Board develops 10 sewer considerations
Lorin Johnson listed a number of his concerns about the pending town center sewer plan, ranging from the risk that a low-pressure system above the frost line might freeze in the winter to the possibility one user could wreck the whole system by disposing of motor oil. “Who would pay for that?” he asked.
Board members agreed they had no jurisdiction since systems with total flows of more than 10,000 gallons per day fall under the direct supervision of the Department of Environmental Protection.
Still, said Chairman Tom Philippou, “I would be really ticked off if some of these things came to pass and I thought a town board had not been raising questions that might have anticipated such problems.”
In the end, board members agreed they would create a list of “10 considerations” that, in their view, were not adequately addressed by the current plan. Members will submit ideas and a list will be drawn up and distributed before Town Meeting, at a time, place, and in a format to be determined.
Ag Committee to amend stable permit article
The board also heard recommendations from the Agricultural Advisory Commission that the stable permit fees proposed in Article 40 of the Annual Town Meeting warrant be reduced. The article calls for a first-time fee of $40 and a renewal fee of $20 per year.
“Is this a new tax?” asked commission member Al Combs. “What do we get for it?”
“It’s to cover our administrative expenses,” answered Philippou, one purpose of which is to keep track of how many horses there are in town and where they’re located.
The board agreed it would accept an amendment to Article 40 from the floor at Town Meeting to reduce the fees to a level more acceptable to town farmers. But commission members will first meet to agree on what that amount should be and will give the Board of Health an opportunity to review its recommendations.
