The Mattapoisett Water and Sewer Commission met on September 1 with Ted Gowdy of AERIE Homes, one of the newer operating and construction entities building inside the Bay Club cluster subdivision. Gowdy, who has been making the rounds of various town boards and commissions, had previously met with Water and Sewer Superintendent Nick Nicholson to discuss sewer connections on lots that are in the process of being redefined.
Gowdy said that the Bay Club had been allotted 189 sewer connections, but not all of those had been used since some lots were combined. He questioned whether he could have unused connections for AERIE lots that may have duplex units constructed on them.
The commission’s legal counsel, Blair Bailey, asked how the calculations had been made for the original permit, and he wondered if the number of total bedroom units in the original Phase One build out of the Bay Club had been part of the consideration. Commission Chairman Dan Chase remembered that bedrooms had, in fact, been considered, but in the absence of the original permit no one could confirm that point.
Standing in for Nicholson who could not attend the evening’s meeting was Water and Sewer staff member Henri Renauld. Renauld said they needed to review the original agreement before any decisions could be made on how to handle Gowdy’s request.
The sewer permit for the Bay Club was crafted based on units and possibly bedrooms, the commissioners believed, and not on flowage since no mechanism is in place to actually measure sewer outflow at this location.
Gowdy said it was his understanding that household units had been capped at 189, but nothing had addressed restrictions on the number of bedrooms for each unit. Bailey wanted to make sure there would not be any confusion in the future, and he asked Gowdy to return to the next meeting of the Water and Sewer Commission with a letter from the Bay Club establishing that the club will relinquish unused sewer connections to AERIE Homes. He also agreed with Renauld, saying a review of the original permit was necessary. Gowdy was asked to return with documentation for commission review and consideration.
In other business, Bailey presented a final copy of the updated Abatement and Leak Policy. He said he edited the text to include language that would allow for fair and consistent abatements, regardless of the size of a leak. The new document will allow the commission to calculate an average three-year bill and the leakage and then divide that number in half to reach the abatement figure.
Another significant language change allows the commission to impose full costs on a consumer if that consumer has been notified of a leak, or declares a leak but fails to make the necessary repairs within 30 days of discovery.
Letters from Alice McGarth, president of the Angelica Point Improvement Association, were read into the minutes. Her letters applauded the fine work recently completed on Cove Street by the water and sewer team and by the Town’s subcontractors. Adding to those acknowledgements, Chase congratulated the Water and Sewer Department employees and Nicholson on a job well done.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Water and Sewer Commission is scheduled for September 15 at 6:00 pm in the Mattapoisett Water Department Offices on County Road.
By Marilou Newell
