2/10/2011 ENVIRONMENTAL OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE Minutes

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Mashpee Environmental Oversight Committee Minutes of Meeting February 10 at 7:00 p.m. Mashpee Town Hall, Meeting Room 2 Present: Chairman John Cahalane, Ted Theis, Ed Baker, George Petersen Absent: Rick York CALL TO ORDER The meeting was opened by Chairman Cahalane at 7:06 p.m. without a quorum. Quorum was met at 7:45 p.m. COMMIJ ICATIONS No public comment at this time NEW BUSINESS Pirate's Cove-Alternative Water Management Proposal Chairman Cahalane expressed concern about the state's refusal to offer Mashpee a forgiven loan to fund the Pirate's Cove Permeable Reactive Barrier(PRB) project proposed by Pio Lombardo. The Chair requested feedback from the Committee. Mr. Baker suggested that Mashpee refuse the SRF loan that has been offered with 2% interest, noting that the project, had it been funded by a grant, would have been a demonstration project benefitting the entire Cape in dealing with estuary problems. Beverly Kane expressed concern about the emphasis of using sewer pipes and treatment plants and suggested that there are other possibilities, such as the PRB. Selectman Cahalane suggested that an argument may be made that the grant should be awarded to Mashpee and could still be a possibility. Selectman Cahalane supported the project as a grant funded alternative and expressed concern that the nitrogen planning process could be slowed or altered as a result. Selectman Cahalane and Mr. Baker discussed the PRB technology presented by Mr. Lombardo. Mr. Baker stated that there is no guaranteed result and that the proposed project is experimental. Ms. Kane indicated that the technology has been used elsewhere, although not to the same extent. Mr. Baker noted that the PRB has a possibility of being successful, adding that grant money could be used to test the technology and then provide a possible alternative to the rest of the Cape should the demonstration be successful. Mr. Baker added that the PRB technology has a 40 year life. Mr. Theis suggested that use of iron injection may be more effective. Mr. Baker reiterated that the demonstration project not be pursued if Mashpee is required to pay for it. Selectman Cahalane stated that Mr. Lombardo presented the proposal as being funded by grant money rather than a loan. Santuit Pond-Alternative Funding Plans Selectman Cahalane reported that the Santuit Friends plan to seek funds from the Community Preservation Act funds. Mr. Baker stated that CPA funding had been sought for the Santuit Pond dam but that the request had been denied. Selectman Cahalane stated that there is a new category instituted by the State that will allow usage of the funds for water resources, but funding may still be a challenge since many other groups will also be pursuing the funding. There was discussion regarding the debt versus town income. It was noted that $300,000 is available to spend according to the Community Preservation Committee, although it was suggested that more funds were available. Mr. Baker stated that 10% is reserved each for affordable housing, open space and community preservation and the remaining 70% is unreserved. There was also discussion regarding Town bonds and the purchase of land for the Town. Stormwater Mr. Baker copied the Planning Board's Road Specifications and Section J, adding suggestions in red and deleting text in green. Mr. Baker suggested that his draft could be an initial start to developing a policy to be