Voters approve sewage plans, budget and the elimination of plastic bag usage in town

Town Meeting voters on Monday approved a $26 million sewer project, banned the use of single-use plastic shopping bags, helped fund a bog restoration project and new senior housing, and approved an $75.5 million town budget.

Despite much discussion during the 3-hour, April 27, meeting, all items passed easily on voice votes without any tally close enough to warrant a hand count.

Russ Kleekamp of Environmental Design and Research said the existing 18-inch force main carries most of the towns sewage. Large buildings like Tobey Hospital and Town Hall all use this main, which is more than 50 years old and showing significant corrosion.

Kleekamp said the pipe's age and corrosion state poses a growing risk of failure.

"Replacing the age infrastructure is something that benefits the whole town of the future," he said. 

Environmental Design and Research is a design professional corporation that specializes in water, wastewater, civil and environmental engineering services.

Kleekamp said that leaving the pipes as they are could mean sewage spillage into waterways within Wareham. 

The project will be completed in three phases. The first phase includes installing a new force main along Sandwich Road while keeping the current system in operation. Later phases will reroute existing connections and expand service capacity, ultimately removing all flow from the aging pipe. 

He and Kraihanzel noted that the project should be eligible for a variety of grants and low-interest loans that will decrease the town’s responsibility for all of the $26 million.Estimated user costs range from about $125 to $200 per user, depending on final bids and funding.

After months of deliberation by the Finance Committee, School Committee and Select Board, the town budget was approved by voters.

The town budget for FY2027 comes in at $74,548,925. Town Administrator Derek Sullivan stressed how difficult it was to allocate proper funds to the budget this year citing issues like the February blizzard that cost the town almost $1 million. 

"We balanced the budget. It's not perfect but it got us here," Sullivan said. 

Voters approved a ban on single-use plastic shopping bags, proposed by Jo-Ann Finn through a citizen’s petition. She cited the town’s earlier ban on small liquor bottles, or “nips,” as evidence that such actions reduce litter. 

“I wasn’t sure if it would make a difference but take it from me, it really has,” she said, adding she now rarely sees nips while picking up trash.

Finn and members of the Church of the Good Shepherd’s Good and Green group urged officials to take a similar step with plastic bags, citing environmental and cost concerns. The group said the bags often end up in trees, ponds and waterways, where they harm wildlife and break down into microplastics.

Recycling Center volunteer Amanda Cobb highlighted the scale of the issue, noting the town collects multiple large bags of plastic weekly at the recycling center alone.

The new ruling does not apply to items such as produce bags, trash bags or pet waste bags. The change will shift costs to reusable or paper options and rely largely on education and cooperation for enforcement.

Both proposals for the use of Community Preservation funds were approved. 

Community Preservation Funds come from a surtax on property values above $100,000 and, under the terms of the state’s Community Preservation Act, must be spent on historic preservation, open space preservation, recreation and affordable housing.

New affordable housing for seniors will be underway thanks to voters approval of $300,000 in Community Preservation Act funding for the second phase of the Cranberry Manor senior housing development.

The funding will support a 40-unit expansion behind the existing Cranberry Manor complex off Cranberry Highway. The project headed by NeighborWorks Housing Solutions will create housing for residents age 62 and older, with a mix of income-restricted units.

Noelle Humphries, associate real estate development director of NeighborWorks Housing Solutions said the development will include on-site management, supportive services and a resident service coordinator. 

Plans also call for energy-efficient construction, including solar panels and “passive house” design elements.

The $300,000 request represents just over 1% of the total project cost, with the remainder expected to come from state and other public funding sources. Humphries said the company hopes to begin construction in the fall.

Town Meeting voters also approved $700,000 in Community Preservation funding toward the purchase, restoration and preservation of xx acres of land along Beaverdam Creek.

The property, located along Route 6 just west of Cromesett Road, will be purchased by the Buzzards Bay Coalition for about $1 million, below its $1.4 million appraised value. The lower price is the result of an agreement allowing the current owner to continue harvesting cranberries for several years before full restoration begins.

Community Preservation Committee Chair Sandra Slavin said the project will convert about nine acres of active cranberry bogs back to a natural wetland system, improving water flow and reducing nitrogen entering local waterways. 

"We have the funds through the Community Preservation Act, and this is a chance to save the land and restore it to its natural state while improving water quality in our watershed," Slavin said.

Slavin noted the effort aligns with broader goals to reduce nutrient pollution and preserve open space.