Second water meter pilot program
Reading, MA — The Select Board voted 4-0 to direct Town Manager Matt Kraunelis to develop a plan for a pilot program allowing 400 households with irrigation systems or swimming pools to install second water meters that would measure and bill for usage of those systems and would not then bill a sewer charge for that usage.
Select Board chair Carlo Bacci reported that 154 homes in town already have second meters but noted that the pilot program would require items such as rain sensors on existing systems as well. Member Mark Dockser advocated for a smaller, 200-household program but supported the larger program, hoping that the pilot would help the board determine how a program with a larger scope could work. Select Board member Melissa Murphy also expressed support for the second meters, commenting, “People are paying for something they are not using; it is not equitable.”
Kraunelis intends to make a presentation on the plan at a Select Board meeting at the end of October.
Several members of the public spoke during public comment, asking the board to consider changes to the tiered water rate system as it affects those who live in multifamily dwellings. Bacci assured the public that this issue is on the agenda for the board’s next meeting.
Subsequent Town Meeting Warrant
The board also voted 3-0 to close the seventeen-article Town Meeting warrant for the subsequent Town Meeting scheduled to begin November 12. Highlights from the warrant include the standard articles amending the budget, receiving reports, and the payment of prior year’s bills.
Also on the warrant is Article 9, which asks if the town would authorize debt for the proposed Haven Street infrastructure project. The total project cost is estimated at $8 million, though the town has secured $2.6 million of that cost in a MassWorks grant. Kraunelis also shared that the town has also applied for a $2.5 million federal earmark for the project. Several Select Board members expressed concern over the cost of the project considering the upcoming Killam and Senior Center projects. “I consider this a want, not a need,” Murphy declared. Dockser suggested that town staff might scale down the project and return with a different proposal. The board voted not to support the article by a 0-3-1 vote. Select Board member Karen Herrick abstained from the vote, and member Chris Haley recused himself from the discussion on the issue.
Also appearing on the warrant are articles regarding dogs on leashes in the Town Forest and a transfer of the new parking lot on Grove Street to the Conservation Commission. Article 15 asks for an additional $1.3 million for a new Reading Memorial High School field house floor. Town Meeting approved $1.7 million for the project at April Town Meeting. Town Accountant Sharon Angstrom explained that the School Department is hoping to install a higher quality floor than initially proposed. Board members shared concerns about the increased cost and voted 2-3 against supporting the article, with Haley and Herrick in favor of offering support.
The final two articles on the warrant involve approval of a plan for compliance with the MBTA Communities law. Kraunelis explained that the Community Planning and Development Commission presents the two final proposals as separate articles in the hope that Town Meeting will choose the option it likes best.
Article 16 would allow for upzoning in the current downtown smart growth district while maintaining the desired affordability rate, promoting growth in existing forms. Minimum lot sizes and setback controls would also be reduced in the area. This concept would also allow for additional multifamily use in North and South Main Street areas. Article 17 combines maintaining the current 40-R district as is while taking credit for existing density in the Reading Commons and Gazebo Circle/Summit Towers areas while looking to expand the maximum density in these areas from eighteen to thirty units per acre.
The board voted 2-1 to support both articles, with Murphy dissenting on Article 16 and Herrick dissenting on Article 17. Both Haley and Bacci recused themselves from the discussion on these two articles.
Community Preservation Act Study Committee charge
The board also voted 4-1 to amend and extend the Community Preservation Act Study Committee’s charge. Haley was the dissenting vote. The board voted 4-0 to appoint Carl Saccone to an associate position on the Conservation Commission. It also voted 4-0 to add a stop sign at the intersection of Emerson Street and Dividence Road.
The Select Board adjourned to Executive Session at 9:40 pm.
