by Valerie Hurley ·
Friday, October 18, 2024
The Water Commission is struggling to find the cheapest way to provide a state-required restroom in the small pump station that will be built as part of the Devens water connection project.
The structure will be located on the Devens side of the railroad tracks at the end of Depot Road to house the pumps that will deliver PFAS-free water to Harvard’s public water supply system. Department of Public Works Director Tim Kilhart told the Press the building will be unoccupied except for a daily “pop-in” to check that all is well.
But last December, the Massachusetts Plumbing Board revised some of its codes and added this new regulation: “For unoccupied structures which may require maintenance such as pumping stations, substations, and similar type facilities, one unisex/gender-neutral restroom shall be required within the facility.” Engineers from Tighe & Bond, the firm that designed the pump station, requested a variance because the design was “substantially complete” before the code was changed. The request was denied at the plumbing board’s April 3 meeting.
The restroom issue resurfaced at the Water Commission’s Oct. 9 meeting, and engineer Mary Danielson from Tighe & Bond said Devens had already issued a plumbing permit and a building permit for the station as designed, with no restroom. However, the permits have a generic requirement that the station must meet state building codes. She said it was unclear if the restroom would come up at final inspection, and while the firm is researching options that would meet the code, she didn’t think any immediate action was required since the permits were already approved.
Chair Cindy Russo disagreed, saying, “We all know that there’s no wiggle room about what the plumbing code says even though it is incredibly stupid. The permit says comply with codes. It’s going to catch us someday. Think about what it’s going to cost when in two years they say you guys don’t comply with building code.”
Russo asked if the restroom would fit in a corner of the station. Danielson said it must be ADA compliant, so it would have to be at least 6 feet by 8 feet, taking up a large amount of space in the building. She said the other alternative is to install an external outhouse with a composting toilet, and she thought there was a chance the Devens plumbing inspector might support that, even though it would not meet the plumbing code as written.
Water Commission member Chris Mitchell was concerned that by the time the building is finished, Devens may have a new plumbing inspector who wouldn’t approve an external restroom. Tighe & Bond engineers and Town Administrator Dan Nason planned to meet with the Devens plumbing inspector to discuss the options.
If the restroom is going to be installed, design modifications will be required, and Danielson said the decision must be made before the foundation is poured. “We should do whatever is cheapest,” Russo said. “It is never going to get used.”