[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6281406,"mediaKeyId","2605590-863a7944cefa4e49b65cd678dc5031e3","parentId",2605590,"title","Water company to use $4.0M retained earnings for mobile PFAS treatment system after Well 15 tests over state limit","audioSeconds",662,"startMs",719000,"endMs",1381000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2605590-863a7944cefa4e49b65cd678dc5031e3&start=719&end=1381","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2605590-863a7944cefa4e49b65cd678dc5031e3/thumbnail_719000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6281406/Nantucket-County/Massachusetts/Water-company-to-use-40M-retained-earnings-for-mobile-PFAS-treatment-system-after-Well-15-tests-over-state-limit","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6281406-f83935f5b56abeb72a760f7916685bd0/orig.mp4?Expires=1776224406&Signature=MSO5Vfvd4aF5TXZ~j13i3Mk0DUati~pduTcCMCC5zsZ2afWKx9M5RVspyttUsGa4BX2mWs8sJzQDfImScbW9Zb~VgaHQmG2ZpkwNdgORzbdDutXCBA1KLu9fDBzLuh5Pg1On0GljDFTNkil1F2i9i8kKNXNGk2D8daVunA-VB7mVmB7Lkg9ITFL6QX4n-dYA-AJc-NQpzR3e2dqb3Ffpmodc7k5Xkny1gfXA-QFdbFasAx78SvVCC29zN3r66mZVPV11P7EpULWbT0TvIgqvNcQCqsNZR8eL-hpF4X3rX8jW-gjGzbZZ7v7OrQ-rT2eBOqoUQVb6XhelWmjtPBFf-w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Town-County of Nantucket, MA","date","2025-03-13T19:02:08.487Z","article","The Nantucket Finance Committee voted unanimously March 11 to recommend Article 16: a $4,000,000 transfer from the water company's certified retained earnings to purchase and install a mobile PFAS treatment system intended to treat contaminated shallow wells (Well 15 and Well 16).

Brian, finance staff, introduced the article and said the proposed $4,000,000 appropriation was changed from a borrowing to a direct use of the water company's retained earnings after discussion with the water company. \"The water commission actually voted to authorize the expenditure directly from retained earnings. So we have changed that from a borrowing to a full use of retained earnings,\" Brian said.

Mark Bolett, director of the Wannacomet Water Company, provided a cost breakdown and technical rationale for the selected system. He said the total $4,000,000 includes equipment, site work, engineering and a building to enclose the pad: equipment currently staged in Portland, Maine, quoted at $1,400,000; site work and concrete pad at $450,000; engineering including SCADA/pump/alarm integration at $100,000; a 20% contingency applied to early site and equipment costs; and roughly $1,600,000 allocated for a building to enclose the treatment pad.

The system selected is an ion-exchange treatment train, which Mark said performs better than activated carbon for \"short-chain\" PFAS compounds identified in the plume from Tom's Way. \"Ion exchange does a better job with the short chain PFAS... The plume from Tom's Way... the majority of that plume percentage-wise is a short chain PFAS. So we had to go with the ion exchange to take care of that plume specific,\" Mark said.

Mark said the immediate goal is to have the system operational by May, pending final permits and equipment delivery. He described the planned schedule: trucking equipment from Portland, assembling the pad and piping, and completing commissioning and testing. He said media replacement is expected on roughly a 4-to-5-year cycle; the transcript records Mark saying the cost to change the media would be \"about $380\" but the unit (thousands/dollars) was not specified in the meeting record. Disposal of spent media will be handled under hazardous-waste manifest to a licensed facility, and the water company intends to account for future replacement and disposal costs as operating expenses.

Mark also described monitoring and sampling plans. The water company found Well 15 above the 20 parts-per-trillion (ppt) PFAS limit during routine December sampling, with readings \"over 50\" ppt reported in the meeting. Well 15 and Well 16 are shallow aquifer wells; Well 12 is deeper and has not shown impacts. The treatment pad will be piped to allow adding Well 12 to treatment later if required; adding another filter train would be needed to treat an additional well.

The motion to adopt Article 16 was made by Joanna Roche and seconded by Jeremy (last name not specified). The roll-call vote recorded aye votes from committee members present and the motion passed unanimously. Mark thanked the committee after the vote.

Committee members asked follow-up questions about life expectancy of equipment, media regeneration, sampling frequency and sampling costs. Mark said the treatment vessels are long-lived steel tanks and the media is regenerable; he estimated laboratory testing at about $300 to $400 per sample and said the commission plans monthly sampling, possibly increasing to biweekly during commissioning or as required by MassDEP. MassDEP (Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection) will direct long-term sampling requirements, Mark said.

The committee approved the appropriation from retained earnings rather than issuing debt, and the water company said it would retain substantial reserves after the transfer. \"Using retained earnings, we're comfortable with using those retained earnings. You know, that leaves us we we're still left with 8,000,000, which is more than an annual budget for us,\" Mark said.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Finance Committee - 3/11/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The committee approved a $4,000,000 transfer from the water company's certified retained earnings to fund a mobile ion-exchange PFAS treatment system for shallow wells (Well 15 and Well 16) after Well 15 tested above the 20 parts-per-trillion limit.","taxTitle","Nantucket County, Massachusetts","taxId",61456,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6281411,"Committee approves enterprise fund budgets; island home financing shows $5.5M transfer from general fund",359,339000,698000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2605590-863a7944cefa4e49b65cd678dc5031e3&start=339&end=698","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2605590-863a7944cefa4e49b65cd678dc5031e3/thumbnail_339000.jpg","/articles/6281411/Nantucket-County/Massachusetts/Committee-approves-enterprise-fund-budgets-island-home-financing-shows-55M-transfer-from-general-fund","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6281411-23787261981a2c95037e4907cbbe6ad8/orig.mp4?Expires=1776224406&Signature=ftHLMio~pvcxjyfL8N2aJwEfVx~K-HYFfffrfHccjWC-iSlVwGddOdnFEAyjQJBD8~Zb-FesJ5iEddJ-IS-ZHOJ24OKHkLpZQMsEkSmlxWmFcn9w5rp4AqjwpmxFPtgsmEZKyISfkxrLBeZLr7ZN1089DcKZLETYcFI~H2CXvPXeLS7ePx8Cf2ejTJ~4ioY-0I3CIda8lvo5ddJyd5tjBQQdT6UOxSlRtl5kHpobfSXbMXkkaxmx0RtEXEH-0tQP20jQDdk5RVNCC2f9l8OOWVx4eGDP5KjPqMRtAdksL5nhI5ysrGCDQq64X8HOEfUhVZZWqQaFkd4A222wuf6~FA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Nantucket Finance Committee voted March 11 to recommend the fiscal 2026 enterprise fund operating budgets, approving changes tied to permanent debt sales for sewer work and clarifying the structure of financing for the Island Home long-term care facility.

Brian, finance staff, told the committee the committee's earlier meeting had presented airport, Island Home, solid waste, stormwater and water department budgets with no changes; the single change incorporated on March 11 was $600,000 in permanent debt financing added to the sewer budget to cover the South Valley Pump Station and CMOM (Capacity, Management, Operation and Maintenance) programs. \"We did sell some permanent debt related to sewer, which, by holding it, it did allow us to get that in. That is primarily the sewer was related to, the South Valley Pump Station and some of their CMOM programs,\" Brian said.

Committee members asked about the Island Home financing. Joe Wright questioned whether the $10,000,000 financing line was wholly a subsidy. Brian explained there are two lines reported: anticipated enterprise revenue (what the facility expects to collect) and a separate financing transfer from the general fund of $5,519,064. \"The first line there is fiscal 26 anticipated revenue... and the second line is the financing being transferred from the general fund itself of $5,519,064,\" Brian said.

Committee members also discussed the possible impact of changes to Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement. Brian said any reduction would require either private-pay increases, expenditure cuts, or use of retained earnings or later transfers if shortfalls appeared. \"We would have to hope that private pay increases or we would have to reduce expenditures ... or we would have to potentially transfer retained earnings in at a subsequent town meeting if we expected a shortfall to meet the appropriations,\" Brian said. Committee members noted current Medicaid rates and the share of revenue Medicaid represents at the facility.

The motion to adopt the enterprise funds appropriations was made by Peter Schaeffer and seconded by (name given as) Bill for the record in the meeting. The roll-call vote recorded aye votes from Peter Schaeffer; Joe Wright; Jill Veith; Chris Kulacki; Jeremy (last name not specified); Denise (last name not specified); and an abstention by Rob (last name not specified) who said he missed substantive discussion. The motion passed with one abstention.

No other changes to airport, Island Home, solid waste, stormwater, or water department budgets were reported. The committee deferred Article 10 to the next meeting; staff said they would circulate the enterprise detail to committee members as necessary before annual town meeting.","The finance committee recommended enterprise fund appropriations March 11, adding $600,000 in permanent sewer debt for the South Valley Pump Station and noting a $5,519,064 transfer from the general fund to subsidize the Island Home.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":79,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6281414,"Finance committee backs $140.6 million general fund operating budget, adds $2.4M from recent debt sale",261,78000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2605590-863a7944cefa4e49b65cd678dc5031e3&start=78&end=339","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2605590-863a7944cefa4e49b65cd678dc5031e3/thumbnail_78000.jpg","/articles/6281414/Nantucket-County/Massachusetts/Finance-committee-backs-1406-million-general-fund-operating-budget-adds-24M-from-recent-debt-sale","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6281414-612b388f572c4f2179743e4ed8d84180/orig.mp4?Expires=1776224406&Signature=a5OIRQZwQSq9JSV5aAYwJeiuLyIW6YxGZRHLV2bYWWfA2pS2RVo5jVIJz5-LqdBtDwqcvRxMapOWG5xpIBGHGF6~ZIR1gM~sIq1dbsZryvJgck3rQMqp9VS9YwhNBw4-lLFjHXPRR1y~9txQT-Cyn2Ty9xUqlEeQL5AQUh2cM07gqfT3olzB7~2ERnoUYFLr6hiKBtszEKpNUM7HNmJhgE4BNbsPz1wv8tqjiy-gZI2SHvfq-s5DQvQohB2joZb7W~LsDLyiPzIY2wHXlzYzv7WMKLkqyNhpF90UIV6NkIirC0vL0M9Ur~7sRY7JyPNq3JctvC6XGQQoWlDPMH9Oxg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Nantucket Finance Committee voted unanimously March 11 to recommend the town's fiscal 2026 general fund operating budget of $140,613,890, including a last-minute debt sale that added about $2,400,000 in principal and interest to the funding plan.

The recommended motion would raise and appropriate $133,268,827 from the fiscal 2026 tax levy and other general revenues; transfer $516,000 from certified free cash for one-time operating expenses (noted in the meeting as $216,000 for town-side one-time expenses and $300,000 for the schools); and transfer $6,829,063 from fiscal 2026 revenues to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The school budget included in the motion was $43,746,176.

Brian, finance staff, told the committee the debt sale completed the morning of March 11 increased the budgeted debt service by roughly $2.4 million, with most of that amount tied to previously authorized affordable housing trust projects and some permanent financing of sidewalk projects already completed. \"The majority of that was for some affordable housing trust projects and then some we did issue some permanent sale of debt related to previously authorized sidewalk projects that had been completed,\" Brian said.

Committee members asked for clarifications about the portion of the debt tied to specific projects. Jill Veith asked whether the additional $2,000,000 was \"based on everything they're doing, or is it, like, specific to the Wiggles' cost?\" Brian replied that the debt sale was not all for one project: \"It's not all related to Wiggles Way, but some of it is, yes,\" and said portions related to the Gooseberry project would be paid out once outstanding items were finalized.

The motion to adopt the operating budget was made by Peter Schaeffer and seconded by Jill Veith. A roll-call vote recorded aye votes from Peter Schaeffer; Chris Kulacki; Joanna Roche; Joe Wright; Jill Veith; Denise (last name not specified); and Jeremy (last name not specified). The committee chair noted Steven (last name not specified) was not present for the vote. The committee recorded the motion as adopted unanimously among members voting.

The committee chair and finance staff said most department heads were available at the earlier Saturday meeting and remained available for follow-up questions. Brian said he was available to answer department-specific questions as needed.

The committee will forward its recommendation to the annual town meeting warrant; the committee did not adopt additional formal conditions on the recommendation during the March 11 session.","The Nantucket Finance Committee voted unanimously to recommend the town's fiscal 2026 general fund operating budget of $140,613,890, reflecting a late debt sale that added roughly $2.4 million in principal and interest for affordable housing and sidewalk projects.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Water company to use $4.0M retained earnings for mobile PFAS treatment system after Well 15 tests over state limit

Committee approves enterprise fund budgets; island home financing shows $5.5M transfer from general fund

Finance committee backs $140.6 million general fund operating budget, adds $2.4M from recent debt sale