SCITUATE - November 3 - Voters at Monday’s Special Town Meeting approved a $120,000 study exploring desalination technology to augment the town’s water supply, the most debated item on an eleven-article warrant that passed entirely by voice vote. The evening opened with Select Board Chair Andrew Goodrich announcing a $5 million MassWorks grant for North Scituate sewer construction, calling it “actual real money” rather than borrowing.
The Full Story
The dual developments position Scituate to address two critical infrastructure challenges: expanding sewer service in North Scituate and exploring new water sources to supplement the town’s existing supply.
Goodrich credited the grant success to Department of Public Works Director Kevin Cafferty, town staff Corey Miles, Karen Joseph, and Will Branton, and engineering consultants at Woodward and Curran. The competitive state grant will fully fund construction of the North Scituate sewer system without requiring the town to issue bonds.
But voters spent the bulk of the 49-minute meeting debating Article 7, which funds a feasibility study for two water augmentation strategies: desalinating seawater for non-potable uses like golf course irrigation, and treating wastewater for groundwater recharge.
Water Resources Commission Chair Bruce Arbonies framed the proposal as supplemental rather than replacement. “We’re not looking to replace the entire water supply of Scituate,” Arbonies told the meeting. “We’re looking to try to find some consistent water supply that would deliver anywhere from 300,000 to 500,000 gallons a day. That would be about a third of what we normally use.”
Unlike large-scale municipal desalination plants in cities like Tampa and San Diego, Young explained, Scituate would pursue a more modest system providing “consistent, continuous replenishment supply right from the water that’s outside our front door.”
Town Administrator Jim Boudreau highlighted Plymouth’s successful pilot program distributing 750,000 gallons of treated wastewater daily into sand beds that percolate into groundwater wells. Plymouth is now seeking permits to expand the program to 3 million gallons daily. “Part of this study is to augment our water supply by potentially having a recharge of our wells using the treated wastewater,” Boudreau said.
The proposal drew pointed skepticism from Heather Clark of Brockton Avenue. “Spending money in order to study something that we know will be expensive to the town in order to irrigate golf courses, I as a taxpayer, it doesn’t sit well with me to subsidize the lawn care of a country club,” Clark said.
Supporters emphasized broader applications beyond golf courses. Boudreau described advanced purification technologies that allow communities to treat reclaimed water with UV rays and additional processing, eventually introducing it into reservoirs where it mingles with existing supplies before undergoing further treatment at water plants.
Arbonies closed with an infrastructure investment argument. “We’ve all heard when we talk about infrastructure projects at the federal, state, or local level, you hear comments like, this is work that should have been done 20 years ago,” he said. “Your approval of this article tonight gets us started so in 10 or 15 years, we’re not having this conversation about how we need more water.”
The meeting’s remaining ten articles generated little controversy. Voters approved $210,246 in Fiscal Year 2026 budget reconciliations, with the largest share ($124,262) funding School Department operational costs through state aid. Additional appropriations covered facilities maintenance projects ($29,668), removal of ash borer damaged trees ($18,000), septic loan program debt service ($12,935), and Harbormaster communications equipment ($10,000) funded through waterways receipts.
A $200,000 appropriation from sewer retained earnings will fund an Inflow and Infiltration Measures project that lacked sufficient funding at April’s Annual Town Meeting. Another article authorized $1,656,812 in transfers to various reserve accounts, led by $1.25 million to Capital Stabilization to meet town policy requiring 2-10% of general fund operating budget reserves.
Community preservation projects received $1,023,500: $750,000 for “Dishpan” property land acquisition for open space, $145,000 for Cudworth House restoration, $125,000 for Mordecai Lincoln House restoration, and $3,500 for GAR Hall lighting. A separate $35,000 appropriation will support Conservation Commission work maintaining and protecting open spaces.
Governance changes included increasing revolving fund limits (School Transportation from $400,000 to $500,000, Recreation Programs from $515,000 to $545,000) and amending the tax title property bylaw to streamline procedures when the town forecloses on properties for unpaid taxes. The amended process requires the Select Board to decide within 14 days whether to sell or retain foreclosed properties.
The most extensive bylaw changes came through Article 10, which modernized the Animal Control Bylaw with clearer definitions distinguishing commercial boarding facilities, commercial breeder operations, and personal kennels. The amendments specify that personal kennel breeding is restricted to private sales only, not wholesale operations, and set new penalty structures: $500 for first offenses, capped at $1,000 for subsequent violations.
The meeting’s final article generated unexpected division. Article 11 would authorize the Select Board to petition the legislature for special legislation allowing digital-only legal notices, eliminating the requirement to publish in print newspapers.
The Advisory Committee split evenly, 3-3. Member Conor Doherty explained the division: while all agreed print notices represent “an outdated, borderline archaic form of communicating,” some felt the town shouldn’t eliminate access for residents who still rely on newspaper notices to fulfill their civic duty. He noted the actual cost represents only “a fraction of a percentage of the total town budget” and observed it might be time to end “hundreds of years of tradition behind printing public notices in the newspaper,” but “maybe not quite yet.”
Ann Burbine of Pennycress Road opposed the change. “Sometimes we need to be still old-fashioned. And I like paper,” she said, noting “there are people in this town that do not utilize computers, social media.” Lamenting the loss of local newspaper coverage, she argued residents “need to be informed. I cannot support this article.” Despite floor opposition and the split advisory vote, the article passed.
Why It Matters
The $120,000 study positions Scituate to explore proven water augmentation technologies at a time when coastal communities face increasing supply pressure from development and climate uncertainty. If feasible, the dual approach of desalinating seawater for irrigation and recharging groundwater with treated wastewater could add 300,000 to 500,000 gallons daily to the town’s water supply—roughly one-third of current daily use. The $5 million state grant for North Scituate sewer construction demonstrates how competitive grant applications can fund major infrastructure projects without borrowing. Together, the initiatives represent proactive infrastructure planning rather than reactive crisis management, though the ultimate implementation costs and practical challenges remain uncertain pending study results.
Meeting Minutes
Key Motions & Votes
Motion: Article 1 - Appropriate $9,594.54 from available funds for unpaid prior year bills (Police: $103.53, Fire: $17.01, Water Enterprise: $8,474). Outcome: Approved. Vote: Voice vote, majority. (Timestamp: 0:13:00)
Motion: Article 2 - Appropriate $210,246 for FY2026 budget reconciliations (School: $124,262, Facilities: $29,668, DPW: $18,000, Technology: $5,381, Debt Service: $12,935, Harbormaster: $10,000). Outcome: Approved. Vote: Voice vote, majority. (Timestamp: 0:14:00)
Motion: Article 3 - Transfer $200,000 from sewer retained earnings for Inflow & Infiltration Measures capital project. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Voice vote, majority. (Timestamp: 0:16:00)
Motion: Article 4 - Transfer $1,656,812 to reserve funds (Capital Stabilization: $1,250,000, SPED Reserve: $68,360, Waterways Capital Stabilization: $50,000, OPEB Trusts: $288,452 total). Outcome: Approved. Vote: Voice vote, majority. (Timestamp: 0:18:00)
Motion: Article 5 - Appropriate $1,023,500 from Community Preservation budget (Dishpan land: $750,000, Cudworth House: $145,000, Mordecai Lincoln House: $125,000, GAR Hall: $3,500). Outcome: Approved. Vote: Voice vote, majority. (Timestamp: 0:20:00)
Motion: Article 6 - Appropriate $35,000 for open space maintenance, improvement and protection under Conservation Commission. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Voice vote, majority. (Timestamp: 0:28:00)
Motion: Article 7 - Appropriate $120,000 for desalination technology and wastewater treatment feasibility study. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Voice vote, majority. (Timestamp: 0:45:00)
Motion: Article 8 - Increase FY2026 revolving fund limits (School Transportation: $400,000 to $500,000, Recreation Programs: $515,000 to $545,000). Outcome: Approved. Vote: Voice vote, majority. (Timestamp: 0:45:30)
Motion: Article 9 - Amend General Bylaws Section 10420 regarding tax title property procedures. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Voice vote, majority. (Timestamp: 0:46:00)
Motion: Article 10 - Amend General Bylaws Section 30400 Animal Control Bylaw (modernize kennel definitions and penalties). Outcome: Approved. Vote: Voice vote, majority. (Timestamp: 0:46:30)
Motion: Article 11 - Authorize Select Board to petition legislature for special legislation allowing digital-only legal notices. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Voice vote, majority. (Timestamp: 0:48:48)
What’s Next
The Department of Public Works and Water Resources Commission will oversee the desalination and wastewater treatment feasibility study, with findings to inform future capital investment decisions. The Select Board will petition the General Court for special legislation authorizing digital legal notices. Community Preservation projects advance subject to CPC terms and conditions. The DPW will implement the $5 million MassWorks-funded North Scituate sewer construction on a timeline to be determined.