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Home My WebLink About2002-8-23 Advisory Committee of Non-Voting Taxpayers Committee Meeting Minutes Meeting of ACNVT held August 23, 2002, in the Nantucket High School conference room Present: Louis Bassano, Howard Blitman, Trig Cooley, Roger Ernst, Ellen Roman, Bill Sherman, Jay Strauss, Terry Sutphen, Richard Wolfe (other members were absent, off- island). Non-members: David Brown and Jim Treanor plus guest speaker Jeff Willett Call to order: Chairman Ernst called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. with a quorum present. Without objection, the Chair declared the minutes of 8/9/02 meeting approved as distributed. ACNVT Mission Statement: Chair Roger Ernst reported that his presentation 8/14 to the Board of Selectment was well received. Our Mission Statement was accepted by the Board. For a more effective ACNVT, the Board indicated a willingness to present to the 2003 ATM an article which, if voted, would give members staggered 3-year terms. After discussion, a motion proposing ACNVT membership at 15 plus 2 alternates, 3-year staggered terms and quorum of7 was passed. Bill undertook to draft an article and cover letter for the Chair to send to the selectmen. [Sent 8/21/02.] At the 8/14 meeting, Roger heard the report of Richard Ray to the Board of Health of weekly beach water testing, also a ban from 9/6 on of non-biodegradable packaging. Richard will be invited to speak at our next meeting. Town's Capital Planning (Wastewater Treatment) As a follow-up to our prior meeting with Rick Atherton, Jeff Willett, Superintendent of Public Works, spoke of the impact of rapid island growth upon the varied responsibilities of the DPW. A major focus now is completion of the second of three phases ofthe Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan - a 20-year management tool. Contracted out to Earth Tech for about $1 million (through Phase III), the effort stems from Jeffs initiative; otherwise, if started responsive to State mandate, execution of the Plan would be much more constrained by State concerns. When and if the fully completed Plan is adopted by the Town (likely it will be controversial), it will have the force oflaw. Jeffrecounted that, arriving on island 13 years ago, the then-outdated Surfside plant was in construction. Erosion soon stopped a proposed upgrade of the 'Sconset plant. Only now is that upgrade ready to go forward. And the II-year old Surfside plant must also be upgraded since flows have exceeded 80% of State-certified capacity of 1.8 MgaVday. (Peak flows are near or exceed design capacity of 2.2 MgaVday.) The State has held off acting upon the current discharge permit violation, likely because ofa $1 million upgrade Jeff undertook earlier for odor control but yielding secondary-level treatment. Perhaps 100,000 gaVday of capacity remains, less than called for by 4 or 5 development projects (e.g., Compass Rose, the Electric Company, Sherburne assisted living, and mini-golf course projects) pending at the DPW. Allocation will be difficult. Flow limits for rectangular clarifiers at the plant and the need for prompt wastewater treatment limit options for handling more. A local moratorium, if needed, would be more flexible than if State-imposed. (Dewatered sludges from the sewer beds now go to the solid waste facility to provide the nitrogen needed for composting our garbage. The new 'Sconset plant has a state-of-the-art, automated batch-reactor design to handle both high flows in summer and low in winter. It will remove solids and most nitrogen from the effluent, requiring only part-time staff monitoring. Completion will follow design start-up by about 13 years and allow lifting of the current 7-year moratorium on new hook-ups. Funding of ~$14 million is in place. The present Surfs ide plant took about 13 years from design start to completion, with delays occasioned by abutter (NIMBY) lawsuits and regulatory hurdles. Design of the upgrade would take about 6 months but plant completion date is still remote, perhaps 5 - 10 years out and cost to the Town reckoned at -$20 million. The Phase I report highlighted other problem areas for wastewater disposal. Wauwinet has No.1 priority resulting from its development density including hotel, reliance on septic systems and community water supply, and surrounding wetlands. As in Madaket to a lesser degree, servicing from the public wastewater plant is likely too expensive, so technically innovative local solutions are sought. Jeff suggested Richard Ray as a resource for better understanding efforts needed to address septic system problems. The Town's wastewater collection system carrying flows to the 'Sconset and Surfiside plants must be upgraded over the next 20 years. Current upgrade costs are ~$1 million/mile, based on the urgently needed Washington Street project recently completed. (Without that, flows into the Surfside plant would already be above design capacity.) Exemplifying the problem, the 100-year old sewer line running the length of Main Street is only 8" diameter clay pipe with uncertain joints every 2', allowing roots and storm water in and perhaps waste water out. In low areas storm water inflow or infiltration is a problem; in high areas, exfiltration is possible. The Town has some 18-20 miles of sewer pipe to upgrade. Who is to pay for wastewater system upgrades remains unclear. Betterment charges can be imposed upon benefited property owners, but island-wide benefits would normally be financed by bond issue with debt service from the real estate tax levy. Properties on sewer pay monthly fees into the sewer enterprise fund for facility operation and maintenance, not into the Town's general fund. The new public sewer system in Monomoy is the first large public sewer extension since '86 and the first with betterments (payable over the next 5 years). Currently the DPW is updating a l7-year old inflow analysis to identify improper connections adding unnecessary flows. Examples cited are sump pump sewer tie-ins, also rainwater downspouts. Cost of corrections are borne by those with illegal connections. Earth Tech was chosen partly for its strength in public presentation of findings. But its presentation of a report on Phase I results was poorly attended. Phase II PR is envisioned for ~March '03 and summer '03. Phase III PR will follow completion in about one year. (Phase I identified problems, Phase II will recommend corrective actions and Phase III will offer a detailed action plan. Completion of the full Plan has already been delayed 18 months by unwarranted State intervention.) The Plan must pass 'muster' with the State, but Jeff is confident, given the extent of harbor water and other island studies Responding to Roger's query how might ACNVT aid in public awareness, Jeff urged that it involve area associations - close to their respective wastewater problems. He offered to speak wherever invited. A summary concern of Jeff is that wastewater treatment limitations not be envisioned as a tool for growth management but remain strictly a community health concern. In case of a moratorium on new discharge permits, developers will not have a ready alternative in package treatment plants whose effluent goes into the island's sole source aquifer. A further concern is the cost-of-living impact of growth and consequent difficulty of hiring and retaining needed DPW personnel. Since extensions of a public sewer can open vacant land for development, e.g., in'Sconset and in Madaket, Town policy needs to be clear. The fee for subdivision sewer connection also merits attention. Other concerns Bill passed along to Roger an audio tape ofNPR program on interest of non- resident property owners in having a vote in the Cape (Chatham and Harwich) and islands. Louis urged standardization of what constitutes island residency, e.g., for purposes of Miacomet Golf and other fees differentiating between resident and non-resident. The vehicle permit system, discussed the previous evening, merits ACNVT consideration of its impact on summer residents, also 4 WD beach vehicle issues. Projects such as Somerset, targeted at affordable housing, are of concern. Roger raised a question as to the detail of issues addressed by the Board of Selectmen, rather than delegated to the Town Administrator. Next meeting: The next ACNVT Meeting is scheduled for 10:00 a.m., Friday, September 6th at the Town Annex Conference Room at 37 Washington Street (across from Town pier- parking is limited). Members who are not able to attend, please notify Roger Ernst. At that meeting, a decision will be taken whether to have a last-of-the-season meeting (or meetings) September 14th or 21 st or October 5. 2 ::n Respect llY:J?&- William R. Sherman, Secretary --i...." o....~ ~~ z__ {- n' r~,: rr1 ~ :;;or :x: 'i, The meeting was adjourned at 11 :48 a.m. c=l C-:l --I I w ,,,,.v" -0 - N '"