Citing budgetary concerns, the Oak Bluffs wastewater commission voted Thursday to eliminate plant manager Joe Alosso’s position.
“It wasn’t a performance-based decision. It was really a financial decision,” wastewater commissioner Gail Barmakian said Saturday, adding that the town needs to cut costs and she preferred not to raise rates for wastewater users.
The board voted 2-1 in favor of eliminating the position, which will save the town between $68,000 and $70,000 a year, Ms. Barmakian said. The decision is scheduled to go into effect in late February.
Commissioner Bob Iadicicco did not vote in favor of the decision.
Ms. Barmakian said she did research that showed that most towns combine the roles of manager and chief operator, and that the functions could “easily be handled” by plant operator Jim Montieth and other staff.
“We just couldn’t afford the luxury of having a separate plant manager anymore,” Ms. Barmakian said.
In Edgartown, where Mr. Alosso is wastewater superintendent, an investigation into fraud at the plant criticized him for using an “honor system” to manage the logging of sewage, and a “lack of managerial control and oversight.”
Mr. Alosso declined comment at this time.
This article appears in January 27, 2012.
This might be a little boring since it’s dealing with some facts that have been omitted by Gail Barmakian and Hans Von Steiger, I went back through the weekly newspaper to gather my facts and figures that in my opinion further show the lack of knowledge by the commissioners about knowing what you are stating as true and a fact is in fact just an opinion and nothing more.
Mr. Von Steiger said “the amount of unpaid bills for the last several years is approaching $500,000.” Then it was later stated when asked to prove this the response was “The real gap is $55,000,” Ms. Ward wrote in the e-mail. GREAT research Gail and Von. Hans states that he must protect the 700 users from rate increases. There has NEVER been a rate increase for sewer use in the past 10 years. Gail feels the 700users should pay a fee that ensures a surplus every year. SINCE WHEN did the sewer plant become a money making operation to be funded by 700 users?
We have large projects facing us that deal with the health of our ponds, projects Mr. Alosso has worked on and understands, do the Commissioners have the knowledge to continue this work? NO!! Also, what ever happened to due process? Reading this article and other articles it appears there was plenty of discussion and decisions made behind closed doors or by phone. Phone records need to be checked on this since it’s a violation of the open meeting law to do so. Mr. Alosso states he’s proud of the work he has accomplished over the past 10 years, he should be. Wish I could say the same for the elected officials who let personal agendas get in the way of what’s best for our town.
Let’s look at what Mr. Alosso has done
1. Ocean Park issues resolved (without having to dig up the entire park) saving the taxpayers and rate payers about $500,000
2. Primary Clarifier, design and installation was completed utilizing past knowledge that Alosso had which substantially reduced the amount of money that was needed by not having to have an engineer on site every day during construction
3. Successful negotiations with the MV Hospital to have them pay for all the infrastructure needed to remove the single largest contributor of pollution to Lagoon Pond while increasing revenue to the town of over $100,000 per year
4.Successful negotiations with the High School, YMCA, & Community Services to have them pay for all the infrastructure necessary to reduce the amount of nitrogen entering both Lagoon Pond and Sengekontacket Pond.
5.Grant writing and administration: Successfully applied for and received $1,000,000 towards future sewering, the development of the Leonardo Property and future plant improvements
6.Lagoon Pond restoration project is currently underway. Currently serving on the joint Oak Bluffs/Tisbury Lagoon Pond Committee
Over four hundred homes are due to tie into the system in the future, the Sengekontacket Pond restoration project is currently underway. Currently serving on the joint Oak Bluffs/Edgartown Sengekontacket Pond Committee
7. Recent plant modifications to remove pharmaceuticals and personal care products from the treated water before itenters the drinking water supply and our coastal ponds.
8. Working behind to established contacts with both the state regulators as well as the federal funding agencies that nobody else in OB has the knowledge and status to do.
If any of my fact and figures are incorrect please make your comment or reply to what I have written.