Sewer Commission Meeting
Wednesday August 12, 2009
8:00 a.m.
The meeting was called to order at 8:00 a.m. Those present were: Commissioners Salerno, Demko, and Spath; Jack Linskey; Tyler Langlois; Christian Dubois; Jim Dow and Kate Lathrop. Peter Coletti joined the meeting shortly after it convened.
The first order of business was to discuss a possible development off of Oakwood Road, adjacent to Route 3A (identified as 0 Oakwood Circle by the owner). This property is owned by Christian Dubois who resides at 4 Oakwood Circle. The Sewer Commission had previously discussed a possible development on this site with the former owner, David Chase. Mr. Chase had contacted the Hull Sewer Department with regard to purchasing additional capacity. He had also suggested that one parcel be designated as “affordable”, perhaps through Habitat for Humanity, to meet the following criterion for properties wishing to reach in to the existing Weir River Sewer District: “The extension must benefit an existing property with an occupied dwelling or structure in accordance with the Hull Inter-municipal Agreement, or to serve a public good as determined by the Sewer Commission”. Mr. Linskey attended the meeting as a representative of South Shore Habitat and agreed that his organization would be in favor of being given a building site.
There was considerable discussion regarding the purchase of additional wastewater capacity from the Hull Treatment Plant; the re-opening of the Inter-municipal Agreement (IMA) between Hingham and Hull; and any impact that these actions might have on the sewer rates paid by Hingham sewer customers. At the end of the discussion it was the understanding of the meeting that the developer would be responsible for purchasing additional capacity from Hull; that the existing IMA would have to be rewritten or amended by the Board of Selectmen to reflect the increased capacity limits; and that any new dwellings constructed would pay the same rate as all other sewer users, based on actual water consumption at each property.
Commissioner Demko expressed some concern that the Sewer Commission was putting forward Habitat for Humanity as a possible “public good”. He felt that that initiative or any other to fulfill that aim should come from the developer, not from the Commission. Mr. Dubois and Mr. Langlois explained that they were simply following the suggestion put forward by the previous owner, David Chase.
Mr. Coletti wanted clarification as to whether any of the proposed actions would cause a rate increase for Hingham rate-payers. He was assured that none of these specific actions would prompt a rate change; however, Hull has the right to raise their rates for wastewater treatment as needed. Mr. Coletti then left the meeting.
Talk then moved to consideration of what sort of impact this proposal could have on further development in the area or, more specifically, what impact it could have on opening the current abutting neighborhoods to sewering. It was agreed that these were valid concerns. We are still awaiting the final version of the Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan which might lend some guidance to this issue. It was agreed that the other land use boards be consulted before taking this proposal any further. The Wednesday morning meetings of these boards are helpful in identifying and clarifying potential issues for proposed projects. Kate Lathrop will request that this be put on the agenda for the next coordination meeting. Of course Town Administrator, Kevin Paicos, and/or the Board of Selectmen must be consulted before any action could be taken.
It was moved, seconded, and voted by Commissioners Spath and Demko to approve the minutes of the June 15 meeting. Commission Salerno did not attend that meeting.
The next order of business was a discussion of the Department dress code. The crew members are provided a clothing allowance of $800 per year for work clothing. It has been the practice in the past that Department crew wear outer, upper clothing (eg. shirts, jackets etc.) of a uniform color, clearly marked with the Department logo. Of late there has been some dissatisfaction expressed by the crew with this policy since it is not clearly spelled out in the DPW Contract. Human Resources has stated that it is within the jurisdiction of each department to set their own requirements regarding dress code. The Sewer Commission, therefore, formalized a dress code policy. Field crew members may not wear shorts. They must wear appropriate work trousers and boots, paid for themselves from their annual allowance. They are required to wear outer, upper clothing such as tee shirts, golf shirts, jackets, sweat shirts, and/or wind breakers in the approved shade of green with the official Department logo and lettering, paid for themselves from their annual allowance. Although this has been the practice of the department for 17 years it was never codified until now. Because this policy is newly formalized, Commissioner Spath and Supervisor Dow have agreed to provide the crew members with official jackets and sweatshirts on a one time basis at the expense of the Department.
The Office Administrator presented the Board with a summary of projects done under the MWRA I/I Local Financial Assistance Program. There is a balance from the original phases of $61,996 that must be spent before any additional MWRA awards are granted. CDM has developed a recommended plan for man-hole rehabilitation to alleviate I/I. Some of that work has already been done. It was moved, seconded, and voted unanimously to approve expenditure of those funds for manhole rehabilitation. Jim Dow will work to develop a plan and Kate Lathrop will check with Jon Szarek of the MWRA and Treasurer/Collector Jean Montgomery to see how this project should be implemented.
Office Administrator, Kate Lathrop, has drafted an Identity Theft Prevention Program for the Commission. The Board approved adopting the plan pursuant to its review by Town Counsel, Jim Toomey.
The CWMP Discussion Draft Report in now available in the Commission Office. We are still waiting for Kirk Shilts to move the program forward. The Office Administrator will contact Dr. Shilts to request that committee members pick up copies for review and that a meeting be scheduled.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:45 a.m. No future meeting has yet been set.
This summary does not include every item discussed by the Board, nor the full extent of the discussions. The full meeting is available on tope in the Commission Office.