol Parlante of the Bookstore Restaurant and her attorney Robert A. Bianchi were present to request a water hook-up for the restaurant. Mr. McKenzie had been hired to remediate the Bookstore’s septic system. Addressing the water system and public water supply is part of that, McKenzie said. He wanted to know if the water flushing at the end of the line could be factored into the possibility of a hook-up for the restaurant. The Bookstore needs a solution for water and wastewater at the site. Mark Berry said the present system is at capacity. The restaurant is at the end of the main, where flushing takes place at about 3,000 gallons per day in 2006, according to Mark Vincent. At least a million gallons per year are being flushed, he said. Vincent said the Baker
Field irrigation system had been hooked up instead of the Bookstore.
Berry asked about using potable water for a potable water need for the Bookstore. Vincent said the engineers would have to guarantee capacity. Bookstore owner Carol Parlante said the Town had initially given a figure of $100,000 for a hook-up fee. Carol Parlante said she had a water meter on the well because they have a public water supply which WhiteWater monitors. Berry said the BWC needed to know flushing gallons per day figures. Mark McKenzie said they had a design for 34 hundred gallons per day. Berry suggested getting the actual figures and forwarding it to the BWC. Vincent said the flushing figures vary. He also said there is a connection stub in place for a Bookstore hookup. There was a discussion of the size pipe needed to connect. Barocas said the BWC wanted Bookstore
usage figures and the Town system flushing numbers. Vincent said that a loop is a better design for the water system instead of flushing out into the marsh.
Attorney Robert Bianchi expressed concern for water being flushed into the wetland behind the restaurant. Mr. Bianchi said the water level has been observed as always high in the marsh in back of the restaurant. Berry said the first step would be to get the data on gallons per day usage, meter readings and Title 5 design flow. The Bookstore Restaurant will do this and return to the Water Commissioners with the information at a future time.
Emily Beebe returned to the meeting.
Water Tank Site Plan
Paul Millet and Steven Belanger from Environmental Partners Group (EPG) distributed site plan options for the water tank and exhibited a large scale plan of Option 3 with details added. He said the choice, based on the highest elevation, was the plan EPG recommended. Including fencing, the tank diameter is 80 ft. EPG also recommended fencing off the access road. The height of the tank is 130 ft., but a spheroid or hydropillar design has not been determined. Millet highlighted the existing well on the site plan. There was a discussion of placement of the soccer field.
Millet answered questions from the Water Commissioners and from the audience. Concerns he addressed were safety issues, construction protocols, actual measurements from tank to various points on the lot, future uses of the lot, methods of routine flushing of the tank, a twenty or thirty year maintenance plan for the tank, and fencing around the construction site.
From the floor, Steve Gazzano recommended that the BWC talk about some of the safety concerns with Ben Pierson of the National Seashore, who had installed a water tower for the Park Service fairly recently.
Barocas suggested a student art contest for a design to be painted onto the tank.
Mark Vincent asked if the access road from Long Pond Rd. was sufficient for the construction phase. Vincent also suggested coordination of soccer field and tank construction.
Legal Opinions from Town Counsel
Emily Beebe reviewed a Town Counsel opinion from December 3, 2004 which discussed having an Enterprise Fund for water fees. She reported a conversation she’d had with Town Administrator Paul Sieloff about establishing an Enterprise Fund for the Municipal Water System. They had discussed the possibility of grants as a funding source for the water tank. The BWC Secretary will email grant writer Alice Boyd about grant possibilities.
Other Business
Celeste Makely had received information from Brewster on their water system but still wants to meet with the Water Superintendent, she said. The BWC will review Brewster material at a future meeting.
Mark Vincent said the Municipal Water System is taking in an average of $55,000 a year at this time while the Town pays WhiteWater $60,000 a year.
Minutes of 3/6/08
Barocas moved to approve the minutes of March 6, 208. Willecke seconded and the motion carried 5-0.
Adjournment
Beebe moved to adjourn. Willecke seconded and the motion carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
______________________________ __________________________
Mary Rogers, Committee Secretary Mark Berry, Chairman
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Date
The Board of Water Commissioners approved these minutes at the meeting held 5/15/08.
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