COLRAIN — With Barnhardt Manufacturing Co. officially shutting down at the end of next week, the defunct Colrain Sewer District has called its first meeting in years to discuss how sewage from homes in the neighborhood will be processed.

The cotton bleaching plant has processed the sewage of 19 homes for years and its closure leaves a question mark regarding how those residences’ waste will be handled. Complicating the matter is those homes are part of the Colrain Sewer District, an independent entity created by a 1997 legislative act empowering residents of Church Street, High Street, Griswoldville Street and one residence on Main Road to manage its wastewater. While the Sewer District still exists legally, it has been dormant for years because Barnhardt has been processing the area’s waste.

With the district lacking commissioners, it was unable to call a meeting to order, until Tuesday night’s Selectboard meeting, when residents living within the district’s boundaries petitioned the Selectboard to call a meeting, which is required by the legislation in the event of there being no commissioners.

“They have been basically defunct for a long time, so this is all starting over again. … This is like ‘Groundhog Day’ 25 years later,” said Selectboard member Michael Slowinski, adding that the Colrain Sewer District, once its commissioners are elected, can accept grants, borrow money and levy taxes. “They can do all those things, but in order to do that they have to reorganize.”

To petition the Selectboard, at least 10 residents, who are registered voters in town and verified by the town clerk, had to sign a letter requesting a meeting be organized. A Selectboard member or justice of the peace will also have to be present to call the meeting to order until commissioners are elected; Slowinski volunteered to call the Sewer District’s meeting to order.

Resident Patrick Geary and attorney Donna MacNicol, who is representing the district, explained any commissioners elected must be residents of the Colrain Sewer District and only those living in the district may vote.

At the district’s first meeting, commissioners will be elected. MacNicol said the first order of business will be “creating a budget and authorizing, with the approval of the budget, hiring a consultant” to put together a feasibility study and point the district in the direction of the “best methods to start trying to find funds.”

MacNicol added the U.S. Department of Agriculture and state Department of Environmental Protection have reached out and offered to set up a meeting to help get the district going, however, she said the USDA often deals in loans, which are not feasible for a small group of residents.

“They do give some grants and I do think it’s well worth meeting with them and seeing if there’s anything they can do to help,” MacNicol said.

The Colrain Sewer District will meet for the first time in years on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 6 p.m. Barnhardt, however, is ceasing operations on Feb. 3. It was not immediately clear Wednesday what happens to the neighborhood’s sewage when Barnhardt closes.

At Tuesday’s meeting, some residents expressed their frustration with Barnhardt’s closing and the situation they now find themselves in. Patience Lowe said Barnhardt “waited until the last minute” to notify the town it was going to be closing its facility, which she called “bad business.” Barnhardt informed the town Dec. 6 that it would be closing in February.

“They did not tell us ahead of time they were not going to renew the permit. We are dealing with this situation very last minute because we were not notified,” Lowe said. “We have to explore all kinds of funding options very fast.”

Company President Lewis Barnhardt wrote in a Jan. 20 email that his company had offered to donate the wastewater treatment plant “as a solution for the town.” An alternative solution, he added, would involve pumping out the wet wells and allowing the town or sewer district to operate the facility with an estimated cost of “$30,000 to $40,000 a month, based on the current flow.”

The Selectboard said Tuesday night it is unable to take many actions to help residents because the Colrain Sewer District is its own entity.

“When you reorganize the Sewer District on the ninth of February, then there is an entity that can speak,” Slowinski said. “We as a town have no stick. There’s really nothing we can do until you organize as a Sewer District.

“(The Sewer District) was supposed to be one-and-done, now it’s two-and-done,” Slowinski added. “You’re going to have to move quickly because once they leave, they’re gone. They’re not going to look back.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.

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