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Date: 4/14/2021
LONGMEADOW – The Longmeadow Select Board voted 4:1 to adopt winter averaging as the new sewer metering system at its meeting on April 5, with Select Board Vice Chair Marc Strange as the only “no” vote. They also approved a switch to quarterly billing to ease the sticker shock of sewer rates. However, these decisions aren’t the end of the water and sewer debate in town.
Before the vote, Strange asked if the citizen’s petition to allow a second meter for water used outside the home could still be voted on at the Annual Town Meeting, despite a vote for winter averaging. Finance Director Paul Pasterczyk informed him that the petition article was still valid and up for a vote, no matter what action the board took.
Select Board Clerk Steve Marantz argued that the economic incentive for a second meter would be likely eliminated by the adoption of the other metering system. Switching gears, Marantz said that he wanted more discussion on a fixed sewer rate. Strange had sent a communication to the board on the topic as well.
Select Board member Mark Gold, who along with fellow board member Richard Foster had researched various billing methods and asked the board members who were on the fence about winter averaging what more information they needed. Any action will affect some residents, either increasing their bill or decreasing it, he said. Gold also said that if the town adopted winter averaging it could assign a minimum to address the potential zero-unit usage of snowbirds who don’t use the sewer in the winter, an issue that had originally caused him reservations.
For the sake of transparency, Town Manager Lyn Simmons suggested making a tool available online so that residents can see how the options would affect them personally. She expressed concerns that changes to the sewer system will disproportionately affect low-volume users.
Gold agreed. He noted that only 80 to 100 residents used high volumes of water. “It seems to me, those are the people we ought to be going after right away in terms of excess water usage,” he said.
Foster said that they can go with winter averaging but look at a tiered system for water rates to ease the impact on low water users. He suggested hiring a consultant to explore the idea and suggested a water and sewer package to voters at the town meeting in May.
Strange was in favor of a study with a “limited scope” looking at tiered water rates. Of water and sewer, he said, “I don’t know how you can do one without the other.” He opined that if a sewer plan is presented at the town meeting without a water plan with it, residents will likely vote for the second meters without knowing the impact.
“You install it at your own risk. The town’s not going to give you any guarantees that it’ll save you money,” Gold commented.
Pasterczyk estimated that quarterly billing will cost the town a minimum of $10,000 per year over current semi-annual billing costs due to extra work hours and costs associated with mailing.
The liquor license for the Clubhouse Cafe, a private business on the grounds of the Springfield-owned Franconia Golf Course, was a topic of debate. Simmons explained that the course has not paid stormwater fees for the past three or four years because Springfield claims it had an agreement to that effect with Longmeadow. The town, however, has no documentation or recollection of this agreement. The outstanding bill sits at $2,800.
The entire board agreed that the issue must be examined, but the question of whether to grant a liquor license in the meantime was up for debate.
“The only way we have to enforce the collection of these fees is through licenses,” Gold stated. Strange suggested approving the license, though Gold had concerns the topic would be pushed off for another year. Marantz asked if the license can be revoked should the issue with the city not be resolved. The consensus was yes.
The board approved the liquor license, but only until the end of the fiscal year on June 30.
Fire Chief John Dearborn urged any residents who were homebound or knew of someone who was to call the Council on Aging or the town Health Department at 565-4140. People can also contact lgill@longmeadow.org. Cases of COVID-19 in Longmeadow at the time of the meeting were up 29 percent.
Simmons explained that a bid of $58,155 per year for three years had been accepted to farm the Meadows, off of West Street. As the town’s website explains, the land is leased “to compost leaves each fall. These leaves are collected from our residents and are tilled into the fields for an in-ground compost program, the leaves compost in place and serve to reduce erosion and enrich the fields, reducing and/or eliminating the need for the farmer to use fertilizers.” Simmons said that it is an opportunity for “major revenue.”
Simmons updated that board on what steps were taken in regard to reforming the Hampden County Regional Retirement Board (HCRB). She said that the board was required to conduct weekly calls with its governing agency, the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC), produce financial documents monthly and that all travel must be pre-approved by PERAC one week in advance. HCRB must also develop an internal control plan within 90 days.
Gold said that the town has a “huge financial stake” in making sure the HCRB is run correctly. He said more changes were needed and that “it’s not a done deal.”
Marantz told the board that the proposed biomass plant in Springfield had been rejected by the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Agency. The Select Board recently sent a resolution opposing the plant to the state.
“I think it’s good for Springfield, I think it’s good for Western Massachusetts and I think it’s good we did what we did,” Marantz opined. Select Board Chair Thomas Lachiusa thanked residents for sharing their opinions on the issue.
Simmons announced that Jay Monahan has been named as the interim director of the Department of Public Works. Monahan was the interim town manager before Simmons was hired.
Lachiusa lamented the end of Long Meddowe Days. As previously reported by Reminder Publishing, the Historical Society decided that the summer fair was no longer in line with the organization’s mission and that it had gotten away from the purpose of highlighting the town’s history. Lachiusa encouraged other community organizations to take up the mantle and organize a festival on the town green.
“It would be a shame to lose the one opportunity for people in our town to get together locally and you can meet your neighbors and check in with folks, and it also brings people from out of town into Longmeadow to see our town, which is always a nice thing,” Lachiusa said.