Sewer update reveals fees; MWRA defends overhead charge for inspections.

Byline: Sandy Meindersma

WEST BOYLSTON - Representatives from Holden, Rutland and West Boylston learned yesterday that half of the Holden-Rutland sewer trunk line is in good shape, but the cost of finding out comes with a 43 percent overhead charge.

Speaking to a full house, John Gregoire, program manager for Reservoir Operations for the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, presented a summary of MWRA's operation, maintenance and repair work on the lines for 2005, 2006 and 2007, which includes the partially completed four-part inspection and cleaning project.

Explaining the billing for the work, he said the enabling legislation that created the MWRA allows reasonable overhead charges for services provided.

The project, which began in 2005, sends a video camera through the sewer trunk and relief lines to determine if the pipes are structurally sound.

Mr. Gregoire said the first two phases covered the lines in Rutland and that the third phase is expected to cover the line from the Holden-Rutland line to the center of West Boylston and should be done this winter.

"Structurally, the (trunk line) pipe is very sound. It's very old pipe - it's cast iron," Mr. Gregoire said. "Now that we've inspected it, we have a better comfort level, and we've reduced our visual inspections of the line to monthly."

Mr. Gregoire said the trunk relief line, which was built in 1984, is also in very good condition. "It's taking the bulk of the flow," he said.

Holden Public Works Director Lawrence Galkowski asked about the charge per linear foot. "My estimate is between $5 and $5.85 per foot, but Weston and Sampson said the cost should be closer to $2.75 per foot."

Holden Town Manager Brian Bullock objected to the overhead charge.

Mr. Gregoire defended the charge, noting that the MWRA's office is in Charlestown and the operations center is in Boston. "They get up at 4:30 in the morning to come out here and get a full day's work in," he said.

"If you look at a private vendor, they would bring their equipment here and leave it here until the project is done," Mr. Galkowski said. "Every time we're turning around, you're adding another charge."

"You're getting some peace of mind," Mr. Gregoire said. "We have a really good assessment of the line."

Mr. Bullock wanted to know the purpose of the meeting, asking, "Is there a specified goal of this group?"

Joseph Favaloro, executive director of the MWRA Advisory Board, took ownership of the meeting and said he wrote a letter to the three towns in October 2006 asking if there was a better way to manage the maintenance of the sewer lines.

"It doesn't seem to make a lot of logical sense that an entity based in Charlestown with operations in Chelsea should be servicing your lines," Mr. Favaloro said.

Mr. Bullock said the Holden selectmen had grave reservations about changing the ownership of the lines from the state Department of Conservation and Reservation.

Rutland Selectman Douglas C. Briggs and West Boylston Selectman Kevin F. McCormick both said their towns were not interested in taking ownership of the lines.

"We just use the last 2,000 feet, yet we're paying for things way up in Rutland that we're never going to use," Mr. McCormick said.

"We never entered this with a hidden agenda of trying to dump this line as quickly as possible," said John M. Scannell, DCR acting director for the Division of Water Supply Protection.