Epsom Water Village District finds itself one step closer to remedying its PFAS problem with the appointment of a second commissioner.
Unexpected leadership vacancies in the past couple of months threw a wrench in the process to rid the district of PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” in its infrastructure, leaving Donna Dudley as the sole commissioner. The district serves 320 connections and 800 people, including many key municipal buildings in town.
Without a quorum, Dudley lacked the ability to appoint another person and needing to go through the court system instead. Resident Timothy Denison was on board to serve, and Merrimack County Superior Court judge granted the appointment.
“The governance crisis that came unexpectedly without warning definitely put a little monkey wrench in the works, but I feel it was temporarily — and especially considering my medical situation — addressed fairly quickly and was short-lived, and now we are back on track and moving forward,” said Dudley, whose arm has been in a sling. She has not been able to easily fill out documents or write emails.
Denison has a background working for different municipal water departments and districts. He also worked for the state’s Department of Environmental Services in the Wastewater Management Division.
Together as a quorum, Dudley and Denison will have the ability to sign contracts and make decisions, in addition to appointing a third commissioner. However, no one has volunteered for the role yet, Dudley said.
The water village district as a whole finds itself largely understaffed, needing not only a third commissioner but also a treasurer, a clerk and an auditor. All of these roles require volunteers who live within the district, with the exception of the auditor.
“We indicated that we were short-staffed and that we needed volunteers. So Tim Denison, I think, was the only one that stepped up,” she said.
The district will now move forward in approving its final design contract from Underwood Engineering to fix the contaminated well and repair the aging infrastructure.
In the shorter term, the pump in the well behind Epsom Central School has been broken for several months. Replacement is scheduled to happen next week, Dudley said.
The PFAS project, predominantly funded through state grants, will bring the town into compliance with drinking water standards.
