Public Hearing
HARBOR COMMITTEE
Judge Welsh
Hearing Room
Time: 4:30 pm
Members
Present: Kerry Adams, Alice
Brock, Heather Bruce, Ann
Colbourn, Mel Cote, and Gerard Irmer.
Members
Absent: none
Advisory Staff: Rex
McKinsey
The
meeting was called to order at 4:30 p.m.
It
was decided unanimously by the committee that if these are official minutes
they are not very complete. Alice said
that there are a lot of differences in all of the Chapter 91 licenses. Heather made a point about businesses along
the waterfront; no businesses have to pay if they can’t provide beach access
(even jewelry stores) since anything retail is considered a public benefit
(even though it doesn’t provide a benefit).
Motion: The minutes were tabled until the next
meeting on October 12th.
Motion by Kerry Adams Seconded by Heather Bruce Vote - unanimous.
There were none.
Unfinished Business:
Kerry
Adams wondered why (at the 9/26 meeting) the group of officials waited until
the end of the meeting to announce what they needed to see in the Harbor
Plan. Chapter 91 seemed to have the
most problems. Heather has to do more
research. She hasn’t anything to hand out
tonight on Chapter 91.
Jerry
said that some amendments are going to change BUT any word changes have to go
before town meeting. He knows, for
example, that wording as it relates to the Schofield line has to change. To change something that has already been
voted on is not easy. Jerry further
said that if there are significant changes we have to have a public hearing
anyway.
Board of Health meeting results
Ann
Colbourn reported on the meeting with the BoH that she and Rex attended on
September 15th. She did
bring a list of things that she and Heather had brought up. Jane Evans, the Health Agent, was there and
they talked about issues, i.e., septic overflows, water quality, etc. She and Rex learned that DNA testing (to
determine origin of feces!) is very expensive.
Rex told everyone that he is trying to arrange a combined meeting with
related committees with presentations made by the DEP. The related groups would include the Harbor
Committee, ConCom, Pier Corporation, and the Board of Health. At the BoH meeting where it was initially
discussed, the group also thought it would be valuable for Sandy Turner of the
DPW to attend. The DEP group is
anticipating commonwealth-wide testing of water and related estuaries. When the study is finished we will have a
base line of problems and which areas are conducive to estuary health,
etc. It seems as though the other
committees all have the same feelings about working on related problems with no
input from any other committees. The
Seashore would also be involved. The
Park Service has a testing program and they are willing to run the water tests
for us if we pay for the supplies.
Different tests would give us a set of numbers and they will show
weather conditions, etc. so that a complete picture of pollution could be
made. Then the HC could have a
presentation about what the estuaries can do, i.e., areas where aquatic farming
could be begun, etc.
Alice
wondered if there were chemicals that we can test for, i.e. formaldehyde? Rex said that some boats don’t use
chemicals. Whale watch boats and the
charter boats should be addressed, as well.
Ann
suggested that if we can get outside funding to provide us with more
information, then that would help solve the bacteria problem. Everyone is tired of finger pointing so we
should be able to move forward and get more information.
Jerry
Irmer said that before we go to the BoS
- “Why don’t we contact Michelle Jarusiewicz?” Bottom line…… how much
are the supplies for testing? Kerry
Adams said that we’re all running around in circles. The presentation from the DEP should put an end to this and give
everyone a common goal and the means to accomplish it.
Heather
wanted to know if Ann asked about beach closing announcements being sent to the
HC? Yes, the Health Agent will notify
the HC in the future.
Heather’s
brother – had taken the Boston boat to Provincetown and when they were coming
in there was an incredible smell of septage.
Evidently a large boat had just dumped in the harbor at the end of the breakwater. This is illegal to do BUT..
Ann
thought that something the HC can do – boats that have permits – can’t we just
require them to give reports monthly?
They are going offshore beyond the 3 mile limit and dumping (which is
legal). Kerry asked Rex what the
holding capacity of the Whale Watch boats is?
Rex replied “150-300 gallons.”
There was a bit more discussion on the use of the Pump Out boat and its
unavailability for Commercial use.
Relative to the Harbor testing plan, Kerry said, “This is our Baby and
we should run with it, it is a Harbor issue and WE are the Harbor Committee!”
All agreed.
Dollar
information: pumping out the pump-out
boat is $100/each time; it holds 300
gallons.
Yet
another large argument about the Provincia.
When it was found out that Fishermen’s Pier has a sewerage hook-up, the
argument was defused.
The
proposed date for Brian Dudley to come before the combined committees as
aforementioned will be sometime in October.
Stay tuned………….
New Business:
Review 2005 Amendments to
the Harbor Plan status
Heather
began by saying she had a brief summary but it stretched on dramatically.
To
summarize, she found that the Harbor Committee has been using the 1996 regs for
the Chapter 91 findings and the state has been using some of the 1978
regs. Heather referred to her findings
as a “huge revelation” and it truly was.
She will research this issue further and report back to the committee at
the October 12th meeting.
Heather
says that the state has screwed up.
(9.28) She encouraged everyone to just look at that number and read it
under #4. She wants to call Truman
Henson and explain this to him personally.
Everyone
was asked to bring their 78 regs and 96 regs to the next meeting. Heather gave as her homework assignment: everyone go to 9.28 under 96 regs under #4
and every time you get to a reference #, follow it and it will become clear.
Next meeting: October 12 at 4:30pm.
Respectfully
submitted,
Approved by ____________________________on ______________, 2005.