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January 27, 2006     Barnstable Patriot
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January 27, 2006
 
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Who's got the money? Barnstable rep says funding source tops wastewater agency agenda By David Curran dcurran@barnstablepatriot.com The discussion isn't about population growth. That horse has left the barn, and the door has slammed shut. The discussion has to be about cleaning up what the horse leaves behind - and finding someone to help foot the bill. So, in effect, said Assistant Town Manager Paul Niedz- wiecki,whohasbeen appointed to represent Barnstable on the fledglingCape CodWastewater Collaborative. Niedzwiecki is one of only two town represen- tatives appointed to the agency so far. (See sidebar.) Thetwoyear processthat led to the creation of the Collab- orative was fraught with con- troversy, misinformation -and sometimes disinformation -as various parties - towns, busi- ness groups, county leaders, politicians, state environmen- tal officials, consultants, com- munity groups, developers, to nameafew -voiced theirhopes, desires, fears and agendas for how to restore the Cape's degrading water resources. Intheend,mosttownssupported thecreation of the Collaborative, but only after its mission wascarefullylimitedto address concernsthat a "regionalapproachtowastewatermanagement" on Cape Cod would mean sewering all or most of the Cape, or that a county-level wastewater agency would be akin to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, with autonomous power and little accountability. Niedzwiecki recognizes concerns like those have not been entirely assuaged. "We'd like to see some consensus-building among communities about the need for a re- gional approach" to dealing with wastewater, he said. But the new agency's first critical task, he said,isto look for one or more funding sources that can help the Cape address wastewater management problems no one has been able to put a price tag on, but which all agree will be very costly indeed. "We're talking about numbers of a Biblical proportion to accomplish this," Niedzwiecki said,suggestingfewifanyentitiessmallerthan "at least the state, if not the (federal govern- ment) might have the re- sources to make a major difference. He said the Collaborative should study how advocates were able to win federal funding to payfor projects to restore the Chesapeake Bay system and the Florida Everglades. The state has pledged to contribute, us- ing an approach that will take years, if not decades, as estuary systems are studied one by one to identify and determine how best to neutralize or eliminate their most damaging sources of excess nitrates and, to a lesser extent, phosphorous, wastewater's chief of- fenders in degradation of water quality and theundesirable ecologicalchanges to whichit leads. State officials have said the most cost- effective matrix of solutions is expected to vary from estuary to estuary. But Niedzwiecki said figur- ing out the details of how to restore water resources puts the cart before the horse, at least from the Collaborative's point of view. One of its prin- cipal chargesisto identify and pursue outsidefunding sources to pay for solutions. "It'sabout findingthe money to fix the problems," he said, later elaborating, "Getting intothe detailswithout having identified aresourceisn'tgoing to be that productive. I think those arethe discussionswe're going to have." He also suggested the Collaborative may be able to help towns by taking advantage of economies of scale, offering "a level of whole- salewastewater services"even as "municipali- ties still have obligations for retail" services. He said Barnstable, with the largest waste- water treatment plant on the Cape and a Wastewater Facilities Plan in the approval process to increase both capacity and the level of treatment, isin good shape compared to most Cape towns. But he emphasized the importance of getting the facilities plan ap- proved so the town can move "to sewer some of those areas we've identified in the past 10 years" as needing sewering. He also noted that many times, communi- ties that have done the most with respect to aparticular problem reap fewer benefits when outside funds are distributed, especiallyif the funds become available as a result of court orders. Barnstable could find itself in that position with respect to wastewater manage- ment, he said. But he said the most important objective for the Collaborative remains identifying a resource. "We've goto identify that resource before we have those sort of politically adventurous dis- cussions" about specific solutions, he said. 'It's about find- ing the money to fix the problems ... Getting into the details without having identified a resource isn't going to be that productive.' Assistant Town Manager Paul Niedzwiecki BJ BgSjP5^^^^^""'"""JEjJl < ^BL.-J N; « BS W&^m. JW^ * 9&HBBE n§ WKKFBm - L^l M*^Hpfl HSI ^>* d '$¦• _jsh AC I *n? ¦ 3^' f)p y fl ¦k K V P n^^HV^wBH .J^IHP^B ^ ^ * W ¦ " " A.««^ ^»ii ^*»*-T £i|MkT»^H ^rmM\"M iK_M fBB'.'iHf ^ ~S.** W , f ^t 1 i . Ill — 1ll« f Jgflli * ^ M Mxcapecodbank.com ¦ LJL S' i flHHL * '*_ -^ —_H2K r~_dUMil~' --fl ~ K **~m^~ * Y d J_B_| ft_fl l^fc- __^__^__^__. _^__^_h. _^H If^Hi L vj^ ? ¦ ^1 ^K 1 H[_»T y ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ R ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ U^E l 0 mIf I ^k_9r 1^""^ ' Ri ^K i^l wtt HP Y\ I t] HSHHi^^^H _^_^_3___^_^_^_l HeritageResearch , Inc. •Genealogy Charts •General Title Work •Paralegal Services •Owners Unknown Speciality 72Pine Street, Hyannis, MA 1 (508) 778-4700 * Fax (508) 778-2887 | BANKERS LIFE AND CASUALTY COMPANY We specialize in seniors • LongTerm Care Insurance • Home HealthCare • Life Insurance • Fixed Annuities Complimentary Consultation Christine M.Fitzsimmons,CLTC Licensed Resident Agent 508-477-2800 x201 fT* SALE **1 | 20-30% OFF } on Selected Merchandise Annaklb'* I L L CHILDREN'S BOUTIQUE , INC. S Bel] Tower Mall , Falmoulh ltd.. Rle 28, Cenlerville k (508) 790-0770 • Mon-Sal 9:30-6 • Sun 12-5 Mi » i - - TS^^ i Cooking Lessons at \^a Petite Maison 1304 Main Street, Osterville Saturday,February4th, 10 am - 2 pm Yeast Bread &Rolls . includes lunch $$" Thursday, February9th, 6-8pm EnjoyAsian-inspiredHors d'oeuvres d>**j that you create Callfor Reservations and Information 508-420-2700 Now in our 15thYearWe Roast So Much More... • Rotisserie Turkey • Roast Beef • BBQ Ribs • BuffaloWings •Glazed Ham • Pot Roast • Meat Loaf •Sandwiches • Salads...and more All our side dishes and roasts are prepared from the f inest ingredients in our own kitchen. 167 1 Falmouth Rd. Rte. 28 • Centerville, MA i Watch for our 2 for i (r Opening! No February fc9l8th & 19th \ j 2006 STEVE & SUE'S PAR-TEE-FREEZE 455 Vfest Main St., Hyannis § | | (&4 iw f t, \ix. . ^AV'_H__H__H__M__B_Hp_BM_M_r~' J^BH-fl By Patriot Staff TJI@barnstablepatriot.com Our headline on a pro- posed demolition jumped the gun Jan. 13. A Cape Cod Commission subcom- mittee has recommended approval of the demolition at 17 Hawthorne Ave. in Hyannisport , but , as the story noted , the full com- mission had to vote on the matter Jan. 26, which was after this week's deadline for the paper.... Humor at the boards: While waiting for a hearing in Boston, one attendee spoke about how an off-Cape board of health made sure a convenience store's fire- damaged inventory would be thrown away for good. Seems the board required that all tobacco products go into the Dumpster first. After that , the frozen (not for long! desserts were dropped in, ruining the ciggies and foiling Dumpster divers.... Super- man may be more power- ful than a locomotive , but is the Last Son of Krypton really responsible for the epidemic of Type II diabe- tes? There 's a Washington , D.C. group that's planning to sue Kellogg's, maker of Frosted Flakes, for using cartoon character Tony the Tiger to push its mer- chandise. It's too late for those of us who grew up in the '50s watching The Adventures of Superman; the shows featured alter ego Clark Kent chatting up kids on the virtues of the cereal and then calling on Tony to give his famil- iar roar. Sweet memories... unfortunately!.... Too late for the listings: An exer- cise program for people with arthritis starts Feb. 2 at the Rehabilitation Hos- pital of the Cape and Is- lands-Bourne Outpatient Rehabilitation Center and continues on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 1 p.m. for four weeks. To register, call 508-743- 0465.... Feb. 3 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. and Feb. 4 from noon to 4 p.m. are the au- dition dates for Four C's Theater's spring produc- tions. These include Larry Marsland's Panama Club, featuring classic jazz music, as well as staged readings of Anna in the Tropics by Nilo Cruz and Intimate Apparel by Lynn Notage. Be ready to sing a prepared song, partici- pate in cold readings, and do some swing dancing at the Cape Cod Community College theater. Actors of color and actors with dis- abilities are encouraged to audition Ground will be broken Monday at 10:30 a.m. for the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority's operations and mainte- nance center on American Way in Dennis, off Route 134 near the Dennis Transfer Station. Parking is available at Tony Kent Arena, where an informal reception will be held after the ceremony. Shovel in ground for RTAcenter ine uape uoa Drancn oitne women sinternational League for Peace and Freedom is organizing its second Cape Cod Water Study Group Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. in the south Yarmouth Library, This will be a three-year project. Activists get involved in water quality Barnstable , Truro name county wastewater agency reps By David Curran dcurran@barnstablepatriot.com Barnstable is ahead of most of Cape towns in naming a representa- tive to the new Cape Cod Wastewater Collabora- tive. Assistant Town Man- ager Paul Niedzwiecki has been appointed to represent the Cape's larg- est town on the regional wastewater agency. As of last week, Truro was the only other town to have named a rep- resentative: Suzanne Grout-Thomas, a former selectman who previously represented the Cape's least populous town on the county Assembly of Delegates. The Board of County Commissioners also has appointed its Collab- orative members: John O'Brien of Harwich and John Hinckley of Or- leans. Both served on the Blue Ribbon Committee on Wastewater, the ad hoc group that worked for nearly two years on potential regional con- tributions to addressing the Cape's wastewater management problems, ultimately bringing for- ward the proposal that led to the creation of the collaborative. O'Brien, former presi- dent of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce and a member of last year's county Charter Review Committee, represented the Business Roundtable , though the group's seat on the Blue Ribbon Committee was "unofficial. "The Round- table was a prime mover in getting the Blue Rib- bon Committee off the ground. Hinckley,who repre- sented the Cape Cod Councilors' and Select- men's Association on the Blue Ribbon Committee, is an Orleans selectman and a member of the town's Wastewater Man- agement Plan Steering Committee. As of last week, Cha- tham, Dennis, Falmouth, Provincetown and Yarmouth had informally notified the county that their appointees would be coming soon, but the county commissioners had not received the towns' formal nomina- tions, according to Assis- tant County Administra- tor Maggie Downey. The first wave