Due to continuing paper mail delivery delays in the region, Boothbay Harbor Sewer District (BHSD) trustees Feb. 17 approved extending their late fee policy from 30 to 60 days. According to Operator-in-Charge Chris Higgins, customers have been complaining about late charges being applied before their paper bill is delivered or after their payment has already been sent to the district.  

In other business, the district reviewed several change orders to Apex Construction from Wright-Pierce for BHSD's coastal resiliency phase 1 project. Apex Construction is doing the physical work, and Wright-Pierce is overseeing construction to ensure it aligns with the firm's design specifications. The motor for an overhead door had to be upgraded to be blast-proof, totaling about $9,704.83 for electrical work and materials. Chlorine and sodium bisulfite feed lines from the control building to the contact tank also needed to be replaced. 

Some money was credited back to BHSD as a planned remote control module for the electric valve actuators was not needed. The credit amount is not yet available.  

BHSD recently received a comprehensive cybersecurity assessment from the Protected Critical Infrastructure Information (PCII) program, a service under the federal government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Superintendent Sean Boyer plans to use the report's suggestions and prior district procedures to update BHSD’s cybersecurity protocols in the coming weeks.  

“What's in this report is not mandatory ... but they do have some very good ideas that aren't hard to implement,” he said.