BWC Minutes
Wellfleet Board of Water Commissioners
Town Hall Conference Room
Tuesday, November 3, 2015, 6:00 PM
Commissioners Present: Justina Carlson, Chair, Neil Gadwa, James Hood, Catharie Nass, Lori Vanderschmidt
Commissioners Absent:
Also Present: System Manager Michaela Miteva,
Chair Carlson called the meeting to order at 6:03 PM.
Flow Tests for Hydrants
Miteva informed the Board of her recent meeting with the Fire Dept. regarding the fire hydrants that need to be painted. A compromise was reached where the WMWS will cover the cost of the flow tests while the Fire Dept. will cover the cost of the painting labor and supplies. The Board was tasked with choosing from the options outlined by Roy Maher of WhiteWater at the last BWC meeting in October. Nass made the motion for the BWC to choose option two or three, (Option 2: two WhiteWater employees will spend a day flow testing for $1,200; Option 3: one WhiteWater employee and a Fire Dept. rep will flow test for $700,) and leave the choice between those up to the discretion of the Fire Dept.; Chair Carlson seconded; the motion passed 4-0.
BWC Position on EverSource Spraying requested by the BOS
The Board discussed differing views on the topic of the value and safety of herbicide spraying done by EverSource on Cape Cod, and specifically within Wellfleet.
Vanderschmidt made the motion for the to BWC stand opposed to EverSource spraying; Chair Carlson seconded; the motion passed 3-1.
Nass made a motion that the BWC recommend testing be done on the effects on the groundwater after the recent spraying, and that the testing be done by an independent party; Chair Carlson seconded; the motion passed 4-0. (Hood arrived after the vote.)
Budget Planning FY17
Hood presented his draft of the WMWS FY17 Budget. Some adjustments were made during the discussion. Chair Carlson made the motion to accept the budget as amended; Nass seconded; the motion passed 5-0.
ATM Articles
- Tank Painting Appropriation – Miteva stated that this would be a simple transfer from left over funds in an account for Phase I. Chair Carlson made the motion to request the transfer of funds from one account to another to repair and repaint the water storage tank; Nass seconded; the motion passed 5-0.
- Master Plan Appropriation – Miteva explained that this would be a capital plan request. Hood made the motion to request the appropriation of $75,000 in funds to hire an engineer to update the WMWS Master Plan; Chair Carlson seconded; the motion passed 5-0.
Financial Models and Operations Presentation
Miteva presented a draft of a set of financial model straw men for the Board to review. Members were given hard copies to review before the Nov. 17th meeting.
OCHS Water Needs
Hood spoke to the fact that Outer Cape Health Services in Wellfleet is close to finalizing their rebuilding plans. Availability of water is an issue. Hooking up to Town water is one option that is being discussed. Bringing the main up Rte. 6 from the Fire Station or bringing a main down Briar Lane are possibilities that are approximately the same length, with the added benefit that the Briar Lane option would bring 40+ abutters to the system. The Herring River Restoration Project will have an impact on Briar Lane and possibly the wells on those properties. Hood will be meeting next week with TA Terkanian, the Fire Chief, and the architect of the proposed new building to discuss the options for water at the site.
Minutes
Hood moved to approve the 10/20/15 BWC minutes as amended; seconded by Chair Carlson; the motion passed 5-0.
Correspondence
The only item of correspondence was a copy of the letter from TA Terkanian to Tufts student Maria Sol Ucciani. The letter acknowledges her participation with the Board of Water Commissioners’ work on updating the WMWS Master Plan.
This was necessary in order for Ucciani to receive credit for her work.
Agenda: November 17, 2015
- 2016 Meeting Schedule Draft
- 145 School St & 0 Off School St and the addition of fire hydrants
- Discussion on Communication & Roles
- Review of BWC Charge & Job Descriptions
- Discussion of the Financial Models and Operations Presentation
Agenda: December 1, 2015
- Review of WMWS Rules & Regulations in relation to leak mitigation and customer liability forgiveness
- Open Meeting Law Review
Agenda: December 15, 2015 – BWC goes before the BOS/Fin Com
Agenda: December 17, 2015
- Tufts Project Final Presentation (?)
Next Meeting:
The next meeting will take place on Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at 6:00 PM at the Wellfleet Town Hall in the 2nd floor Conference Room.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 8:17 PM.
Public Records Materials of 11/3/15
- WhiteWater Operator’s Report, dated 10-20-15
- WMWS Budget Worksheet
- Financial Models and Operations Presentation