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HomeMy Public PortalAboutAgenda Item - Request Confirmation - Stormwater Advisory Comm. 7-21-10Michael J. Driscoll Town Manager TOWN OF WATERTOWN Office of the Town Manager Administration Building 149 Main Street Watertown, MA 02472 Phone: 617-972-6465 Fax: 617-972-6404 www.watertown-ma.gov townmgr@watertown-ma.gov To: Honorable Town Council From: Michael J. Driscoll, Town Manager Date: July 21, 2010 RE: Request for Confirmation — Reappointment to the Stormwater Advisory Committee Pursuant to the provisions of the attached Town Council Resolution 2009-36, A Resolution Creating a Stormwater Advisory Committee, I am transmitting herewith a request for reappointment to the Stormwater Advisory Committee which requires Council confirmation. The reappointment will be as follows: Stormwater Advisory Committee Ernesta Kraczkiewicz 77 Riverside Street 2 Year Term July 15, 2012 Thank you for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. cc: Gerald S. Mee Jr., Superintendent of Public Works Steven Magoon, Community Development & Planning Director Christopher J. Hayward, Conservation Agent ' John E. Flynn, Town Clerk TOWN OF WATERTOWN Town Council Administration Building 149 Main Street Watertown, MA 02472 Phone: 617-972.6470 Fax: 617.972.6485 www.watertown-ma.gov Elected Officials: Clyde L. Younger, Council Presidenr. Mark S. Sideris, Vice President Stephen P. Corbett Marilyn M. Petitto Devaney Susan G. Falkoff Jonathan Hecht Angeline B. Kounelis John J. Lawn, Jr. Vincent J. Piccirilli, Jr. Resolution N .36 k-09-3& WHEREAS, the Charles River is central to Watertown's identity, and is the Town's most important natural resource and well -used recreational attraction; and WHEREAS, in a densely built-up city like Watertown, large volumes of stormwater, contaminated by runoff from impervious surfaces, flow into the Charles River carrying pollution, nutrients, and silt which continue to degrade the river's water quality; and WHEREAS, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) have continued to impose stricter stormwater regulations on communities surrounding the Charles River to improve water quality by reducingihe amount of contaminants discharged into the river; and WHEREAS, the Town of Watertown, as an operator of an EPA regulated Stormwater Phase 11 small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4), is required to include public participation and involvement in its stormwater management program to meet the conditions of its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit; turd WHEREAS, effective stormwater management involves land use planning and citizen education, as well as Deportment of Public Works management of the storm drain and sewer system. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Town Council of the City known as the Town of Watertown hereby creates a Stormwater Advisory Committee to net us an advisory body to the Superintendent of Public Works, with goals defined as follows: I) Review and make recommendations on a new stormwater ordinance and related regulations being developed by the Town; 2) Identify and advocate forstonnwater funding through grants or other sources; 3) Develop educational progrnms to increase public awareness of stormwater management; 4) Perform any other tasks relevant to assisting the Superintendent with the implementation of best practices for stormwater management. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Stormwater Advisory Committee shall consist of one Planning Department employee appointed by the Director of Community Development and Planning, one DPW employee appointed by the Superintendent of Public Works; the Conservation Agent, and four citizen members; 3 to be appointed by the Town Manager and confirmed by the Town Council and 1 to be appointed by the Council President; that there shall be a balance of expertise in the citizen members, and that to the greatest extent possible, two of the four citizen members shall have professional experience related to stormwater management; that terms of the initial citizen members shall be for one or two years and so arranged that the terms of half of the members shall expire each year, and their successors shall be appointed for terms of two years; that the Committee shall choose a chair from its citizen members, and shall hold regular scheduled meetings; and that the Committee shall present reports and recommendations directly to the Superintendent of Public Works, and shall also make an annual progress report to the Town Council. Council Member I hereby certify that at a regular meeting of the Town Council for which a quorum was present, the above Resolution was ado r edby a vote of _j for, 0 against and O present on 1- //Y -07 2009. Valerie Papas Clerk of the Council Clyde L. Younger Council President Hand, JoAnna From: Ernesta Kraczkiewicz [ernestakracz@gmail.com] Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2010 5:47 PM To: Townmgr Subject: Re -appointment to the Stormwater Advisory Committee Dear Mr. Driscoll, Thank you for the notice of the coming expiration of my term on the Stormwater Advisory Committee. I believe that the Committee is making good progress on issues important to the Town's ability to manage its stormwater, such as drafting of stormwater ordinances. I find the work of the Committee to be very interesting and would appreciate being considered for re -appointment! Sincerely, Ernesta r Ernesta Kraczkiewicz 77 Riverside Street Watertown, MA 02472 June 22, 2009 Michael J. Driscoll, Town Manager Town of Watertown 149 Main Street Watertown, MA 02472 Dear Mr. Driscoll, I am responding to the notice published in the June 5 TAB regarding membership on the Town's Stormwater Advisory Committee. I would like to apply to be appointed as one of the citizen members. I have worked, at various levels of government, on regulatory frameworks, and analyzed their impacts on community development objectives. I am particularly interested in these issues at the local level in Watertown. I have been involved in local issues through membership on the Restoration Advisory Board, working to assure adequate toxic waste cleanup of the Arsenal and the GSA Site by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; also, as an active member of Watertown Citizens for Environmental Safety, I have been concerned with a number of local infrastructure and development issues. My background does not include professional experience in storm water management, so I would want to be appointed as one of the Advisory Committee members without that expertise. In my opinion, resolving storm water problems is the most significant of water pollution issues_ today; storm water runoff is the greatest remaining source of water pollution, and is a growing problem with the increasing severity of storms. Water supply is also affected by storm water management measures, as increasing impervious surfaces decrease infiltration, resulting in diminution of water supply replenishment. My relevant professional experience includes: coordinating responses of development related agencies on complex development projects, as the Special Assistant to the Secretary of Mass. Executive Office of Communities and Development; supervising preparation of an EIR on a major development project, working in the State Planning Office and coordinating with (then) MDC;_studying impacts of various state actions, including regulations, on growth and development patterns, working at the New England Natural Resources Council under a Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship; writing the analysis of impacts of land uses on water resources, as part of the South East New England Study of Water and Related Land Resources, for the New England River Basins Commission; serving as a staff member for the Governor's Task Force on Metropolitan Development, which was charged with assessing problems in the system of development in the Boston metropolitan area and recommending legislative and administrative solutions; assisting local officials in the Chicago area in tailoring federal housing programs to meet their needs and resolving technical issues in program regulations, as an employee of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. In addition, my educational background includes a masters degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard with an emphasis on urban development and environmental issues. Just after reading the June 5 TAB notice, I left town on a month long trip. I will return on July 7, and would be happy to meet with you after that time. In the meantime, 1 am reachable by email at this address. Thank you for your consideration!