The Lynnfield Center Water District (LCWD) Board of Commissioners wish to remind all of the Annual District Meeting and Special District Meeting scheduled for next Monday starting at 6:30 p.m., at the Merritt Center, 600 Market St.
District meetings are LCWD’s legislative body, with ratepayers debating and voting upon spending matters in the coming fiscal year and on funding for capital projects.
The meetings are open to the public. Residents are asked to check in upon arrival. Only residents who live within the district and were registered to vote will be allowed to vote in the District Election, Annual Meeting, and Special Meeting. The meeting will be moderated by Town Moderator Joseph Markey.
District Elections
The Annual District Meeting will begin with elections for Commissioner, Clerk and Treasurer. Candidates who have filed letters of intent are:
- Steve Walsh, Commissioner
- Tim Doyle, District Clerk
- Kevin Sullivan, District Treasurer
Annual District Meeting Agenda
During the Annual District Meeting, the Board of Commissioners will propose the Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Operating Budget. The Lynnfield Center Water District’s FY24 runs from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024.
Among various items, the budget includes:
- Salaries and indirect costs of employees (including health care and post-employment and retirement benefits).
- Costs for materials and supplies, equipment, utilities, contractual expenditures and the cost for chemicals and testing as they apply to treatment.
- Debt and interest on prior capital expenditures; regulatory payments to the DEP and EPA-mandated tasks; and ongoing professional services and contract services.
The Annual Meeting contains articles that include upgrades to water meter infrastructure and control operations.
In Article 13 voters will consider the District’s aggressive plan to increase water supply, improve water quality and reduce levels of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). PFAS are man-made and do not break down quickly. This article seeks permission to borrow up to $17 million for improvements to the Glen Drive water treatment plant, so that it will treat iron, manganese and PFAS.
The District has been welcomed into the State Revolving Fund (SRF) Program, which will give access to zero-interest loans for upgrades and PFAS remediation at the Glen Drive treatment plant. The District also has received a $100,000 earmark in the state’s Economic Development Bill for PFAS remediation design. Raftellis Consultants, the District’s rate analysis consultant, estimated that If approved, the SRF program will save the District $7 million dollars in interest payments over the life of the bond. That equates to a savings of $79 per house account per year.
Commissioners discussed the capital plan at their meeting of April 26, which may be found here. CDM Smith, the District’s consultant, met with commissioners and presented an update to the District’s capital plan, which may be found here.
In response to PFAS levels found in late 2021, the District installed a PFAS remediation system in a two-year pilot program. While the system is now fully in compliance with regulatory requirements, this proposal will provide District ratepayers with a permanent solution and meets the proposed increasing EPA limits on PFAS.
Superintendent John Scenna discussed the issue of PFAS with Town Administrator Robert Dolan recently on an edition of “Town Talk.”
In a recent meeting, Superintendent Scenna emphasized that while there is added cost, the SRF program allows this problem to be solved permanently at significantly lower costs than if we had to borrow these funds on the open market:
“For an additional $62 per year more impact than what was originally authorized in 2021, $15.50 more per quarterly bill, we can continue to address long standing iron and manganese quality hardships customers face and bring the system in compliance with PFAS regulations. It will never cost less.”
If approved on Monday, the project would continue to proceed with final design, be submitted to DEP for final review and approval in September 2023 and be bid late this fall. The DEP SRF deadline for final design is October 2023; not meeting that deadline voids acceptance in the program.
This work is being performed parallel to a planned interconnection with the Town of Wakefield water supply, which will allow access to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. This would increase the District’s capacity by 20 percent through non-groundwater sources.
The District also has received a $147,200 Water Management Act Grant for the Wakefield Interconnection and MWRA admission.
Fiscal Year 2023 Special District Meeting
The Special District Meeting warrant will address supplementing the existing FY23 budget to compensate for unanticipated expenditures such as increased operating and maintenance costs.
Ratepayers will be asked to continue funding the Capital Stabilization Fund created in 2020 for future capital projects, and the General Stabilization Fund created in 2021 to fund unforeseen daily operational issues which may arise, and any needs to be undertaken by the District.
Questions can be directed to the Clerk of the District by calling 781-334-3901.