More than 80 residents enjoyed a presentation and guided tour of the MWRA Deer Island Treatment plant Saturday. It was an informative and interesting event and we’re pleased that so many Winthropites accepted the MWRA’s invitation to visit the plant. Tafts Avenue resident Bill Stafford was among those who took part in the presentation and tour. “I saw it in the paper and here I am,” said Stafford, noting that he was happy to be invited (and we believe he showed his approval by giving the thumbs-up sign in a photo that appears in the Sun-Transcript this week). Stafford has spoken about the MWRA trucking during Town Council meetings, but this event was a great step toward improving the relations between the MWRA and Point Shirley residents. It certainly is an asset that we have Fire Chief Paul Flanagan and former Town Council President Thomas Reilly representing our interests on their respective MWRA boards.
We were impressed with the leader of our presentation and tour, Ethan Wenger, MWRA director of process control, who answered some really good questions posed by residents, including John Stasio. Wagner is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the most prestigious technology institution in the world, and his expertise and knowledge were evident to all in attendance.
We’ve said that MWRA Executive Director Frederick Laskey is one of the most outstanding agency administrators in our Commonwealth, and Saturday’s event was not only a public relations home run, but an opportunity to reaffirm that the MWRA wants to be a great neighbor and supporter of our town’s daily life.