===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Stormwater Task Force Minutes March 27, 2024 Dept. of Public Works Building 520 Chase Road Lunenburg, MA 01462 Members present: Chair Tim Willsmer, Member John Beale, DPW Director Bill Bernard, Select Board Representative Renee Emkey, Conservation Commission Representative Jenny Pewtherer. CALL TO ORDER The meeting opened at 7:00PM. I. PUBLIC COMMENT There was no public comment. II. ANNOUNCEMENTS There were no announcements. III. BOARD DISCUSSION Appointment of Vice Chair The Task Force wants to appoint a new Vice Chair but wants to wait until the new member is present. Thoughts/Notes from CEI presentation In general, the Task Force members felt the presentation was very informative. Tim Willsmer compared data with other towns and the presentation seemed reasonable. Chapter 90 Funding Bill Bernard defined Chapter 90 funding as monies that the state gives to the town for repair and maintenance of town roads and drainage. Bill Bernard has put in a request for projects on 4 roads totaling $700,000. Renee Emkey states that even though there is over 2 million dollars in Chapter 90 funding that still is not even close enough to cover everything that needs to be done. Tim Willsmer says ideally at some point we could use Chapter 90 funding towards stormwater purchases/projects. ===PAGE 2=== Bill Bernard confirms that funding for FY 2025 will be used toward drainage swales on Reservoir Road and multiple drainage improvements. Renee Emkey asks if there is any other equipment needed for the department. Bill Bernard states there is 1 more dump truck in the capital funding for next year. FY 26 also has a mini excavator with trailer that will be used almost exclusively for stormwater related purposes. Bill Bernard states an option to purchase equipment would be to take out a loan then just pay that loan. Bill Bernard has created a 1-year preliminary budget to share with the Task Force. The budget includes: - A $50,000 expense for engineering small audits with CEI - 3 new personnel Renee Emkey asks if the budget includes health insurance and benefits. Bill Bernard confirms that’s the case and the numbers are only a guess. - There is a stormwater line item for this year totaling $141,000 and currently $86,000 has already been spent. - There is a drainage line item for this year totaling $60,000 and currently $59,000 has been spent. - There is a line item estimated for labor. In 2023 approximately $22,000 was spent on labor. Tim Willsmer questions what the 1 big project and the 2 small projects are listed on the budget. Bill Bernard states the big project would be the repairs on Flat Hill and Page Street and that is estimated around $200,000 and the 2 smaller projects would roughly be around $50,000 and that could replace a pipe or 2. Renee Emkey wants to confirm that to get a stormwater utility going its roughly 1.1 million for the first year. After the first year it decreases down to $800,000 to $900,000 annually. Bill Bernard confirms that is the case and this is a best guess. John Beale asks what is in the town budget that is now used for utilities. Bill Bernard states there are a couple lines for stormwater under the DPW. Tim Willsmer questions if Bill Bernard has any knowledge about how many and how big the parking lots are that we have in town. This information will be needed for assessment to determine the payment amount. Bill Bernard will ask Nick from CEI about impervious surfaces at businesses and the assessments. ===PAGE 3=== Tim Willsmer discussed potential next steps to move towards a stormwater plan. Some next steps include: - Writing up bylaws and specifications. - Turn over what kind of footprint the businesses in town have over to CEI. IV. MEETING MINUTES There was a motion to approve the minutes from the meetings on 12/28/23, 1/18/24, and 2/22/24 by John Beale, seconded by Renee Emkey. Roll call vote. Jenny Pewtherer aye, Renee Emkey aye, John Beale aye, Tim Willsmer aye. V . ONGOING BUSINESS Middle/High stormwater garden Bill Bernard is looking at late June once school is over to start the project. The plans are completed and printed. John Beale states there is a lot of drainage coming in from other areas that are bypassing the proposed location. John Beale questions if it makes more sense to try to filter the water to a different location before it goes downstream. Bill Bernard will run this idea by Nick from CEI. VI. ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING When/how to start public outreach John Beale put together an outline of what could be presented to the public to educate residents. The document was sent to the Task Force members for suggestions. The Task Force is requesting information about how many residents are in town. An additional aspect of the MS4 permit includes surveying, street sweeping, a lot of reporting, and the best management practices demo at the middle/high school. Upcoming proposed larger projects include Flat Hill/Page Street and West Townend Road/New West Townend Road. John Beale asks if it is part of the MS4 permit to have outflow from stormwater monitored. Bill Bernard confirms stormwater outflows are monitored. ===PAGE 4=== VII. UPCOMING EVENTS The next meeting is scheduled for April 18th at 7:00 PM. All Task Force meeting are held at the Lunenburg DPW unless otherwise indicated. VIII. ADJOURN There was a motion to adjourn by John Beale, seconded by Renee Emkey. All in favor. The meeting closed at 7:55 PM. *** Per Policy, Public comment is limited to 15 minutes, with no more than 3 minutes per speaker except at the discretion of the Chairperson.