Community Corner

BCWA Rules: 'Lost' and Found

A lot of water has flown under the bridge since water authority audit demanded reform to its enabling legislation and by-laws; they've been found after being 'lost'.

It's been more than two years since the BCWA controversy began when a scathing audit demanded much-needed reform, and we are still waiting. 

Tony Teixiera and his team met at least six months ago and compiled a thorough and complete list of changes to the enabling legislation and by-laws that needed to be implemented at the BCWA.  This list of changes was vetted by all three towns individually, and then finalized at a March 29 Tri-town meeting held in Barrington. 

The agreed-upon changes were then given to the solicitors who were to take care of finalizing the paperwork and forward it to the legislators and to the BCWA.  It apears that this information got "lost" on someone's desk and was never completed.

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At the Bristol Town council meeting this week (May 16) there was an item on the agenda, at the request of Mr. Teixiera, to follow-up on the legislative changes to the BCWA that were agreed upon by the three councils on March 29.

Our "Instutional Knowledge" director was not present at the meeting, nor were the other two Bristol directors. The director that was there, and was able to add much needed clarification to the issue was Ray Palmieri of Warren. (He's the object of Chairman Marshall's recent remarks "I’m a little disappointed that one of the other two communities did not hold out for more qualified applicants.")

Find out what's happening in Barringtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The meeting was very late and Mr. Palmieri stayed until well after 11 pm to wait for this to come up on the agenda for clarification.

When Mr. Teixiera asked the question "Where do we stand with the legislative and by-laws changes for the BCWA" at the Bristol meeting...the response was that the council would send a letter to the BCWA and see what happened to it.

Mr. Palmieri, knowing that the BCWA not only did not have these changes but had been actively seeking their whereabouts, got up to speak and brought it to the attention of the council that BCWA is waiting for them as well. If he had not have been there, over and above his duties to the town of Warren, to add this information, they would be "spinning their wheels' for yet another indeterminate time.

I spoke with the Bristol Town Clerk this morning and he assured me that the papers in questions had been "found" and that the changes were mailed out this morning to both the legislators and the BCWA.

Thank you Mr. Palmieri for your conscientious efforts to follow through on this legislative change.

Marina Peterson, Bristol, East Bay Patriots


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