The committee appointed by the selectmen to craft policies for the town to use in managing the town center sewer system authorized by voters in 2009 has been at work on their assignment since early summer. Finally, in a rare morning presentation before the selectmen at Town Hall last week, their work, a compilation of “policy recommendations” that has circulated among the selectmen and other town officials since October, got its first public airing.
The report, not yet available on the town website, deals with issues that range from the mundane to the controversial, from a list of substances that cannot be released into the system to a guarantee that any property has 20 years “by right” to connect to the system. The recommendations enshrine construction and financing limits—so-called “circuit breakers”—that, if exceeded, would require another town meeting vote before work on the sewer could proceed. The document contains a “growth neutrality” clause that guarantees properties in the district the right to expand their use of the system under certain circumstances and allows the sewer commissioners to approve new connections that “fulfill the goals of the town Master Plan” or “create a demonstrable benefit to the town.” The document also affirms that the map, which voters approved in 2009, defines the limits of the district, regardless of what other documents might suggest.
With all but one of seven members of the Town Center Sewer Policy Committee (TCSPC) present, Chairman Scott Hayward walked the selectmen—absent an ailing Bill Johnson—through his committee’s 13-page document, which is, in essence, a first draft of the rules a future three-member sewer commission will use to administer its district and the roughly 70 properties it includes. The bylaw establishing the district was signed by Governor Deval Patrick early this year. Although it called for the selectmen to appoint the commission “within 60 days” of its approval by the state legislature, the duties of that body are, for now, the responsibility of the Board of Selectmen.
“No one is critical of that delay,” said Hayward later in an interview with the Press. “It’s important to spell out the obligations and duties of the commissioners first. Everyone agrees that … this is the absolutely best way to proceed.”
Limited capacity makes Harvard unique
Asked what the most difficult issue his group dealt with was, Hayward said, “It’s hard to pick one.” But if he had to choose one, he said, it would probably be “capacity.” What’s unique about the Harvard system, he said, is that it is not open-ended, as is the case with other systems his committee examined. By design, the Harvard system and its treatment plant will handle a maximum flow of roughly 18,000 gallons per day. In spite of incentives to do so, not every property owner within the district will connect to the system immediately. Use of the system is bound to increase over the next several years, he said, and competition for remaining capacity could emerge before the 20-year guarantee to property owners expires. At the very least, it will be important for the district commissioners to measure use annually and to report that number to the town, he told the Press as well as the selectmen.
Beyond capacity, said Hayward, his own biggest concern is “coordination.” Once the system is built, he said, a property owner who decides to connect will have a list of tasks to complete, ranging from the construction of a connection to the new main and installation of a “grinder pump” to the decommissioning of their septic system and release of Title V deed restrictions that may be in place. “Nobody wants them to be surprised, or to be taken by surprise,” he said. “There needs to be communication upfront about what their responsibilities are and what they need to do, and we should try to get that in as simple a form as possible.” Right now, he said, “it’s too early for that. But what we’re trying to say [in our report to the selectmen] is, this is what we need to be taking care of between now and the start of construction, so that people have a clear idea of what they’re going to get, and what their responsibilities are.”
Growth neutrality, circuit breakers and more
At the two-hour Board of Selectmen meeting last week, which included Department of Public Works Director Rich Nota, Finance Director Lorraine Leonard, and Water Commission Chairman Rick Dickson, Hayward managed to walk participants through the first two pages of his committee’s recommendations. The TCSPC is scheduled to meet again with the BOS this Friday in Town Hall at 9 a.m., when participants will dive into some of the most difficult and controversial of the proposed policies: the “growth neutrality clause,” project circuit breakers, and the handling of additional properties and changes in use after the system is built.
Another committee, the Town Center Sewer Building Committee (TCSBC) chaired by Chris Ashley, is currently waiting for the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to approve its application for low-interest funding from a state revolving fund. Ashley remains confident that the application will be approved by the beginning of 2011, at which time the town will prepare a request for bids and establish more clearly the likely cost of the system.
