MWRA ‘Sell Out’ Denied by Flanagan

A couple of weeks ago when resident and Point Shirley advocate Dawn Manning, of Elliot Street, found out about the latest mitigation/memorandum of understanding agreement between Winthrop and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, she was livid. She accused the town of selling out.

But Fire Chief Paul Flanagan, who sits on the MWRA’s Board of Directors, said no one sold out the town.

“Nothing is being given away,” Flanagan told Manning and the Town Council at its last meeting. “That we sold out the taxpayers is a myth. I don’t think myself or the town manager sold out the town.”

Flanagan said there is still an odor hotline, there is still firefighter training, and cameras are being installed at new locations around Deer Island. He added that the trucking will continue and that chlorine has been replaced by sodium hydrochloride. In addition, the Department of Transportation oversees the trucking safety records.

“The MWRA has functioned well,” Flanagan said. They have also worked with the town on several problems.

Flanagan said parts of the town have been on MWRA during the repair of a water main. He added that during the winter the MWRA worked with the town on snow removal.

The new agreement, which went into effect on July 1, spells out payments to the town for the next 10 years totaling almost $7.8 million.

Prior agreements address police and fire, responsibilities and commitments of the MWRA, as well as mitigation payment.

“The MWRA is the single biggest taxpayer in town,” Flanagan said. “The only other city to get mitigation was Quincy.”