08/21/2025 SEWER COMMISSION Minutes

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Town of Mashpee Sewer Commission t 16 Great Neck Road North Mashpee, MA 02649 the commission's dual role: as a legislative body for the town and as a partner working alongside residents to address real concerns. Mashpee-Wakeby Legal Response Chair Harris invited the Town Manager, Rodney Collins, to present the long-awaited legal opinion regarding the Mashpee—Wakeby Pond site. Mr. Collins reported that the opinion, received on August 13, 2025,was intended for review at the upcoming Select Board meeting. However, given the high level of public interest, both from municipal bodies and private citizens, he had consulted with the Select Board chair and decided to distribute the document immediately to the Sewer Commission and anyone else requesting it. He also noted that he would present it to the Finance Committee later that day. Summarizing the legal finding,the Town Manager quoted: "In summary, we found no instrument of record that would prevent or inhibit the town's proposed project to construct a wastewater treatment facility at this location." Mr. Collins explained that the opinion was concise —three pages in total — and while it was not his own legal work, he encouraged commissioners to review it in full.Any questions could be submitted to himself, Superintendent Meader, or Water Quality Coordinator Ashley Fisher, who would work to obtain responses from legal counsel as needed. Chair Harris thanked Mr. Collins for bringing clarity to the issue, recognizing the importance of this legal determination for moving the wastewater project forward. Following the presentation of the legal opinion, Chair Harris spoke at length about the overarching importance of clean water for Mashpee. She reminded attendees that the state-approved wastewater management plan, adopted in 2015, had already been revised multiple times to account for environmental changes. She stressed that while individuals often focused on localized concerns — whether living near a pond, bay, estuary, or forest — all residents shared responsibility for safeguarding clean water. She cautioned that if residents allowed disagreements to escalate into obstruction,the outcome could be the equivalent of a "no action" scenario. Reading directly from the 2015 plan, she noted that inaction would lead to measurable harm: degradation of drinking water quality,further loss of fisheries, collapse of natural habitats and wetlands, declining property values, recurring algae blooms, beach closures, and ultimately reduced tourism. She emphasized that Cape Cod had already seen the loss of cod and bay scallops and warned that continued disputes could render the region "economically dead." Chair Harris' remarks concluded with a call to cooperation, urging residents to balance individual concerns with collective responsibility. She argued that working together was essential if Mashpee hoped to preserve its environmental, economic, and cultural vitality. Mr. Collins added his perspective, agreeing that debate and scrutiny were vital in democratic governance. He acknowledged that disagreements over project locations, costs, and priorities were natural and even healthy for the community. However, he drew a clear line against personal attacks on professional staff, stressing that municipal employees carried out policies set by governing bodies but were not responsible for the political decisions themselves. He explained that as Chief Administrative Officer, his duty was to implement policy decisions made by authorities such as the Sewer Commission or Select Board.While residents could — and should — challenge decisions and present differing