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Interns to continue stormwater work

WILTON – Summer interns will again be hired to work on mapping stormwater outfalls and other aspects of the MS 4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) Permit, now in its fourth year. Last year’s intern, Samantha Beck, will also be back to assist.

Stormwater Manager Michele Decoteau has so far interviewed three candidates for the position.

The project is partly funded through a GIS (Geographic Information System) grant which the town also uses for upgrading the tax map, the sewer system, and other infrastructure. “Coordination is needed among the various departments,” Select Board Chairman Kermit Williams said at the board’s regular meeting on Monday, May 16. The town has used GIS for some years and maintenance is in the budget.

Decoteau has resigned her position, Williams said, and since she is the “sole person in charge of several projects, we have to make sure she has documented what she has done.”

Decoteau has proposed an ordinance to deal with illegal discharges into the river, and that is being reviewed to legal counsel. A public hearing will be required.

Williams suggested a similar ordinance, as allowed under state statutes, to regulate what is put into the sewer system. The sewer system has been blocked several times by items that are labeled “flushable” but actually aren’t.

“We work with Milford (wastewater treatment plant) and we need to coordinate with them,” Williams said. “The ordinance would be similar to the stormwater one.” He noted that years ago, prior to connecting to the Milford system, the two systems, sewer and stormwater, were one. “We need to regulate what is put into the system, how we treat the system.”

The ordinance would update the current policy to meet EPA and DES standards.

In other business on Monday, Town Administrator Nick Germain said bids are being received to repair two dry hydrants, as approved at Town Meeting. “And we are looking at ways to update the town’s telephone system, improve communications among our five buildings.”

Public Works Director Mike Tatro brought a request from a resident of Dwight Road to have that road plowed in the winter, which hasn’t been done because it was a seasonal residence. “They were plowed out if they came up during the winter.”

It is about 1,000 feet of narrow dirt road, Tatro said, but it could be done with one of the town’s smaller trucks if a turn-around is established.

Germain will discuss an easement with the landowner.

The Intermunicipal Agreement (IMA) with Milford Area Communications was discussed. Wilton and Mont Vernon would like costs divided on a per-call basis since both towns own their equipment. Milford uses about three-quarters of the services.

It is hoped that a final IMA will be completed by mid-June.

Updates from the Recycling Center and the new Public Works Garage Committee were postponed until June 6. That meeting will begin at 5 p.m. with a site visit to the public works garage on Whiting Hill Road.

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