TOWN OF SOUTH HERO
WASTEWATER COMMITTEE
MEETING MINUTES OF JANUARY 8, 2024
Present:
Committee Members: Peter Zamore, Sue Arguin, Ross Brown,
Bob Buermann, Nate Hayward, Bob Krebs
NRPC: Greta Brunswick
Otter Creek: Robert Clark
DEC: Achouak Arfaoui, Emily Hackett
Other: Skip Brown, Robert Fireovid
The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 P.M. On motion of Bob Buermann,
seconded by Nate Hayward, the minutes of the December 18, 2023 meeting were approved, with
Bob Krebs abstaining.
Robert Clark then reviewed the draft 60% Preliminary Engineering Report, working from
a PowerPoint slide deck. He described the background of the committee’s efforts, and the
purpose of the report: to evaluate the need for wastewater capacity, identify potential disposal
areas, and identify alternative solutions. He indicated that the only disposal area that appeared
promising, based on test pits, was located on the Allenholm property, which would only be
capable of serving only a portion of the needs of South Hero village. He described alternative in-
ground wastewater systems, including septic tank effluent pumping (STEP), grinder pump and
spray disposal systems. He also presented preliminary construction cost estimates for various
alternatives. He then summarized the alternatives for each village, including continuing
individual septic systems for each village, and for South Hero Village, a cluster wastewater
system.
There ensued a discussion of various issues. These included the need to complete the
committee’s efforts quickly to meet various ARPA deadlines and the schedule going forward.
This includes completion of the 60% report, to be reviewed at the next committee meeting on
January 22, a meeting likely in February to present the report to the public, and submission of the
report to the selectboard for guidance as to next steps, if any. Bob Buermann indicated that he
had started discussions with Ray Allen concerning location of a wastewater system on the
Allenholm property, and the need for an amendment to the existing conservation easement on the
property. There was also a discussion of pursuing additional grant opportunities.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:15 P.M.