Water Pollution Control Authority - Regular Meeting

Thank you. Um, all right. I'd like to call the meeting to order. It's, uh, 7:30, I believe. I watched 7:30. Uh, in attendance is, uh, Andrea Lombardi, Brad Jüks, Steve Tunami, Manny Nixon, Demetri Cholski, uh, and John, uh, TB. Is is TB a member? Oh, that's me. But you've got enough people to hold the Yes. to hold the meeting. So, I'm gonna leave. Have a great meeting. Thank you.

Brad Jüks. Uh, I don't know if you can hear us, but you might want to unmute yourself if if Yeah. Hi guys. I hear you. Sorry. Um, great. No problem. Technology, but I'm here. I've been listening for a while, so I'm I'm good. Okay. All right. So, um, All right. First, uh, I call the meeting to order. First order of business is approval of, uh, last month's minutes. Anyone have any comments, suggestions, or corrections. I'll make a motion to approve the minutes. I'll second it. All right. All in favor say I. I. I.

Yep. All opposed. All right. Uh, no extensions. I don't think you can. Um, motion passes unanimously. Second order of business, uh, is Andrea Lombardi. She's going to do the treasures report. Andrea, excuse me. Excuse me. I just joined at 7:30 and I didn't hear what motion you had raised before 7:30. This is Mary. Yeah, it it was to approve last month's minutes. Okay. Thank you.

You're welcome. Okay, I was going to uh present the or go over the summary of the budget. So, we're starting the new fiscal year and so far one um set of invoices have cleared for the uh clerk only. So, our expenditures for the month of August, uh, $230 and right now we are, oh, that's current current year total, excuse me, this month was $115. So, remaining balance to date is $90,928. uh the ARPA funds AR Pa um if you need to know that's a project number 37. Year to date we have expensed $8,375. The remaining balance which needs to be spent down by December 2026 is $150,343 and25. We have encumbered two invoices to Fussen O'Neal. One is for $3,680 and the other one is for $130. I wanted to respond to the request I had last month about exploring the various attorney fees and invoices and where we're at with that. So, what I can say is I have been going through the clean water funds, but today I just got about an inch of reports to

plow through. So, I'm not going to be able to have a complete report tonight, but I will have that for the next meeting because obviously I just received the information. Um, it that's all I have for tonight. Oh, encumbered also um I want to thank Erica. She sent out the um pumpout cards and so those invoices we expect to hit this month. Erica works very fast and very quickly and very thoroughly. So, we're really lucky to have her and the cards went out. Agreed. Well, thank you, Andrea and Andrew. Okay.

Are there are there any questions for Andrea? Oh, Andrew. Oh, are you talking about the request information requested by Mary Dailyaly uh last month about um uh Yes. How much? Okay, that's what that's what I was Yes, exactly.

Right. Are there any questions from for Andrea? All right. Um on to the next item is chairman's report. Uh so a lot's going on since the last meeting. Um, I gave a presentation to the town as a townformational meeting going over expenses. Uh, again, there were people there that don't either don't believe what I'm saying or don't believe in the numbers. Uh, but, uh, I stand by those numbers. I I believe they're accurate and true. uh the board of selectmen has not voted to move this uh referendum forward. I believe the outcome of that is going to be the DEP will award uh or allow the three beach associations to begin work um and they can take full advantage of the 50% grant and loan forgiveness. I believe that we will be eventually forced to put in sewers. Um, and it will cost uh old line more money because the 25% loan uh forgiveness will probably have been removed by them. Um, I think that it is uh irresponsible uh for BOS to not move this forward to referendum to allow the citizens to vote. Um what they are arguing over uh the $17.1

million for referendum converts to an $ 8.55 million loan at 2% compounded yearly 2% APR. Those numbers are correct. So what they're looking for is some magical accountant to determine what all the other costs would be. And I don't know of any person that can predict into the future what ifs. What if East Line does something? What if uh uh uh London adds to their treatment plan? We we will pay. That's that's the the bottom line. It's not much. I mean, it's uh if it, you know, combined if if they both if East Line and Moon London did uh uh a million dollar worth of work, it would be I think it would add $42 uh um per EDU per year. No, $42 per edu financed over 20 years. $42 financed over 20 years for every million dollars. If if East Line and New London did it, if just New London did it, we're only responsible for the New London uh uh portion of that of that upgrade uh which is 0.5%. So, I don't know where this is going. I don't think that we will be able to award a contract by October 15th because the date to to get a referendum is uh fastly approaching and uh and the time constraints uh are are I I I don't see how we would be able to do that. I think we have maybe a window of 5 days right now by

the time if they voted today due to to go out with the referendum. So, um it's it's uh it's fast approaching the deadline. The CSA, we have assigned CSA, the D I've been in uh conversation with the D and bond council and apparently the D uh would accept the current CSA. There is no need for a new CSA though. Uh a new CSA that is better written that handles what we're doing uh would be uh would be wise. But the current CSA uh according to the bound council, the way the current CSA is written, it does not harm the town of old line uh if we kept it. um the p the entity that could be harmed is is Old Colony. They're taking on all of the debt for the shared infrastructure and there and yes, the CSA says we will owe 29.7%. Um but it doesn't say that uh the state is going to fund or roll that that 29.7% into our internal infrastructure. Um, I've asked bond council to talk to uh uh DP as well as uh old colony bond council to see if what I'm hearing is is correct and that the D is not requiring a new rewrite. Uh I I still believe that uh this project is is

warranted. Uh that it that it will save uh uh the Sound View um time and money in the long run. Uh I know probably not in this generation but in future generations as the water table goes up more and more houses will have to just be abandoned because there will be no way of putting in septic system. Um I also believe that O line will sewer those those uh uh properties eventually at a much greater cost than will be done now. Uh and I believe that the board of select men are putting all of the taxpayers and people of sound view at risk. Um that's basically uh my report. So does anyone have any comments, suggestions or

question for you? So our deadline is October 15th. Is that correct? I believe that's the date that we have to sign the contract with the within the contract. Yeah. Yeah. Now, of course, that could be extended if you want. So,

well, but uh as I know, I'm a plumber. As I know, all price is going up by week. And if you're going to pass this time and we will not sign the contract is on those proposals we have because people put those proposals are going to give us new proposals. It's going to cost more money. True. And uh another thing that I was thinking about what is the sound of you teach association. This is this is property owned by all town and the beneficiaries will be not only people who are going to have a solar usage on their properties. but also people who come to the beaches all around the town and other people who are don't belong to the town come to the beaches this beach should be compensated for by people I think that using those beaches that beach public beach also I made I provided my calculation that if if 50% of the of the cost would be spread to people who live in a town. Who know how much cost will be to the owners who don't have properties on the beaches but using the beach? $5 a month.

$5 a month. they could they would take half of the cost of the of the construction. Well, I you know uh that's true but then the taxpayers of sub of are subsidizing increases in value for people's homes. I mean Dmitri, you can only charge what the assessed value increase is. So, if someone's house only goes up uh by $10,000, we have to pick up the other 16. I'm watching also prices of the properties on a ditch and properties of the beach. And those prices about million dollars mostly properties off the beach, not on the beach. And uh look at the beach properties. Mostly of them were built 100 years ago. And what volume you are talking about? Because they have a sword that volume.

Well, I'm just saying their value their value will go up. How about someone that doesn't have any they can't build because they don't have enough square without a septic but will be able to build without saying that private beaches have a security guards on the gates. You cannot come to the private beach. Okay. So, so this is something I read in the day after my meeting. Uh I think it was June uh proposed that the town pay for all the road reconstruction. That would be uh an $860,000 savings to people. But why should the town subsidize people's increase in value of their home?

If you have your opinion, I'm telling I'm saying my opinion. Okay. Okay. If your opinion, if you would be living on a on a sure where this going to be like me, you would have different opinion 100%. Now you're saying something that your opinion the property value is up and you're improving your value of the property. Well, that's not my opinion. That's our assessor's opinion that that we hired. The WPCA hired an assessor that said the the property value will go up between 8 and 12%.

What's wrong if people would take part of the cost for using the beach public beach? What's the wrong What's wrong? What what does the public beach have to do with with I I I realize people are going down there, some of the commercial properties are being uh uh charged three edus. That would be saying that they're paying their share and then they have to pay usage on top of that. But no one is going to that beach and walking in people's homes.

Okay. You have different opinion 100 just 100% opposite from my opinion. I'm saying my opinion that If beneficiaries will be people, we have pollution. Okay, we have a pollution. If we are going to get rid of pollution, people who use the beach are beneficiaries. Okay, so this is my point. And people if they're going to if their cost would be like $5 a month, is that a big deal? What about the people that don't live in town that visit the beach? What about all those houses that rent? This those there's another question.

They should be another question. Brad Jüks because I'm a little frustrated with this whole process as well. Like we all are. Who is this? Brad Jüks. Brad.

I moved up here 10 years ago and you know what? the privilege of living on the water is is kind of special and we spent a lot of money on putting a new septic system in so we can do that. You're generational down there on the beach and that's great but it's been neglected for for generations and it's time to step up. I'm sorry. You know, you're lucky you live down there but it's it's something that um you're very fortunate to have. a lot of people in the world don't and I I really feel that um you got to have to step up and and think about it from a different angle or a different projectory and that's just my own opinion. Um and also I think the uh the interview from the the uh newspaper was a little lopsided and I think that was unfair. Uh I never was reached out to. I don't know who else wasn't on the um on the board. So, I I have a little issues with some stuff, but we'll just leave it at that.

Thank you, Brad.

Jimmy, did you have I mean, you can go on. Well, difference between private beaches and a uh public beaches is that more people using public beach than a private beach. Private beaches have spa a lot of spaces on the beaches even in the best sunny day in summer. Public beaches are crowded. They're very crowded. They close the gate. They don't let people to come. People come from 6:00 in the morning to 8:00 can occupy the beach. After that, it's closed. I live on the shore of across the gas station and I see what going on every time. So that question should be brought in and considered if maybe people would think this is not a bad big bad deal. All I can say to that I think it's the town but all it's not up to me to consider that it's up to the town. It's not mine.

You're our leader here and you should if you feel that should be brought this question even you are not supporting this if you bring it to the public and you hear what public will say. No, I the public the public feels as though the town Martin and and and uh uh uh others feel that a good compromise for this project is for the town to pay for all of it. That's the compromise. I don't know what kind of compromise that go I'm saying 50% and maybe 25%. this would be

well I mean the town and and just so just so you're clear I read that thing about Jude saying they suggesting pay for the roads in in the day after my meeting but Martha has also asked me if it was possible. So yeah it it it they can remove that item from from our bid and the town can can bid it. I mean that or pay for it. I mean the c the town can do whatever they want. I serve the town. You know what I'm talking about. We serve the town. You know what I'm talking about. You just bring it up to the media and hear what they're going to say. I I I

I guess I don't think it's up to the WPCA to bring that up. Whether or not the town should subsidize this, I think it's up to the elected officials. This what he can bring to the selectment office. That's what I'm saying. You can bring it to select not

the selectman can just bring it up. I I don't have to bring anything to if if the if the board of select men want to pay a portion of this or anything. They have their own mechanism. They they they have the funding. They have the budgets. They go to board of finance. They can do everything. They don't need my approval. Of course, I would take any money that someone wants to give us, we'll take. Well, I just said my opinion. So, Well, thank you. John, do you have anything to say?

No, I just again again my point was that it if people feel that way that the town should subsidize it, it's going to be a process that goes to the select people. It's going to go to the board of finance and it's going to go to the whole town to vote

because it's going to be sizable enough and it's going to have to go to a town meeting and it's going to be a budget item for the whole town to vote on. it is. And and and I can tell you most of the people that don't live there are not going to vote for it because they don't they they're paying for their own septic system which is compliant uh and isn't under uh an administrative order from the DEP. The WPCA, this group of people, our responsibility is to follow the direction of the town and what the town has agreed to administrative order to move forward towards sewers because that's what the the state is asking us to comply with. We're not we're not trying to beat up on anybody that lives in Sound View. Uh, I mean, I didn't leave the beach at Sam View to the public, which is the bane of all of this, right, to begin with. Uh, and I can tell you there's not a lot of people that live elsewhere in town that necessarily go to that beach. But even if they do, it was left to the public. And that that's that's the at the root of this problem. But the WPCA doesn't have the authority to determine who pays for this on the basis of the whole population of taxpayers in the town. We just don't. We do what the town has agreed to comply with. That's what we're doing.

Thank you. Great. Do you have any comments or anything? We do have a few comments, but I would like to have them with people that aren't present. So, who would you like? Dennis and Mary are here. I believe Dennis is there.

Oh, I'm here. I'm here. I'm listening to all of your viewpoints. I think the argument comes back. I mean, there's I don't really want to get into this discussion to be honest with you right now, but we do pay for a school system that we don't use, which is a much higher tax than this would be. We do pay for the other community center which we don't use because we're not here for seven eight months out of the year. So, but other than that, I really don't want to get into the middle of your discussion right now, but thank you for asking.

Well, I'm just curious to this is to Dennis and Mary. Um, the two of you were invited to the to the WPCA to come up with other solutions for the system. And have you made any headway on that? Yes, of course we did. And you know, we did and we presented them and Dave Pototts came and really his information that he shared wasn't received very well by this committee because you had already made a decision to move forward with sewers. So yes, we did and we looked at Westbrook and Essex and Clinton and we came back to the table with that information. Wasn't wellreceived, but that information is still on the table and is still out there. Thank you for asking.

Is there any other Thank you for asking. I'm I'm not arguing these points. We're not arguing. We're we're we're trying to come up with a solution if we It does sound like you're arguing, Corey. It sounds like you're you're looking for an argument, and I'm not tonight. So, thank you.

Well, nobody's provided any other information other than a sewer line to be installed. So, if we can't if we're not going to install the sewer line, what are we going to install? Now, we're at the last minute here to get any progress done and we're passing up on millions of dollars because we're procrastinating. The D, if I may, this is Randy, the D has looked at the alternatives that were presented and said they will not

approve they won't approve them. So again, it isn't the people at this table that that are are fighting an alternative approach if if it's usable. We it's this it's the state de that's the issue,

right, Randy? So as in the industry that you're in, the alternatives to sewers have also come have developed over the past 15 20 years when this project was first started. So there are new technologies out there that have been approved by deep that are being used elsewhere but it seemed like you guys had already closed the book on those alternatives. You keep saying we looked at that 15 years ago. Yes, you did. But things have changed in the last 15 years as anybody in any technology can assert. And again I don't want to get into an argument tonight. It it is what it is. If it is affordable we go forward. If it's not affordable and the town doesn't make it affordable for the people in Sound View by picking up parts of it, mainly the infrastructure pieces so that they can own and control the growth of the infrastructure later on. Then that's a decision made by the town. Then it's not affordable. So we will see what happens. Um I'm not saying one way or the other. I look at the numbers a little bit different than uh Chairman Tsunami does. Um, I've done a lot of research on it. Um, you can't just I mean, let's go back and retest like you did for Hawk's Nest. What's going on with there? And please remember, as Steve said last month, I think White Sands was excused not because they're they were proven not to be um polluting, but they were excused solely on cost. And here we are again looking at costs. There are other considerations. Don't forget the impact here. I mean, salt, water, nutrition, other things that we have tried to bring to the table before and have been ignored. Those things are real, too. So, again, like I'm not trying to argue

tonight. It it really is kind of not in my hands. I think it's in the border selectman and deep. Also, we do not know what will happen with Miami Beach. We do know they came in on I don't know four or 7 million over what they anticipated. We don't know what will happen with them. We do know Old Lime Shores just posted their bids today. They won't be in. There won't be a decision on them. I doubt before October 15th. So that's a lot for the board of selectment to consider not knowing if two of our partners are in or out. So again, I trust the board of selectmen and the steps that they think that needs to be done at this point and I think this board needs to also show respect to the board of selectmen. Thank you. I'm I'm going to mic myself now because I'm done.

Yes. I think I'd like to say what a little bit different than what Mary said to answer. We had Dave Poin. There are all there are alternative systems out there that are not in that that are expensive. And the viewpoint is deep believes that sewers are still less costly than those new systems. So there is an alternative but deep does not buy off on that alternative. So speaking of alternatives, if this is if this project does not go forward, I think people are under a uh an illusion or a perception that deep will still kick in 25 to 50% of a septic system. And I can tell you that is not in the cars. So when you're ordered to replace a septic system, it's on your dime 100%. Deep does not fund septic systems.

I I I so I I looked at that today actually, Steve, and they do reserve a part of their clean water funds are for alternative systems actually. It is it is their direction. Mary Okay, I'm gonna mute myself again. I'm sorry. I'm not getting into an argument. I'm telling you that deep will not be funding any septic systems in old line. I'm telling you that and I'm telling you that because I've been told that. Okay. Well, thank you for sharing that information. They're not going

from your perspective. They're not going to they're not going to uh put their necks out and fund something 50% and then come back and fund something that they really don't want to fund. So if we're at almost 75 to $80 million for this project, I don't know where you're getting your numbers from, Mary. It's not 75 to 80 million. I've number one, I don't know why you're very concerned with other people's costs. They don't affect ours. Okay. Again, I'm going to mute myself. I don't want to be part of Well, I I I'd love to hear where you got 70 to $80 million

off the Fuss and O'Neal sheet that you displayed at the last public meeting. I didn't display Fuss and O'Neal sheet at the last public meeting. Okay. All right. Let's continue. Why don't you guys continue with your meeting and whatever is on the agenda? Can we move? Thank you.

This is Dennis. I'd just like to make a make a point. Um, this is a town project. The town was given an administrative order. Not Dennis Maluso, not Dimmitri Tolchinski, not anybody else but the town. This is no different than Eastlime, Waterford, New London, Norwich. These are it's a town project. Should be funded by the town if in fact it's going to do. and and the users just like East Lime, they pay their usage. They they pay their from their house to the street and usage and that's it. They don't pay for construction. They don't pay for for repair, this is a town project. And until you guys get your head square that this is a town project, this town is going to fail on other things because I've been here my whole life and I'm 74 years old and I've been paying for a school system of with no kids and just have paid $57 million on my back. You guys are coming off scot-free. Everybody that does not live in the in the shoreline area, this is a bonus for you guys.

Hey Dennis, I think you're absolutely very mistaken, okay? Because I don't live in the beach shore, but I live on the water and I had to put in a septic system 10 years ago because you live in Mosquito, thousand dollars, and I don't have any kids either. So, you know, I think you got to be a little more open-minded that uh Brad, I know where your house is. Those house those those that property years ago was condemned because it because of the water and the closeness to the swamp. Just because you raised your house up out of the water doesn't mean that you're not in a swamp. Oh, so I live in a swamp now. Huh. Okay. Thank you.

That's where it was. That's where it was. It's always been a swamp alley down there. anything near Catherine Drive and and heading towards heading towards the water at the end of the street. So that's what I'm saying. This is this is where you're where you guys are coming from. I understand. I've been paying for the school system since I've owned my house for 40 years and had had nobody here. So it is you have to you have to take this this uh beach thing out of your vocabulary. This is indicative of 1964 where none of you guys were here when the town wanted to take all of the houses in San View and portion them out to their friends and the people in Son View fought it in court and won. And that's what started all of this battle between us and them. and you guys are perpetuating it and you're going to lose. You'll lose in the court and you'll lose in other ways unless you get your head square and do it the right way.

What have you proposed to us for another solution then Dennis? If if if East Line pays for their sewer system into into New London, what should we do? What should the town of Old Lime do? pay for the infrastructure and let the users pay for their house and their use. Dennis, Dennis, I don't believe that East Line does not charge their customers. I've done a little I'm telling you, my cousin lives in Giants Neck Heights, rebuilt his house and just did it five years ago and all he pays because he's on he's on the East Line uh side of the house. The sewers already there.

This the sewers were already there. Someone else paid for them. Then your His mother and father paid for the usage, right? After after the infrastructurees paid off, you paid for just, you know, when when a sewer line goes to to your street, you'll tie in, too. Yeah. Okay, you would. But instead, it's not heading your way. It's in our way. And they haven't proved anything. All they proved is is they want to give New London more more money into their pocket so they can so they can do whatever they need to do in the future.

So So Dennis, I you're getting a little off track and making accusation. I don't even know who they are, but you're making accusations that I don't think can be backed up by anything. Uh so, you know, I don't even know what happened in 1964, but Exactly. You weren't even born then. You were one year old.

I I was. Yes. Um so, uh but in any event, um your comments are noted. I'm I'm just going to say that in most communities, the end user pays for the infrastructure. So, uh does anyone else have any comments? All right. Uh, it was a truncated meeting today because I have some personal me. Who Who are you? I'm Bill Randazzo. No, there's no public. No, there's no public comment. There's nothing.

Thank you. Uh, it's truncated meeting. Uh, because I have some personal items I have to do. Uh if you looked at the agenda, if you looked at the agenda, there was no uh public comment, no new business or old business. May I have a motion to uh uh adjourn? I make that motion. This is Mary. Also to adjourn. No correspondence. All in favor? I opposed. Thank you. Me being a journal.