Published February 20, 2019

By DAN TOMASELLO

LYNNFIELD — The Lynnfield Center Water District (LCWD) will be holding a Special District Meeting on Monday, Feb. 25, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Lynnfield Middle School auditorium.

There will be three articles appearing on the warrant for the Special District Meeting. While Town Meeting has a 175-voter quorum requirement, there is no quorum required for the Special District Meeting. The meeting is only open to LCWD ratepayers.

Selectmen Chairman Dick Dalton submitted Article 1, which will ask ratepayers to vote for a new water commissioner. Wymon Way resident Rob Almy is the only candidate running for water commissioner. He will succeed retired LCWD Superintendent/Water Commissioner Ken Burnham, who resigned as a commissioner on Jan. 2. Almy is running for the final year of Burnham’s term.

“I wish to stand for election for the vacant position on the Lynnfield Center Water District Board of Commissioners,” Almy stated in a letter sent to Water Commissioners Chairwoman Connie Leccese. “I am currently a registered voter residing within the district and am otherwise qualified to hold the position. I am a professional geologist with 40 years of experience in water supply and related fields.”

Almy’s areas of expertise include groundwater, integrated regional water management, stormwater pollution, water conservation, environmental reviews and program development. He served as the manager of the Santa Barbara County Water Agency from 1990 through 2008. He has worked as the senior project manager for Weston and Sampson since 2013.

In his letter, Almy stated he understands a water commissioner needs to cooperate with the other commissioners and oversee district staff. He said the other responsibilities include:

• Setting rates and other collections;

• Formulating the district’s annual budget and approving expenditures related thereto;

• Participating in regular public meetings run pursuant to state law and district bylaws;

• Engaging in discourse with the public and other agencies in district matters;

• Developing capital improvement plans;

• Developing the scope of and monitoring the progress of technical studies;

• Assuring that the public has access to appropriate district records and other responsibilities related to the operation of a public water supply.

Carol Ann Road resident Joe Maney expressed interest in running for water commissioner, but he decided to withdraw from the Feb. 25 Special District Meeting. Maney informed the Villager he plans on running for one of the seats open in April.

Dalton also submitted Article 2, which would “direct the Lynnfield Center Water District Board of Commissioners to begin the process for recruiting a new superintendent for the position currently vacant no sooner than the 2019 annual meeting.”

“To maintain adequate operational capacity, the Board of Commissioners may exercise its discretion in filling the superintendent’s position on a temporary basis until such time as the superintendent’s position is filled on a permanent basis through the recruitment process or take any other action relative thereto,” states Article 2.

Almy submitted Article 3, which will ask ratepayers to recommend that the water commissioners approve a modification to the existing filter rebate program for residents who have had discolored water. Article 3 will request the water commissioners to approve increasing the maximum rebate amount from $200 to $2,000. Article 3 will request that the commissioners approve spending up to $80,000 on the program.

“Such rebates should be granted based on consideration of factors including service location, documented occurrence of brown water and the utility of the residential water supply in light of high iron and manganese levels,” states Article 3. “Such rebates should be made on a reimbursement basis and may be granted for any installation made since January 2015 that would otherwise qualify based on consistent application of the factors above. If such installation requires a valid plumbing permit, a copy of the permit should be part of the application for reimbursement or take any other action relative thereto.”

Dalton submitted a similar warrant article that would have required the district to allocate more funds to the rebate program. LCWD attorney Chris Casey ruled that version of the article violated the district’s enabling act because he claimed it usurped the commissioners’ authority to set water rates.