01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Charlestown

Taking a step back can be a positive

As individuals the five members of the Charlestown Town Council have different styles of management. That, of course, is a good thing. However, to deliberately frighten constituents with false, misleading numbers and misinformation is irresponsible. It is politics at its meanest and in no way serves the interest of the citizens.

The best thing that could have happened in Charlestown was the postponement of last week’s hearing on the wastewater issue. As I have said to many people since last Wednesday’s meeting, people who are angry simply cannot hear. It would not have mattered what was said or who said it last week. People were upset. Now that we have all had time to gather information and consider our options, we will be much more agreeable to listen to the presentations that have been planned.

No question, the new regulations from Department of Environmental Management are a real issue for the town to deal with. But there is no crisis. It should not be a surprise to discover that the town has been working on ways to mitigate the consequences of this new directive for some time. We have a Wastewater Commission that meets regularly, and a staff member wastewater specialist working full time. These folks have potential solutions and are studying the impacts of each concept in a deliberate and reasonable fashion. They are utilizing the vast supply of studies and reports that have already been done on the subject. They are focusing their attention on those of our population who will have the most difficult time meeting the new requirements.

Consideration of the issues and alternatives available to us such as (1) changing the Rhode Island Housing 2-percent loan eligibility criteria for our residents who need help; (2) creation of a town-funded (bond issue) source of additional long-term loans or small grants-in-aid; (3) evaluation of small systems for several neighbors to share and reduce the costs; (4) re-examine the area to be subject to the regulations to insure that the DEM lines are properly delineated are just some examples that require further study.

As councilors it is our responsibility to assure our constituents that we are listening to their concerns and take them seriously. We also need to provide them with the information that will assist them in making the best decisions. We will be doing that Thursday, April 10, at 5:30 p.m. at the Charlestown Elementary School. I am extremely glad that we have all had time to ask questions and become more familiar with some of the potential solutions. We will be in a far better position to actually absorb the information.

Issues of this financial magnitude should never be undertaken within an atmosphere of mistrust, fear and anxiety. They must be studied with the greatest care and consideration for the public. I wish to assure the citizens of Charlestown that we will approach this question with the best interests of all of you in mind, and with the deliberation that it, and you, deserve.

Kate Waterman

The writer is a member of the Charlestown Town Council.