1996-Annual Town Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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Grant in conjunction with Cape Cod Literacy Council. Report of the Additionally, we continue to initiate programs that will sewer Commission help our citizens re-enter the workforce. This year we have received Massachusetts State Certification to pro- vide Certified Nurses Aid Training.Cooperating with us in this endeavor has been the great staff at the Center for Optimum Care who have provided us the necessary facil- ities to conduct training. Also we adopted a Medical and the Citizens of the Town of Mashpee: Office practice course to assist those hoping for a career Although the Town of Mashpee does not currently in the medical administration field.So each year we grow own or operate public sewage collection and treatment in providing opportunities for our residents to enter or facilities, the day is rapidly approaching when the change career fields. extent of water quality problems being experienced in areas such as the Mashpee River, Santuit River and With the opening of the new High School came all Waquoit Bay watersheds will mandate some level of new challenges for our Department. We have assumed public participation in wastewater treatment. In antici- responsibility to administer scheduling of facilities after pation of that day, the Sewer Commission has been school hours.We are continually fine-tuning the ratified actively engaged for a number of years in negotiating with large developers and developing shared treatment agreement among Leisure Services, the Selectmen, and the School Committee. This includes, but is not limited plans with the intent of providing wastewater treatment to,building administration/security,billing user organiza- to critical portions of the Town at no expense to the tax- tions, and resolving user group's special requirements payers. While a number of earlier specific privately and problems. To accomplish part of this new mission, funded efforts came close to fruition only to be halted we have recently hired Mrs. Gloria Dube to assist in the by the recession of the late 80's, our efforts in recent administration of the facilities' scheduling.I am happy to years have focused on overall long-range planning not welcome Mrs.Dube to our department. only for centralized collection and treatment systems based on existing or proposed private wastewater treat- And finally, to end out the year, our new baseball ment plants but also on the publicly funded collection backstop,team benches and safety screens were installed and treatment systems, shared neighborhood systems i at Pocknett Field in preparation for the 1997 Senior Lit- and other decentralized treatment and wastewater man- tle League and Girls' softball season. agement approaches that will be necessary in future years if we intend to seriously address our water quali- I truly believe the Leisure Services Department has ty problems. met the challenge in providing quality programs, activi- ties, and events which meet or exceed the needs of the In order to address those issues, we have educated town's residents. We will continue to expand as future ourselves regarding potential funding sources such as needs dictate and constantly assess our direction in pro- the state's no-interest revolving loan fund (SRF),the viding the residents with the best in recreational and edu- latest technologies available for wastewater collection cational activities. and treatment, particularly for nitrogen removal, new on-site system alternatives to the standard Title 5 sep- Finally,I would personally like to extend my gratitude tic system and the complicated laws surrounding to the Selectmen, the Town Departments, and the town wastewater management, particularly decentralized residents for providing our department with the resources management of on-site and community systems. and support to continue to render professional service to Toward that end, we greatly appreciate the May Town this magnificent community. A special thanks to Mr. Meeting vote to restore our small $100 annual budget, Robert Whritenour and Ms. Joyce Mason for their con- which pays for membership in the Water Environment stant support of this department.We thank them for their Federation, the professional organization of public efforts on behalf of the welfare of the town employees wastewater system managers and our primary source of and the residents of Mashpee.To all those civic,commu- information on the field. We have also learned much nity, and private organizations who take their time to from our participation in the ad hoc Task Force for assist us in our needs to make events happen for all of us, Decentralized Wastewater Management. The Task a very special thank you. Force is a statewide group organized through the marine Studies Consortium and working with the Respectfully submitted, Department of Environmental Protection to develop Augustus C. Frederick,Jr.,Director the necessary technical, legal and regulatory underpin' Leisure Services Department nings for lower cost,decentralized approaches to filling the gap between expensive traditional public sewer systems and Title 5 septic systems. The latter, which serve most homes in Mashpee, are ineffective in treat 128