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Charlton delays final approval to hook up pizza shop at 9 City Depot Road after split vote and intermunicipal checks requested
Summary
Property owner requested a single tie‑in to serve a pizza shop while keeping laundromat on a private well; commissioners split on public‑health precedent and pending Southbridge and health‑department review, so the item was left for follow‑up next month.
Charlton property owner Randy Labeaux asked the Water and Sewer Commission to allow a single water tie‑in to serve a pizza shop at 9 City Depot Road while leaving the laundromat and other businesses on a private well. Labeaux said the plumbing is roughed in and that he already had pressure testing and an inspector’s review.
Chris McClure explained two methods to assess the privilege fee: using Title 5 design flows, which is conservative, or using actual sewer‑use meter readings where available. McClure said the laundromat’s sewer‑use meter shows an average of about 996 gallons per day over six years, which, if used, would produce a lower assessment than Title 5 estimates. Using the Title 5 policy (60% of design flow), McClure calculated a privilege‑fee estimate for tying in the pizza restaurant at roughly $7,341 and estimated that tying in the entire building would be higher (about $12,193, per the engineer’s calculations).
Commissioners were supportive of providing a single tie‑in to the pizza shop if appropriate safeguards are in place, including a backflow prevention device and Southbridge (the regional water manager) approval of the connection. Commissioner concern centered on precedent and public‑health risks of allowing an interconnected public water line to coexist with private well service inside the same building or parcel. One commissioner said he had not seen that arrangement in other towns and called it a potential public‑health issue; others said the board of health and Southbridge should be consulted.
A motion to permit the pizza‑shop connection (with backflow prevention and pending Southbridge approval) was made and seconded. The roll call produced a split outcome (two yes, two no on the record) and additional discussion; commissioners asked staff to seek Southbridge’s and the health department’s input and to return the item for a final vote at the August meeting.
Labeaux said tying in only the pizza shop would be the most affordable option for him and that connecting the entire building would likely be unaffordable and could force him to sell the property. The commission did not finalize an approval and directed staff to obtain Southbridge’s decision and a Board of Health review before revisiting the request.
