Town of
Meeting of the
Water & Sewer Board
Members
present:
Members
absent: None
Other attendees: DPW Staff Dana Faris and Anna Michaud; members of the public and press.
Call to
Order
Mr. Sinaiko called the meeting to order at
Public Hearing – Amendment to Sewer
Regulations
Mr. Sinaiko read the announcement and opened
the hearing to the public. Mr. Faris
explained that, because there are new vendors that offer better and less
expensive solutions to grease management, the purpose of the rule change was to
provide the Water & Sewer Board with greater latitude to approve grease
traps using newer technology. There were
no speakers either in favor or in opposition to the rule change. DPW staff reported that no letters had been
received either in favor or in opposition to the proposed rule change. Therefore, Mr. Sinaiko moved, seconded by Ms.
Meads, to amend the sewer rules as advertised.
The motion carried by a vote of 3-0.
[At this point Mr. Van Dereck joined the
meeting.]
Public Hearing – Change in Sewer
Connection Surcharge Rate
Mr. Sinaiko read the announcement and opened
the hearing to the public. There were no
speakers from the public either in favor or in opposition to the proposed rate
increase. Staff reported that no letters
had been received either in favor or in opposition. Ms. Meads moved, seconded by Mr. Sinaiko, to
increase the Phase 1 sewer connection surcharge from $39.08 to $45.00,
effective
Recommendation to Appoint
Representative to PLOG
Mr. Sinaiko moved, seconded by Mr. Richter,
to recommend that the Board of Selectmen appoint Kathleen Meads as the Water
& Sewer Board representative to the Pamet Lens Oversight Group (PLOG). The motion carried by a vote of 4-0.
Appeal of Phase 2 Betterment –
Attorney Chris Snow entered his appearance on
behalf of the petitioner and stated that he relied on the arguments set forth
in his letter to the Board dated
Appeal of Phase 2 Betterment –
Attorney Edward Patten entered his appearance
on behalf of the petitioner and stated that he relied on the arguments set
forth in his letter to the Board dated
Application for Water Service –
Donald Perry, owner of the subject property,
spoke for the application, which had previously been approved by both the Truro
Board of Health and Truro Board of Selectmen.
Staff presented a statement from Water Superintendent Carl Hillstrom that
he had reviewed the application and determined that it conformed to water
regulations. Therefore, Mr. Sinaiko
moved, seconded by Mr. Van Dereck, to grant the application for new water
service.
Deferral of Water Charges
Mr. Faris presented the following application for deferral of water charges. The applicant qualifies for deferral of real estate taxes and has entered into a deferral and recovery agreement.
|
Acct# |
Address |
Service |
Amount Deferred |
|
3808 |
|
Water |
$50.00 |
Mr. Sinaiko moved, seconded by Mr. Richter, to grant the deferral. The motion carried by a vote of 4-0.
Abatements
Ms. Michaud presented the following
applications for abatement of water usage:
|
Acct# |
Property Address |
Applicant |
Usage |
Bill Amount |
Staff Recommendation |
|
8307 |
|
Lucille Hamilton |
89,000 |
$825.50 |
No leak detected.
Old meter changed out and bench tested. New meter didn’t disclose any leaks. No recommendation. |
Ms. Hamilton spoke for her application.
After some discussion, Mr. Sinaiko moved, seconded by Ms. Meads, to apply
the 500% rule and abate the bill to $487.50.
The motion carried by a vote of 4-0.
|
Acct# |
Property Address |
Applicant |
Usage |
Bill Amount |
Staff Recommendation |
|
2518 |
|
Lee Farroba |
41,000 |
$182.00
- Water $758.50
- sewer |
No leak detected.
Old meter was stuck and was changed out. Doesn’t qualify for 500% rule. Recent readings show consumption of
approximately 6,500 gals/month. No
recommendation. |
Mrs. Farroba was present to speak for her application. After some discussion, Mr. Sinaiko moved,
seconded by Ms. Meads, (1) to base charges for the four-month off-peak period
on consumption of 26,000 gallons and to abate the water charges to $105.00 and
the sewer charges to $481.00, (2) to request that the Water Department continue
to periodically monitor meter readings at this property, and (3) to recommend
that the homeowner relocate the water meter to a more accessible location. The motion carried by a vote of 4-0.
Ms. Michaud then presented the remaining abatement applications.
|
Acct# |
Property Address |
Applicant |
Usage |
Bill Amount |
Staff Recommendation |
|
5411 |
|
John Beauchamp |
128,000 |
$1,405.50
– water |
Application filed after statutory deadline. Also does not meet 500% rule. Recommend denial. |
|
19110 |
|
Jerome Scally |
398,000 |
$5,725.50
– water $7,373.00
– sewer |
Does not meet 500% rule. Recommend denial. |
|
9110 |
|
Jerome Scally |
271,000 |
$3,693.50
– water $5,013.50
– sewer |
In August 2006 it was discovered that meter was
put in backwards. Installation
corrected. Usage verified as
correct. Recommend denial. |
|
1201 |
|
Mark E. Robinson |
30,000 |
$162.50 |
Overcharged due to high estimate. |
|
1280 |
|
Victoria Yenadios |
0 |
$75
– sewer |
Not connected to sewer until after billing
period. Recommend abatement in full. |
|
6804 |
227R |
H. Bradford Rose |
|
|
Overcharged due to estimates for several years
when meter could not be read. Problem
has been corrected. Abate $200. |
|
7618 |
41 Court St. |
Warren Silva |
130,000
|
$865.00
– water |
Clerical error at change-out. Recommend abatement to $145.00 |
Mr. Sinaiko moved, seconded by Ms. Meads to accept the staff
recommendations. The motion carried by a
vote of 4-0.
Flow Revision
Mr. Faris presented the following flow
revision:
|
Map & Parcel |
Address |
Orig Flow |
Rev Flow |
Net Chg |
Original Betterment |
Revised Total Betterment |
Net Betterment Increase (Decrease) |
Reason for Change |
|
|
|
770 |
793 |
23 |
$25,933.60 |
$26,708.24 |
$774.60 |
Revision to reflect reduction of
bedrooms from 7 to 6 and inclusion of 2,660 sf of retail space. |
Mr. Sinaiko moved, seconded by Mr. Van Dereck, to revise the flow and
betterment for this property. The motion
carried by a vote of 4-0.
Recommit Delinquent Water and Sewer
Bills
Mr. Faris presented a list from the tax collector of uncollected delinquent water and sewer bills. Mr. Sinaiko moved, seconded by Mr. Richter, to recommit the charges to the Board of Assessors for inclusion on the real estate bills. The motion carried by a vote of 4-0.
Other Business
Mr. Faris presented a letter from the Board
of Health recommending that properties under an ACO be given preference to any
available sewer gallons within the Phase 1 service area. The Board also inquired about the status of
the public restroom signs.
Approval of Minutes
Ms.
Meads moved, seconded by Mr. Sinaiko, to approve as printed the minutes of the
meeting of
Adjournment
There being no further business, Mr. Sinaiko moved, seconded
by Mr. Richter, to adjourn the meeting.
The vote carried by a vote of 4-0, and the meeting was adjourned at
Respectfully
submitted,
__________________________