Wellfleet Board of Water Commissioners
Senior Center Conference Room
Thursday, May 15, 2008, 7:00 p.m.
Present: Chairman Mark Berry, Emily Beebe, Moe Barocas, Julia Willecke, Celeste Makely
Chairman Mark Berry called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Minutes of 4/10/08
Berry moved to approve the amended minutes of April 10, 2008. Willecke seconded, and the motion carried 4-0.
Beebe recused herself from the discussion and left the room.
Bookstore Restaurant
Tim Brady from East Cape Engineering came forward with information on water usage at the Bookstore Restaurant and explained the reverse osmosis system they use. Barocas reviewed information which DPW Director Mark Vincent had provided on flushing at the end of the water main. Mr. Brady said he needed to plan for the Bookstore’s septic system with a design determined by a private water supply or Town water. Peak volume for the Bookstore would occur during the summer months, and Barocas was concerned about pressure. Mr. Brady said the peak that had been determined for the Bookstore’s septic purposes was 3,500 gallons per day. Michael and Caroline Parlante discussed water saving devices and filters in place at the restaurant.
Barocas said the BWC was not prepared to revise the hook-up fees until the expanded system had been designed and public hearings were held. Barocas said if they signed on at the current price, there might be a possibility of a future adjustment. Barocas said there is a waiting list of higher priority need for hook-up. Michael Parlante spoke about the location of the flushing pipe. Some water is being used to irrigate the ball field, but the rest is flushed behind the Bookstore Restaurant, according to Mr. Brady.
The BWC secretary will contact Paul Gabriel of Environmental Partners Group and request timely answers to questions from DPW Director Mark Vincent in order to give the Parlantes a response.
Beebe returned to the meeting.
Chris Drive
Steve Gazzano, representing the neighborhood, explained that Chris Drive and Mayflower Drive, both private roads, are the proposed route for the expanded water system. Mr. Gazzano said that Chester and Richard Lay are willing to give the Town ownership of Mayflower Drive. The property owners on Chris Drive own their road and are curious what provisions the Town plans for a future water main installation. Mr. Gazzano asked if homeowners along the route would be required to hook-up and received assurance that they would not be required to do so. Betterments will be offered, according to Berry. Barocas spoke about a possible real betterment of having working fire hydrants on the street. Berry discussed covering costs of the system expansion. Barocas mentioned for the neighborhood group’s
consideration that later hook-ups are anticipated as being higher than the original hook-ups. The Chris Drive homeowners asked if there would be connection Ts in place for property along the line. The owner at the beginning of Chris Drive, whose property includes a portion of Eel Creek, said he was concerned that the Herring River Restoration Project could affect the quality of his water. The Board encouraged him to plan ahead for this possibility by connecting to the water system.
Barocas discussed pollution of ground water by all homeowners town-wide and the responsibility of the community to come up with solutions. Berry discussed the water lens.
Mr. Gazzano asked about process of using the private road. Home owners had complaints about the test borings that had been done on their private road without notification. Berry said that the Town would have to make an agreement with homeowners about the ownership title of the road. Beebe discussed the process of getting Town ownership of the road. When asked about the route, Berry explained that the plan had been planned some time ago. The homeowners asked if the dirt road that follows the power lines could be the route.
Barocas commented on the advantage of routing along the most populated roads.
The last issue that the homeowners expressed was for a time line. They had planned to get Chris Drive sealed but don’t want to proceed if the road is going to be torn up again. Berry said the expansion project would be at an Annual Town Meeting. If it were passed, it would still take two years to get it built. The earliest possible date they could consider would be 2011, according to this projection.
Mr. Gazzano wanted assurances that homeowners along the line would be forced to hook-up. The Board told him that was not in the plan. Mark Berry assured the homeowners they were welcome to all meetings of the Water Commissioners to follow the process. There was also a discussion of wastewater systems because water and wastewater issues are connected. Beebe outlined on site wastewater management systems.
Memo from Dale Donovan Re: Regulations, Connection Fees & Documents
The Board considered Selectman Dale Donovan’s issues presented in his memo dated May 8, 2008. The first item of his memo concerned a new “Change of Use” clause in the Rules & Regulations for the water system. “Change of Use” should be defined first, BWC members said. Change of use and transfer of property could be triggers for a review. The Board agreed that there should be approval based upon the review the system’s capacity and the original hook-up charge for the preexisting use. There was discussion of how quickly this should be done.
The issue of the Marina Water System was the next item the Board discussed. There was an original agreement to put the Shellfish, Harbormaster and Beach Sticker Offices and three private entities on the Marina Water System since they had been fed from the same well. The three private hook-ups are now on the Municipal Water System. Any change in use of these buildings should be reviewed by the Water Commissioners. These buildings could be charged accordingly if a new regulation is put in place. The matter will be researched further.
Donovan’s second point was on adjustments to connection fees. Jeanne Woodes was one particular case. The BWC will examine her water meter through the DPW Director as planned. She is in arrears with her payments and is unwilling to pay until the investigation is done. She had been connected based on potential use. She does not use the capacity she was charged for, however. The structure needs to have balance between the fee for connecting and the charging as an incentive to hook-up, the Board said. In the meantime, Ms. Woodes needs a solution because the formula is faulted. She has a point about the fee, her charges might be waived, the Board said. The Bookstore would follow suit, however, if this were done. The connection fee could be based on number of seats for restaurant and business
levels, the Board said. The Board will also look at Ms. Woodes’ seating capacity.
In the Rules and Regulations there should be different ranges for seating, the Board said. Berry moved to make Jeanne Woodes an offer to restructure her loan to a twenty year note until such a time that the Board can amend the Regulations according to the new fee structure. There was no second, and the motion died.
The Board discussed what Ms. Woodes has paid for her fees so far and the basis of setting fees. Barocas suggested having a subcommittee meet with her and the Town Administrator and DPW Director first. This could be an interim step. The Board will send Ms. Woodes a letter explaining what is being done to address her situation.
Recap of Meeting with BOS
The Board announced that the tank site had been approved by the Board of Selectmen at their April 22, 2008 meeting.
Soil Excavation at Firing Range
EPG had found more lead in the firing range area near the Boy Scout Well Site.
Mail
The letter dated January 25, 2008 from WhiteWater on behalf of Harborside Village Cooperative Corporation requesting consideration for water hook-up was studied. This request would allow the water system’s expansion greater impetus. Emily moved to send letter informing Harborside that the Board welcomed inclusion of their cooperative into the Municipal Water System. Willecke seconded, and the motion carried 5-0.
Other Business
Emily was approved by consensus for Water Protection Collaborative. This appointment needs to be approved by the BOS.
Board Organization & Membership
Celeste moved to name Beebe and Barocas as co-chairs of the Board. Berry seconded, and the motion carried 5-0.
Adjournment
Thanked Mark. Barocas moved to adjourn. Makely seconded and the motion carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 10:15p.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 6/5/08.
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