Wait continues for Route 15 sewer

By Jonathan Cook
Turley Publications Reporter

STURBRIDGE -At the most recent board of selectmen meeting, the lack of progress on the Route 15 sewer issue was discussed and a member of the town’s counsel advised on developments regarding the open meeting law, among other business.

Route 15 sewer still not near

While selectmen have promised to look into ways to assist Route 15 property owners with a failing septic systems problem, they learned that any solution is probably not going to come fast enough.
Interim Town Administrator Michael Racicot spoke with Tighe & Bond regarding ways to solve the problem by installing sewer connections.
“They have put together a proposal to come up with options for that sewer,” he said. “But it’s going to cost in the neighborhood of $25,000. And basically what that will do is review the options and then come up with some cost figures. The reality is we’re still probably not going to be able to do anything for a while.”
Selectman Thomas Creamer asked about the possibility of using the town’s remaining discharge reserves. “They have nearly 200 systems about to fail,” he said of the retirement community on Route 15.
Selectman Scott Garieri said he was concerned for the property owners there.
“They’ve been expecting an answer. They’ve been told that we’re going to study it. We’re going to come up with some kind of answer. And I don’t think the answer they want to hear is that the time frame is not going to be compatible to what they want to do.”
Garieri added, “I still think we have an obligation to sit down and find a solution.”
He listed Sbarro’s, Yogi Bear Campground, Pilot Travel Center, and the retirement community as all having failing systems as a reason for urgently addressing the problem.
“I think it’s a borderline catastrophe situation,” Garieri said.
“If Walker Pond was failing I can guarantee that we’d be doing something to get sewer up there,” he said.
What’s more, he said that one place to look for the money to pay for the Tighe & Bond study would be to stop plowing sidewalks. “Let’s implement an order that says if you own a sidewalk, then comply with the bylaws. Shovel it, instead of having the DPW do it at a cost of $25,000. We’ve got a part of town where the septic systems are failing, and we can’t come up with money. But we can come up with money to plow sidewalks I don’t understand this,” Garieri said.
“We’ve got to get the money,” Creamer said. “I agree with you there. I’m not sure that’s the place.”
Department of Public Works Director Greg Morse will be in to discuss the matter at a February meeting.

Evaluation materials ruled public

Town Counsel Joel Bard of Kopelman & Paige dropped in to advise the board that notes and other materials used in composing town administrator evaluations, have been ruled exempt from public disclosure by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Bard said that ruling is consistent with advice given to the town.
According to a letter Bard supplied, “the Worcester District Attorney disagreed with our opinion and, in July 2008, required that the individual evaluations be released.”
The letter goes on to state that recent changes in the open meeting law, while not perfectly clear, “may have the effect of changing the law in this area.”
The new law takes effect July 1.

Other business . . .
The 2009 Town Report is being compiled and a letter of thanks was sent to State Senator Stephen Brewer for his “tireless efforts” to get the governor to return funds to the regional school transportation budget.