10/17/2024 SEWER COMMISSION Minutes

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Town of Mashpee Sewer Commission 07 16 Great Neck Road North Mashpee, MA 02649 Santuit Pond area. The Chair also requested for additional information on the submission of the SRF application. Ms.Trip noted that to receive the SRF funding is the submittal of the application, which includes plan sets,specifications, contracts, etc. The application will be reviewed by SRF in great detail over the coming weeks and ultimately will receive a Project Approval Certificate (PAC). The PAC should likely be received in January and should put the Town in a position to bid it during the winter. The next major step will be asking for permission to advertise the project. The next major deadline is having all of the contracts executed by June 30, 2025. Before introducing the discussion of a billing method, Mr. Meader took a minute to introduce Ashley Fisher who has recently joined the Department of Wastewater Management as the Water Quality Coordinator. She's also expressed learning to become an Operator as well as a lab technician when the new Admin Building is completed. She will also be coordinating grants for the Town as a whole. This is a huge bonus for the Department. Mr. Meader noted that while working on the rate study, he was reminded that the initial proposal was that the Town was going to subsidize 100%and then wean off as customers connected. There's a lot to data to crunch. He requested from the Commission a vote on how to bill (bedroom count or flow based). He recommended using a flow based billing system. Mr. Meader provided the Commission an example of Tiered Billing System Using Units. Mr. Meader stated that he would propose that every January the approved rates be reviewed so the rates aren't locked in; doesn't mean we have to change the rates, but at least they would be reviewed. There was discussion related to seasonal residents, condominium owners/buildings. Mr. Meader reminded the Commission that he was only asking for a vote on the billing method. A Public Hearing will have to be held which will set the rates. Mr.Towle asked for clarification for when talking about meters that they're referring to the water meters. Mr. Meader confirmed that was accurate. Mr. Meader said that a deduct meter would be used to capture those instances where an irrigation system might be hooking up to Town water, but since there's not supposed to be irrigation systems hooked to Town water,this shouldn't be a factor. The deduct meter would be placed in the vicinity of the fixture. For residents on a well, there are a couple options;fixed billing or put a meter on the well. This is something that the Commission will need to decide. The Chair asked about the number of homes that are on wells and Mr. Meader said it was approximately 30 homes not on Town water in the sewering project. Ms. Sprout also mentioned that there are some residents that choose not to hook up to Town water. Motion was made by Mr.Towle to have Jared move forward with a flow based billing system. Motion was seconded by Ms. Castaneda. Motion passed by unanimous consent. Chair's Report The Chair reported that the Town is in need of applications for various positions such as Board members and Board secretaries. The openings can be found on the Select Board and Town websites. She noted that she's impressed with the joint workings of various board and committees and working together such as the IMA working groups. When contracts are codified with these agreements, we can then work together on mutually beneficial programs for the Towns impacting both of our watersheds. The Chair reported on the presentation to the realtors and the importance of being able to share and inform residents of what's happening on the Sewer project. The slides from this presentation can be found on the Sewer Commission's website in the Archive tab.