Sewer Committee Examines $95,000 Invoice: 'We didn't get what we paid for' says Petropoulos

The Sewer Committee reviewed invoices submitted by CEI Consulting (Comprehensive Environmental Inc.), the firm hired by the Committee to test water at the lake after the defeat of the proposal to sewer the Lake area.

The purpose of the CEI study was to compare the Lake's current environmental status to the status of the Lake twenty years ago when the last major study was done. By collecting current data in a manner allowing comparison to data collected more than twenty years ago, it would be possible to determine changes in the Lake's environmental status and help decide if a municipal sewer is justified for the area.

According to Selectman Petropoulos, the town signed an $85,000 contract with CEI specified tasks including testing, evaluating and making presentations of findings. To date, Petropoulos said the committee had received bills totaling $95,000. All committee members shared the concern that they needed to know what specific tasks were completed, and what was not done.

Specifically, Petropoulos said that the consultants tested only for nitrates and not phosphates. "We have no information of phosphorous. We did not get the value we committed to. CEI did not realize that they did not get phosphorous data."

Committee member Jay Prager shared the similar concerns saying, "The conclusions were drawn on assumptions on what is going on at the lake and I'm not sure what the data shows. On the one hand we are told it is comparable (to the 1989 information) on the other hand they make assumptions.'

Prager added, "The 1989 report didn't specify how it was done and only later did CEI find out how it was done and this was based on such differences in results."

Petropoulos stated, "We really can't use this data based on rough multipliers and they want to be paid for it...We didn't get what we paid for."

Member Mike Rosa added that he felt that when a committee hires professionals, they are the ones that need to determine how to duplicate the original study.

Following further discussion, Petropoulos suggested that they request "an itemized bill defining the $19,600 overage and ask about phosphate testing.