Town Meeting approved a $36 million borrowing authorization for sewer repairs aimed at upgrading Wareham's aging sewage treatment facility Monday, Oct. 23.

The Sewer Commission and outside consultants have argued that the system’s “headworks” and “clarifier” — which handle sewage at the beginning of the treatment process — are reaching the end of their useful life and that replacing them is critical to keep the plant functioning.

This is the second time this request was brought before Town Meeting. The request was denied at the Special Town Meeting held Monday, July 24.

This time around, the request passed with only a few “nays,” and some who were previously against borrowing sharing that they have changed their opinion.

Sara Greenburg of consulting at GHD gave a new presentation on the project where the cost of the repairs were broken down.

Given that the request has been approved, the Sewer Commission is able to take on the loan from the State Revolving Fund, and at minimum 10% of it will be forgiven.

There will also be a 17% contribution from Bourne, which also uses the sewer plant. The Sewer Commissioners estimate that it will cost each user an additional $46 per year when the loan begins to be paid off in 2027.

If it had not been approved at this meeting and went to the Spring Town Meeting, the Commission would have taken out an open market loan, which would have cost users $133 per year.

If no action was taken, it would have cost users $133 per year in addition to $85 per year to pay for a temporary fix through an open market loan and all residents, even those on septic, would have been fined up to $450.

Select Board member Alan Slavin shared that he was no longer against the borrowing. 

Slavin said it’s a “frustrating situation.”

Referring to the fines the town would face if these upgrades are not made and the system were to fail, he said, “The saying, ‘Pay me now or pay me later,’ has come home to roost.”

Resident Donna Fox Rubin said she previously voted against the request because she had initially thought it was a “Band-Aid” and she wanted to see a more “holistic solution.” 

However, she said there is more information available and lots of discussions have taken place: “I think we’ve really beat the horse to death.”

Fox Rubin said she better understands the situation as a result and voiced concerns about the potential for this sewer plant to pollute the surrounding lands and waters if the problem is not addressed.

“We are out of time,” she added. “We have to do this now.”

Peter Teitelbaum, attorney and former Select Board member, said he had voted against the request at the Special Town Meeting because he did not think the Sewer Commission was in a position to identify the cost of this project when a Capital Improvement Plan hasn’t been updated since 2015.

A Capital Improvement Plan would identify the full extent of the repairs and improvements needed for the facility. 

“I want the Sewer Commissioners to really push to get cracking on an updated Capital Improvement Plan,” Teitelbaum said, adding he has heard from town officials the plan will be ready by the end of the year. 

“I think we all know there’s going to be a lot more money than just $36 million that’s going to be required over the next 20 years,” he said. 

He added there are a lot of other upgrades and repairs that will be required as parts of the facility age out and there needs to be an increase in the plant’s capacity. 

Resident Ervin Russell, as a sewer user, urged voters to approve the request, stating the matter has reached a “critical point.”

Select Board member Tricia Wurts said 60% of the town is on sewer. 

Wurts said saying, ‘No,’ to this request would mean telling those people to dig a ditch in their backyard and hope they have a helpful neighbor who will let them shower and brush their teeth.