Mashpee Selectman Andrew Gottlieb
MASHPEE – The Board of Selectmen in Mashpee recently discussed its proposed five-phase sewer project.
The board agreed to bring a request of the creation of a sewer construction and water quality fund to voters at Town Meeting this fall.
Selectman Andrew Gottlieb says the town has made modest contributions towards funding an aquaculture solution to clean Waquoit and Popponesset Bays but not sewer design and construction.
“Basically, what I was asking the Mashpee Board of Selectmen to do was make a full statement about its intentions to implement its own plan that has received state and local approvals,” Gottlieb said.
Gottlieb is also seeking an evaluation of methods to finance the sewer construction project by town officials.
“There are some tools out there that allow for ways to relieve the burden on the property tax payer and still come up with the substantial funding that’s needed to do this project,” he said.
He is asking the board to authorize town staff to dig into the meat of what those funding options are.
“And then be able to come back to our town meeting voters in the spring with a funding plan that will show them that we have figured out how to do this and what it would cost and put it to the voters to tell us whether to proceed or not,” Gottlieb said.
Gottlieb said the town knows what it needs to build.
A 25-year phased program will progressively address the water quality problem areas that have been identified in town.
“When we reach the water quality goal and hopefully reach it earlier than the plan calls for, we can stop with the construction,” Gottlieb said.
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