2023-05-17-CEC-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting May 17, 2023 Page 4 of 4 proposed to the Town Manager that an additional one full-time equivalent (FTE) be added to the personal element in the Department of Engineering budget to adequately support such a Fund—especially with the even further burden by including the Fund billing of the Town’s facilities. He also expressed his Department’s appreciation of this Committee’s long-time support of his Department’s requests. A Committee discussion addressed how the Lexington citizens will accept the additional fee. It was suggested that if the fee remains as a rational and consistent manner—as it is now being described—most likely citizens would address it just as a new fee rather than how it’s calculated. Ms. Kosnoff introduced that there are two addition proposed factors that the Select Board has deemed important and that will need attention when introducing the fee to the citizens: (1) a Credit Policy for when a citizen takes action to mitigate the stormwater release on their property and thus get a credit on their fee and (2) an Abatement Process for when a citizen believes its impervious area calculation was in error and thus the fee should be recalculated. In response to the earlier mention of working with a developer to reduce the Phosphorus release, Mr. Livsey was asked what technology is there for a business to do that in order to gain an abatement and reduce Town action on that release. He said yes there are technologies (Infiltration Trench, Infiltration Basin, Biofiltration, Gravel Wetland, Porous Pavement, Wet Pond, Dry Pond and Grass Swale) and that since last June those technologies must be applied to any property greater than one acre of disturbance—that doesn’t fall under Conservation Commission—is under our Town’s Stormwater Permit is required to remove 60% of Phosphorus. At our discussion yesterday with the Development Departments was to potentially roll that into their regulations so we can get those credits— and I’m looking for improvements in technology so as to increase the credits on smaller footprints. We’ve also joined some grants that allow us to install some small-scale Phosphorus removal under our roadways. We had 30 installed over the last couple of years under our roadways. They get only one-third of a pound of Phosphorus. We’re picking away. In response to why the Shawsheen Watershed, our third, isn’t burdened with the same Phosphorus controls, Mr. Livsey asked Ms. Scerbo to respond, and she said it does not have this requirement yet. Every year the State, with the EPA, assesses each water body regarding safe water standards. Right now Shawsheen has a TMDL related to bacteria, not nutrients. That can change over time—both to remove and to apply others. Mr. Lamb thanked Mr. Livsey, Ms. Conchilla, and Ms. Scerbo for their presentation and, along with Ms. Kosnoff, their support. Adjourn A Motion was made and seconded at 9:01 A.M. to adjourn. Vote: 6–0. These Minutes were approved by the CEC at its meeting on August 2, 2023.