While Mattapoisett’s August 8 encounter with an EF-1 tornado was widely chronicled, including property damage at the Water Treatment Plant, Vinnie Furtado said during Tuesday’s meeting of the Mattapoisett River Valley Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee that the Town of Fairhaven was also hit.

            “When the tornado went through Mattapoisett, it also affected our well, the Tinkham Lane well. We’ve been having a heck of a time with the insurance company making things right,” said Furtado, the chairman of both the MRV Water District Commission and associated Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee. “We had fence damage, too, we had roof damage … we’ve been having a hard time.”

            The Tinkham Lane well itself was not damaged; minor damage at that well earlier this year led to a boil order as far away as Marion.

            In comparing notes, Mattapoisett Water Treatment Plant Supervisor Henri Renauld reported more favorable support from the town’s insurance carrier.

            “Insurance has been great with us,” said Renauld, acknowledging supply-chain programs that vendors are having. Right now, his challenge beyond backorders is getting set up for the repairs project and aligning with Eversource.

            Most recently, Wareham-based ABS Fence issued a change order that will result in Mattapoisett’s plant getting a better gate at a lower cost. Renauld said the town has already received $21,507.26 from insurance toward that project. He was waiting on a backordered heating system and reported difficulty getting a one-night, 1,000-kilowatt generator.

            In his Treasurer’s Report to the commission, Jeff Furtado announced a total of $79,606.93 in paid invoices for November – the commission approved.

            The MRV has set aside $736,000 for spending related to the Koch membrane project, and Renauld said that while waiting for official loan approval he has received two invoices from the company for $109,750 and $219,500 ($329,250 total.)

            Suggesting that Koch is “most likely waiting for these checks to start,” strongly suggested the MRV using the funds.

            The MRV has received a letter of approval for a $2,100,000 loan, but Renauld said it is important that the commission make the initial investment to keep the timeline and get the project done.

            Jeff Furtado asked if there are any other immediate expenses that the commissioners should consider before closing the discussion. Renauld said he is expecting quotes on infrastructure at less than $50,000.

            The commissioners voted to pay Koch the invoiced portion of the capital set aside for the purchase of the membranes. Blair Bailey, who serves the MRV as legal counsel, suggested reaching out to bond counsel to advise them of the plan.

            For the district operating budget, the commission approved a total assessment of $2,390,187, a 1.4% increase over last year.

            Meghan Davis revisited the previously discussed subject of a Water Management Act (WMA) registration statement that would author a bylaw for all MRV member towns where it concerns water-withdrawal rights.

            Noting that the MRV has authority to issue administrative penalties for water violations, Renauld, Vinnie Furtado and Tata & Howard engineer Jon Gregory suggested taking the matter before member-town officials before considering a regional action.

            Davis acknowledged the need to reconvene as a subcommittee, talk with member-town select boards, then report back to the MRV. Mattapoisett Town Administrator Mike Lorenco reminded the membership that the timeline for Annual Town Meeting is tight.

            In his update on the Water Treatment Plant filter upgrade project, Tata & Howard engineer Jon Gregory said he is waiting on a draft for SRF 2024 (funding) and reportedly submitted a budget-evaluation form for the project’s second contract (installation.)

            Anticipating full design (based on local specifications) by the end of next week, Gregory said he will review and get feedback to Koch and proceed from there. He called the process a significant step. Gregory will also update the MRV regarding its project status on capital lists.

            One tricky point will be a temporary bypass system while the plant is down and the filtering system is being replaced with state-of-the-art technology.

            Gregory, Renauld, Davis and Vinnie and Jeff Furtado participated in a recent conference call with the state Department of Environmental Protection to discuss the process. Gregory said one takeaway is the need to keep a close track on secondary contaminants such as manganese levels.

            “It seems they’re on board with the plan,” said Gregory.

            Meantime, Renauld said that divers vacuumed tanks, and Well Number 6 was taken offline to clean and make ready for its crucial role in the bypass during installation of the new filtering system that is to take place next winter.

            Tata & Howard is ready to draft the MRV’s annual report and anticipates a draft in time for the commission’s January 9 meeting. At that time, Gregory and Renauld will update the five-year capital plan.

            In his Treatment Plant operations update, Renauld said the plant is running well and that an oxygen leak was repaired.

            Rochester Water Commission Chairman Fred Underhill attended the meeting to explain his town’s request that the MRV share river-monitoring data to support Rochester’s study on water levels in its major bodies of water.

            Gregory, who helped Underhill work out a technological kink to access the meeting, said there is a MRV stream gauge located in a spot that would benefit Rochester’s project.

            “This is not only important to Rochester as far as I’m concerned but to the River Valley,” said Underhill. “The important part right now is how much water is pulling into Snipatuit and Quittacas and can we put a handle to that?”

            Gregory said he will put together a packet of information that dates back to 2011, calling it “a large pile of data” that will be sent to Rochester Town Planner Nancy Durfee.

            The recent regional meeting of water officials was considered “very productive” by David Pierce, who also thought the dialogue was “very helpful.” Davis was “pleasantly surprised” that representatives from Middleborough and Wareham were able to attend and discuss their challenges.

            Vinnie Furtado agreed with Pierce and Davis but expressed disappointment in a lack of attendance at the virtual meeting by member-town elected officials.

            “I was personally and professionally disappointed that it wasn’t better attended,” he said. “Considering the importance of what we do and that we control the public water supply for four communities, I would have expected more than that. … It was just disappointing that no one – no one – came. … I think you’ve got to be better than that.”

            Member Sandy Keese suggested an earlier push for next year.

            In his Treasurer’s Report to the MRV Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee, Jeff Furtado announced invoices, a balance of $130,079.96 and deposits featuring $58,726.70 (Fairhaven and Marion assessments.) Withdrawals as of November 30 totaled $11,176.94. The committee voted to accept the report.

            The next meeting of the MRV Water District Commission/Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee is scheduled for January 9, 2024.

MRV Water District Commission/Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee

By Mick Colageo

            The members of the Marion Capital Improvements Planning Committee are like Santa’s elves, listening intently and seeking clarification to a long list of requests being made by the town’s department heads as they map out capital needs for the next fiscal year.

            There are critical hurdles to getting this bulging sack of information onto Santa’s sleigh, and many items on the wish lists won’t find their way into a stocking hanging by a fireplace, much less wrapped and placed under a tree.

            Through a series of public meetings that began in April, the committee has been interacting with department heads and educating them on the process by which the committee hears, absorbs, entertains, questions and scrutinizes capital requests.

            Since October 11, those leaders have been making their pitches. The final requests for FY25 were delivered on Monday night by the Water Pollution Control Facility Manager Nathaniel Munafo as a second presentation involving the Department of Public Works to cap the CIPC’s interview season.

            Munafo made separate Water Department and Sewer Department presentations, supported by DPW Director Becky Tilden and engineer Meghan Davis.

            His top-priority, sewer-related item: the $3,213,000 Creek Road Pumping Station. The request is for $308,500 for Marion’s 10% match of a 90% FEMA HMGP Grant, the application for which was filed a year ago.

            Munafo told the CIPC that roughly half the town’s sewer users rely on the Creek Road station, which has been identified as a station in need of repair and one especially vulnerable to potential flood events.

            Marion applied for but was not awarded a BRICK grant, but Munafo reported that NEMA asked Marion to apply for a Hazard Mitigation Plan grant and increased the deal to a 90/10 match.

            “NEMA is very supportive of our program,” said Munafo, noting that the town is slowly working through the process and that the grant has not been officially awarded. He said that if the town receives the grant, it has the matching funds set aside.

            Munafo began his presentation with water projects, requesting as his top priority $1,200,000 from enterprise funds for purchase and installation of an emergency backup generator for the Wolf Island Road Well and East Well and the replacement of a generator for the Perry Hill and Main Pump stations.

            While the grant would be received on July 1, the project has to go out to bid so final costs are a moving target.

            “They (DPW) are constantly looking into a crystal ball to give you the best number they can,” said Town Administrator Geoff Gorman, who was in attendance Monday night.

            Due to the nature of the projects, some water/sewer requests are asking for substantially more money in FY26 or FY27 than they are for FY25.

            There is no doubt as to the top priority a year from now. Listed for FY26 is the $2,700,000 water-main replacement along Route 6 that will presumably service two planned residential developments near the Wareham town line.

            Matt Zuker, whose The Cottages (48-unit, townhouse-style, market-rate development) project is before the Planning Board, is believed to have agreed to fund 40% of the $2,700,000 total.

            On December 6, the DPW made a separate pitch, most notably for a $1,787,000 project that would repave, enhance (lighting) and otherwise improve the driveway and parking lot to the Cushing Community Center.

            In order to qualify for the purposes of the committee’s consideration, a capital project costs at least $10,000 and has a useful life of at least five years.

            Also presented by departments is a 10-year outlook on capital needs, some of which are recurring or based on expiring equipment. On Monday, Munafo readily admitted his annual request for $50,000 related to sludge removal from the wastewater lagoon might rather belong in his operations budget.

            Questionable requests are somewhat common, given each department’s own set of complexities and internal challenges to define a project as purely operational or as capital.

            Beyond its primary task, it is through the process of the ensuing dialogue that the CIPC acts as a sounding board for each department’s financial and planning considerations.

            The committee, comprised of Chairman Dave Janik, Secretary Stephen Nojeim and members Casey Barros, Mandy Givens and Debra Watson, will henceforth analyze all town departments’ and by Tuesday (December 19), will have sent Nojeim their own comprehensive rankings of Marion’s capital projects.

            Any factor, including funding source or timing, could be taken into consideration in arriving at a top-10 list of priorities.

            If Janik and Nojeim determine on December 27 that there is consensus, the CIPC’s work will be considered finished upon its February 20, 2024, appearance before a joint meeting of the Finance Committee and Select Board for questions and answers. If not, Janik will schedule a CIPC “reconciliation” meeting for December 28.

            The CIPC article that will appear on the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting in May will contain the committee’s top-10 capital requests, footnoting the recommendation (or not) of the Finance Committee and Select Board. Those bodies are regularly represented to the CIPC, the Finance Committee by Fred Mock and the Select Board by Randy Parker.

            The next meeting of the Marion Capital Improvements Planning Committee is tentatively scheduled for December 28 at the Town House.

Marion Capital Improvements Planning Committee

By Mick Colageo

Engineer Richard Rheaume of Prime Engineering came before the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission on December 12, requesting the acceptance of what he deemed a “minor field change.” The project is located at 20 Howard Beach and owned by 21 Century Mill LLC.

            After describing the changes to the original plan, which included second-story alterations, Chairman Mike King, along with the commission members, questioned the changes. They held that the changes were not minor, were in fact significant, and either required a new, public notification announcing the changes and alerting abutters – or filing a completely new plan.

            Rheaume didn’t push back from the commissioners’ comments and agreed to publish a new, legal notice and to send abutter notifications announcing when the filing will be heard.

            In other business, a Request for Determination of Applicability for 18 Shore Drive owned by Evelio Suarez was tabled due to lack of representation.

            A Notice of Intent filed by Long Build Homes for Lot 50, Shagbark Circle, was conditioned, and an existing Order of Conditions on an earlier filing was given a Certificate of Compliance (no work begun.)

            A continued NOI for 12 Old Mattapoisett Road filed by Jay Dupont was conditioned for a new septic system.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission is scheduled for Tuesday, January 2, at 6:30 pm.

Mattapoisett Conservation Commission

By Marilou Newell