Sewer Dwarves Getting Their Hands Dirty.

I attended the Sewer Advisory Committee meeting last night and I have to say that I have a huge amount of respect, admiration and thanks for every person on that committee:

Nancy Wheatly, Chair, at large
Michael Kopko, Vice Chair, BOS rep
Jeff Willett, DPW
Andrew Vorce, Planning Office
Rick Atherton, FinCom
Charity Benz, at large
Ritchie O’Neil, at large
Barbara Gookin, at large
Finn Murphy, at larger
David Gray, at large

I think back to the brouhaha this summer when Michael Kopko suggested we have a sewer committee. Mr. Glowacki objected, saying that it was part of some kind of evil plan on the part of Sustainable Nantucket to use sewers as a tool to further their agenda. And Mr. Chadwick sat at the front desk and said, with a straight face, that "the work has already been done."

The sewer committee has proven them both wrong. There is no way that the current sewer commissioners (the Board of Selectmen) could possibly develop a list of comprehensive sewer policies and recommendations without the valuable, and often painful, work the "Sewer Dwarves" as they have been dubbed, have done over the last few months. And Sustainable Nantucket has not played even a small role in the discussions in the committee.

By the middle of December, the Sewer Dwarves will make their recommendations to the board and the town and it will likely involve forming a new sewer commission with a staff and a revolving enterprise fund. As well as new special legislation to give the commission powers and authorities to manage our wastewater system the way it should be done.

This is not glamorous work. And it's certainly not fun. But hats off to the Sewer Dwarves. They deserve our thanks.