A familiar face is taking on a new role in town. Board of Health Chairman Guy S. Campinha has been named the new director of the sewer plant.

Campinha worked for 12 years as a plant manager and chief plant operator at Massasoit Environmental Services, in North Carver, and he spent six years at Earth Source, in Raynham, also working as a plant manager and chief operator.

The Water Pollution Control Facility has been without a director since April, when then-Superintendent David Simmons was laid off due to budgetary concerns. Andrews told Wareham Week this month that the new "director" position is different than the position of superintendent and that town officials have been evaluating operations at the plant and cutting costs since May, which will help fund the new position.

In an introduction to the Board of Selectmen Tuesday, Campinha said he has spent his first few days on the job working on cost-cutting measures.

"We have a lot of work ahead of us," Campinha said. "I'm excited about it."

Campinha will have to resign from his volunteer position with the Board of Health. Though enthusiastic about his new role, he said after the meeting that having to step down from that board is "heartbreaking."

The Board of Selectmen wished Campinha well. "Good luck," said Selectmen Chair Jane Donahue. "You've got your hands full."

Following his layoff, Simmons found he was eligible for retirement. The United Steelworkers Union filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Division of Labor Relations on his behalf, however, and the case is ongoing.

In other sewer business:

John Sanguinet, Administrative assistant to the Board of Selectmen, indicated that approximately $96,000 will need to be added to the sewer enterprise fund for operating and capital expenses for this fiscal year.

The town will vote on whether to allow the funds to be transferred during Town Meeting, scheduled for October 25. The transfer will increase the yearly sewer user fee (EDU rate) by about 12 dollars, Sanguinet said.

The sewer enterprise fund is meant to be self-sufficient, operating solely on the fees paid by sewer users. Town Administrator Mark Andrews said the funding is needed because the budget was overspent in fiscal year 2010, leaving the account short for this year.