Minutes of 3/25/25 Sewer Commission meeting– via Zoom (Video Conference) Attendees: Vice-Chair- Brett Ramsden, Clerk- Scott Dall, Member: Joe Hurley, DPW Director- Bill Bernard, Sewer Business Manager: Andrew Valliere, Minutes Clerk- Jane Ranley Absent: Eli Torres Brett opened the meeting at 6:03 pm. and did a roll call of attendees. The Commission began the meeting by saying the Pledge of Allegiance. PUBLIC COMMENT & ANNOUNCEMENTS - none CURRENT BUSINESS - ---Commission Vacancies – Brett noted they will be losing Joe soon and need to bring in new members. Scott suggested promoting the openings online but they won’t be able to do this directly. Bett asked if they found a copy of the letter previously sent and Bill responded he could get a copy, making changes as needed. Brett suggested sending it to those on sewer and possibly expand it to others. Bill will run it by the town manager, who may want to add other committee openings on a combined letter which would cut the cost of stamps for Sewer. ---Zoom/remote Open Meeting Law Legislature— Andrew reported the senate passed this and it is up to the Governor now. The next meeting will be in person. ---DPW Director/Sewer Business Manager Updates– i. Minutes from 2/25/25 and 3/11/25- Motion: Scott D. Second: Joe H. To approve the minutes for 2/25/25 and 3/11/25. Roll Call Vote: Scott-aye, Joe-aye and Brett-aye ii. Sewer Expansion request outside of service area & Easement for connection- Bill reported that a developer came in who had bought a 10 acre property, with a tiny piece of land in the sewer service area. He wants to put houses on the 10 acres and put in an extension. The regulations state it would need a vote with the Commission and Town Meeting but some regulations contradict that, saying it is just a Commission vote. Bill will ask for clarification on the regulations from Town Counsel. Brett asked how far the property was from the main. Bill replied the connection is at the road and the property goes back for the 10 acres. They will need to put in a road or shared driveways, running the sewer down that. Bill added that eventually the developer will want to come before the Commission and he wanted the Commissioners to read, as well as understand the regs. Joe asked what the negatives are beyond the fact there is a boundary. Bill replied they would not need additional pumps because it would be a gravity flow and there is plenty of capacity. He would need to pay for engineering and all the privilege fees. Scott commented they could set a dangerous precedent for development if he is on the edge of the service area. The next one may be a larger property with 200 acres. The Commissioners discussed the need to get clarity on the bylaws and concern over developments that could put extra strains on the town. Bill noted he will still need to go before Planning Board and have the Building Commissioner sign off on it as buildable lots. Joe asked where the boundary came from originally and what the mission statement is for the sewer system – is the goal to provide partial service or to cover all of Lunenburg? The Commissioners discussed what the impact would be with more people on the system and potential for development of farm land. Bill screen-shared a map of the town showing the Sewer Service Area as noted in the Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan. He will dig into it to find answers to their questions. Bill reported he had another contractor come in who is building a home and would like to use an easement to connect. The regulations state they can grant a waiver but he would need to come before the Commission with some good reasons for granting a waiver. Bill asked the Commissioners to read and understand the regs before he comes in. He noted the contractor is building 4 units with shared driveways and will be a complicated project. iii. Wright-Pierce NDPES requirements – Bill reported he has gone back and forth with Wright-Pierce to narrow the scope and should have a new cost for the next meeting. iv. Bill payment online feature/options- Andrew reported the town treasurer’s office said it could be implemented easily. There are some drawbacks and may require adjustments for incorrect payments but they can move forward with it if they want. Scott suggested using a toggle to pay past due amounts or making partial payments. They could try a 6 month trial to see how it would work. Brett said it could help a good deal of people. Andrew will put the request in to have the bank turn it on. The Commission discussed doing a vote but decided to table the discussion until Andrew gets more details. v. Assistant to the Business Manager position- Bill noted that Tiffaney only lasted a day and said she could not continue due to family issues. They contacted HR and got some resumes of people that applied for similar jobs. They reached out to 4 of them, heard back from 3 and interviewed 1 today. Another interview is set up for Thursday and the other 2 were not interested. vi. Manhole Repair IFB- Bill has set up a pre-construction meeting for next week. Future Agenda Items- sewer expansion request, minutes, Wright-Pierce updated numbers, bill pay option information, future Assistant, and Manhole Repair meeting. Brett asked Joe how long he will be staying and Joe replied he will be moving sometime over the summer, around the end of July. He will keep everyone posted. PUBLIC COMMENT – Scott noted the Town Hall will be open on Saturday for people collecting signatures to be added to the ballot and for picking up dog licenses. UPCOMING SCHEDULED SEWER COMMISSION ACTIVITIES: April 8, 2025 @ 7pm – Regular Meeting, Hybrid Meeting April 29, 2025 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Zoom Meeting May 13, 2025 @ 7pm – Regular Meeting, Hybrid Meeting May 27, 2025 @ 6pm – Regular Meeting, Zoom Meeting Motion: Scott D. Second: Joe H. To adjourn at 7:03pm. Roll Call Vote: Joe-aye, Scott-aye and Brett-aye. Respectfully submitted, Jane L. Ranley Minutes Clerk