Concord advisers discuss state ward of wastewater plant, six-month response window

Advisers to the Town of Concord discussed a state offer of a wastewater treatment plant and the next steps for evaluating whether the town should pursue acquisition.

At the Jan. 27 meeting of the Community MCI Conference Advisory Board, members said the Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM) and the town re coordinating studies and negotiations. Paul summarized the DCAM briefing, saying DCAM "reiterated their motivation to work as cooperatively and through this offer slash negotiation process" and that the state has its own technical reviewer, while town staff and outside consultants (Weston & Samson) are preparing separate technical and negotiation workstreams.

Board members highlighted key uncertainties about capacity and permitting. Paul said the plant—urrent treated-flow capacity was discussed as "roughly 300,000 gallons per day" and that the state would need about one-third of that for its operations, with roughly one-third being discussed for future local development and a third potentially available for the MCI site. James asked for clarification and was told the plant—igure is an estimate and that Weston & Samson are still studying setbacks, buffers and permitting constraints.

Why it matters: the town has a six-month window from the date the facility was offered to indicate interest and to raise particular concerns the town would want resolved during negotiation. Paul said the select board planned an executive session on Feb. 3 to "begin to outline for ourselves the constellation of issues that might come up when we're negotiating over that," and staff expects to draft a letter of interest to open formal dialogue with the state.

Board members also discussed operational issues including the plant not running at full capacity and potential efficiency and resilience upgrades. Paul said consultants noted the plant is not operating at full load, which could make operations less efficient and is something the study will examine. Members flagged permitting questions and potential land needs (e.g., sand beds and ancillary real estate) that could affect whether capital investment could increase capacity.

The advisory board did not take a formal vote on acquisition at the Jan. 27 meeting. Members described several potential transaction pathways they expect to explore, including continued state ownership with a town operating lease until a later acquisition, or a direct purchase timed to fit the town's warrant calendar.

Ending: Staff said DCAM expects a study report in the coming months and that the town would use the land acquisition authority as part of any future action. The advisory board will fold the wastewater study findings into ongoing planning work for the MCI site and track follow-up items identified at the executive session and in consultant reports.