Council hears resident's questions on wastewater plan.

By unanimous vote tonight, the Portsmouth Town Council decisively rejected sewers, instead directing that the town administration bring back a plan for a wastewater management district [WMD] by July 1. An overflow crowd of at least 150 filled the chambers and lobby, with a handful crouched outside around the windows, straining to hear. There were at least a dozen carrying anti-sewer signs, and there were multiple rounds of applause for those who took to the podium to voice opposition to sewers.

Town Hall was so crowded that I spent the first part of the meeting watching through a window from the parking lot, and only managed to slip into the room after the Council went into executive session with the attorney they had brought in to advise them on compliance with relevant environmental regulations, Christopher D'Ovidio.

From the outset, it was clear that the Council was listening. Councilor Keith Hamilton almost immediately made a motion to direct the town administration to return with a wastewater district plan that would bring the Town into compliance with Department of Environmental Management and EPA regulations, and although there was much agonizing and parsing of every clause in the questions that followed, at the end of the night, it was clear that both the text of the motion and the intent of the Council was aimed at bringing the matter to closure.

"We need to stop driving the nail into the coffin," said councilor Dennis Canario. "Let's start the process."

But it seemed nobody wanted to take the Council at their word. The first question from the audience sought reassurance that "sewers were off the table." Hamilton replied that the motion was to go forward with a WMD. [Editorial note: Normally, following good journalistic practice, I'd identify the speaker, but last night's meeting was a bit loose, with not everyone providing their name and address at the podium, and, frankly, given the crowd noise, I was not always able to hear those who did.]

Larry Fitzmorris, president of the PCC, one of the groups which has opposed sewers, asked for the Council to distribute the motion in writing. "Much pivots on the language," he said. I did see the Council make copies, but none of them made it to the back of the room where I was. "We need to understand that you understand that this is not the back door into sewers," said Fitzmorris.

The council seemed pretty clear in their responses. "We're certainly not here to do that," replied Council president Pete McIntyre. "This is a motion against sewers, as far as I am concerned," said Councilor Jeff Plumb. "I am not and will not support sewers," said Dennis Canario. "There isn't anybody sitting here that's going to back into anything," said Seveney.

And the mistrust was not aimed at the Council alone. Several people asked questions about who would set the standards and who would do the water quality testing to verify that the WMD was working.

"What if someone takes a dump off the side of a boat and says the water's dirty," asked one resident of Common Fence Point. (Bet you don't see THAT quote in the Daily News.)

Then Tailgunner Gleason started offering amendments to the motion. First, she proposed adding "town-wide" to modify WMD. Then she wanted to add language specifically referring to previous reports which provided support for a WMD. Both of those were accepted. Then she tried to add a clause saying that the town would only need to comply with "current" water quality standards, and that's where the the Council called on attorney D'Ovidio.

Adding such a clause, said D'Ovidio, would not immunize the Town from changes in the law. "You have to comply," he said. "You can't go back and say in 2015 that we're in compliance with 2010 regulations."

With everyone satisfied, the Council voted unanimously to proceed with the WMD plan, and about 130 of the attendees left.

The remainder of the meeting was anticlimactic. Gleason's agenda item on the Island Park skate area had been pushed to a future meeting while I was still in the parking lot, and the PCC's proposed charter changes were also moved.

Only other item of interest is that there will be a workshop on May 3 where the Council will discuss the status of the Town Center project.