Good evening PPRTA:
 
Well mission accomplished! All Five Sewer Articles Passed!
 
Some time back, in response to periodic surveys of PPRTA membership, you indicated broadband and sewer expansion were items one and two on what is most important to you and what you wanted your Board to push. (The jokes, of course, were constant re #2 and sewer—ha ha).  In turn, your Board repeatedly raised this issue to the Select Board as part of Public Comments.
 
We were not alone in this pursuit. The Town Manager eventually made sewer expansion part of the Town goals. Five articles were presented and passed on Wednesday night at a Special Town Meeting, that together put us all toward full sewer expansion, proper treatment of wastewater, and safe disposal.
 
Huge kudos and enormous applause to DPW Director Jim Vincent and his team along with the Town Manager Alex Morse and his team, whose efforts resulted in what had to have been record time for the Town to vote and pass FIVE articles. The careful planning and crafting of the articles, vetting, public forums, meetings (including presentations to PPRTA members), and just the thoughtful fielding of questions and concerns voiced by the Public, were instrumental in leading to the near unanimous vote on all five articles.
 
PPRTA -- you did your part as well.  Following presentations from the DPW Director and his team several months ago, we asked how we could help. In response we did the following:

• Issued newsletters with talking points to take to your voting neighbors;
• Just before the voting date we wrote an op-ed piece published in The Banner;
• Just before the voting date we ran an ad in The Independent;
• We requested and received permission to include on page 26 in the “Special Town Meeting Warrant Booklet” (distributed to voters at the time of the vote) an insert articulating PPRTA's position and yes vote recommendations (approved by the Town Moderator); 
• We requested and received permission to speak at the Town Meeting (approved by the Town Moderator). **

 
As a side note, speaking in the end was not necessary.  The articles were so well presented and explained before, and at, the Town Meeting that debate was unnecessary. Nonetheless, we were permitted to speak and that is very important.  And here we must pause to give a shout out to our Town Moderator, who had the foresight to understand that sewer expansion is such an enormous, yet crucial undertaking for the future of this Town that all voices had to be heard -- including part-timers. We thank her for that.
 
Last, in response to an email from us congratulating Jim Vincent, our DPW Director (and his team) the Director responded as follows

SUPPORT OUR MISSION: Dues only cover our operating expenses. You can help us make progress on our mission
with a donation -- and we sincerely thank those of you who have already been generous.