Old Lyme Shores WPCA Meeting
January 20, 2018 at 14 Saltaire Road in Old Lyme, CT 06371
Date and Time: January 20, 2018; 10:00 a.m.
Location: 14 Saltaire Dr. Old Lyme, CT
Present: Joe Halloran, Chair, Tom Annulli, Pat Burns, Dede DeRosa, Jack Reynolds and John Cunningham by electronic connection
Joe Halloran called the meeting to order at 10:07 a.m.
The minutes from October 7, 2017 were approved. Motion: Tom Annulli. Second: Dede DeRosa. Voted: Unanimous.
Tom Annulli presented a report on the WPCA financial status. (See Appendix A) The report was accepted. Motion: Jack Reynolds; Second: Dede DeRosa; Vote: Unanimous.
Joe Halloran reported on progress on the Clear Water Fund application. There are several steps that must occur before we can submit an application. DEEP must first approve the studies that we have had to complete. The EIE was approved in October. We reported to the State DEEP at a meeting on December 12th that the Town of Old Lyme is slowing us down. The State has promised us that it will issue a revised consent order by the end of January that would include all three beaches. The State must issue an administrative order to East Lyme to accept our waste. There should be no difficulty with this step. We still do not have a signed contract with East Lyme or New London. The Chair of the Old Lyme WPCA sent letters to East Lyme, New London, and Waterford indicating that the Town of Old Lyme wanted to be involved in the agreements with the three towns and the three beaches. This would, of course, slow everything down. The State can set deadlines for the three contracts. Discussions will continue.
- New London changed their request to include our payments to them to include: 2021 to 2020; and
- They accept waste from the three beaches and only extend that service to others only with agreement from the three beaches.
A discussion addressed our desire to ensure transparency and clarity concerning our progress to all OLS Beach Association members. With that in mind, we will hold WPCA meetings to update progress, to approve action on contractual agreements with the towns and beaches, and including necessary easements. The resulting WPCA minutes as well as meeting agendas will be posted on the Old Lyme Shores website, available to all members. Any substantive changes in agreements will be brought back to the WPCA for approval and for information to all on our website.
Fuss and O’Neill are doing the work of preparation and submission to the State of our Clean Water Fund application. The Association president must sign that.
Fuss and O’Neill have given us a preliminary timeline. Efforts must be made to coordinate our work with the schedule of Connecticut DOT to repave Route 156.
The WPCA also reviewed the cost estimates of the project presented by Joe Halloran at the Association’s Annual Fall meeting. (See Appendix B) It is estimated that the annual cost per house at OLS will be $2,500.
The New London agreement is close to completion.
The East Lyme agreement has been in the First Selectman’s hands for six month, and we have no approval. Further, we hope the letter from the Old Lyme WPCA doesn’t slow down our agreement with East Lyme.
We had hoped and assumed that when we paid East Lyme for the Waterford conveyance fee of our waste that would then be included in the East Lyme agreement with Waterford. We now understand that Waterford wants some issues negotiated relative to our participation, including issues of pipe corrosion and odor. Waterford has communicated with DEEP, and DEEP to us, concerning a buy-in. We must have agreements with East Lyme, Waterford, and New London in order to apply for Clear Water funding.
Bob Palazzo joined the meeting by phone at 11:35.
The group discussed estimates of schedule and timing. We continue to plan to have our work completed in time to coordinate State plans to repave Route 156 during the Summer of 2019.
Resident concerns over transparency were addressed and above steps to keep website up to date addresses that issue. In addition, one of the WPCA members is resigning from the BOG and that will leave 3 members of the WPCA on the BOG – no longer a majority.
Three members’ ( Bob Palazzo, Pat Burns, and Joe Halloran ) terms expire in 2018 and they have indicated that they will remain active on the WPCA for another term.
MOTION TO ADJOURN: Made by Tom Annulli; Seconded by Pat Burns;
Voted: Unanimously.
Appendices: