Epsom Village Water District finds itself in a similar boat to this spring: down to a single commissioner and lacking a clerk/secretary and treasurer.
Can the district — which serves 320 connections and 800 people, including many key municipal buildings in town — source enough volunteers to fill these roles? Or will it need to dissolve?
“I really think that’s the only viable solution if we haven’t been able to field a full governance team in well over a year. Volunteers are hard to come by,” said Donna Dudley, the remaining commissioner.
She found herself alone on the board after one commissioner resigned and the other completed a term last spring. Dudley was able to go through Merrimack County Superior Court to get Tim Denison appointed as a second commissioner. But Denison resigned in mid-August, and she is once again leading the district by herself.
At a public meeting on Monday, Sept. 21, Dudley, the selectmen, and representatives from the state Department of Environmental Services, as well as town residents, will discuss potential paths forward.
If the district were to dissolve, the Epsom town government would need to assume responsibility for water operations. Selectman Virginia Drew said that would require approval from the voters.
“We are exploring all the avenues and scenarios with, at this point, no idea where we’re going with this,” Drew said. “We want to make sure we hear from the voters, which is why we’re doing the informational meeting.
“The last thing the town really wants is to take it over. It’s a big thing to handle,” she said. “But if it comes to the point where the town needs to, then we’ll be asking voters to vote yes.”
Dudley said she will stay on as a water commissioner only if the district is dissolved. Then, her role would be to help ease the transition.
“In the meeting, if there are three to five individuals who want to step forward and keep the district intact and become new commissioners, clerk, and a treasurer, I’m happy to step aside,” Dudley said. “I don’t have any illusions that only I can run things or run things the best way or a better way.”
Beyond the question of dissolution, the district has been working to remedy an ongoing PFAS contamination problem through a project funded mainly by the state government. Now, however, it’s hitting roadblocks because, with only Dudley in office, the water commission lacks a quorum to meet with the engineering firm attached to the project and sign off on plans. Until that happens, the project can’t go out to bid.
She also sees the challenges of volunteerism in the district’s leadership roles.
“This particular board, it’s not a zoning board; it’s not a planning board; it’s nothing like that,” she said. “It really is critical municipal infrastructure, like a fire department, like a roads department.”
When something goes wrong, she’s the person who has to respond to it. Like her previous counterparts, she does not get paid for her work.
There have been pump breaks, technological troubles transferring information, and other unforeseen circumstances that have been “exhausting,” per Dudley.
A lightning strike that “zapped out an electrical control panel” meant she had to take a morning off work to wait for Breezeline to arrive. Otherwise, she said, she would have needed to pay the water operator $85 an hour to wait in her stead.
The town government, for its part, already has skin in the game. Buildings such as Epsom Central School, town hall, the library, the fire department, the meetinghouse and the old library all run on district water. The town’s fire hydrant system also relies on the district.
Already, the town has faced increased water expenses. During the last budget cycle, hydrant rental shot up from $9,000 to $40,000 a year, Drew said. She said the district’s board explained that it had been undercharging the town, and that this was the going rate, but “it was a shock to us.”
“We have over 300 residences that we have a responsibility to make sure people who bought homes in good faith in our town have the ability to have water,” she said.
Drew remains committed to finding a solution and putting residents first.
“The one thing I know is the town is not looking to take it over, but we do need to have it managed one way or another,” she said.
More information:
Epsom Village Water District will meet on Monday, Sept. 21 at 6 p.m. at the Epsom Central School.
