THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2021 Page 11 Working out water woes Town Meeting Member Bill Brown gets a $1,000 water bill cut in half after complaining about a broken water meter By Mark E. Vogler P recinct 6 Town Meeting Member William S. Brown shook his head in disbelief last after receiving a $1,075 water bill earlier this month — nearly double the one ($581.97) he received back in June. The unexpected hike came after he and an overwhelming majority of his fellow Town Meeting members voted 2719 against a 4 percent increase back in December. Town officials had said at the time that residential water users would receive an average increase to an average bill of $482 twice a year — or $18 total by approving the water rate increase. But it irked Brown when he learned he would be paying $2,150 for the year — more than twice the average annual GARDENS | FROM PAGE 10 which does not decompose is very harmful to the tree. Flower buds all over town are ready and waiting for warmer weather and longer days. Even at the rate of a few minutes each day, it is noticeable that the sun is setting later. Buds on pussy willow (Salix discolor) at the edges of ponds and French pussy willow (Salix cabill because of billing that was based on the use of a busted water meter, “There’s no reason on earth why the water bill should jump like this,” Brown complained in an interview last weekend after mailing out a check for the full $1,075 for a six period. He had attached the check with a formal request to the town seeking an abatement. He noted in his request to the town that the “sudden increase in water consumption (50 percent) is unexplainable.” “Several years ago a town technician said the water meter was broken. I have requested a new water meter and pulse reader.” Brown had bolstered his complaint by calling the town’s water billing department, and apparently he received the desired results. prea) in gardens are beginning to expand and open up. The tiny flower buds of red maple (Acer rubrum) also look a little larger than a month ago and will certainly be opening by next month. While there are many other flower buds that are less conspicuous, those of magnolia, rhododendron and andromeda are quite noticeable in every neighborhood. Most rhododendron species He received a letter this week for just $509.99 — more than a 50 percent reduction in the monster bill he had protested a couple of weeks ago. “My screaming and yelling must have paid off because it was a quick response and they cut it in half,” Brown said in an interview Monday. “This is just a glitch in the system, but I’m tired of it. And I want it fixed. There is no way that I should be paying a $1,000 water bill for a half a year. That’s got to be straightened out.” The town’s response was a message to Brown that the water usage for the billing period of February 2020 to August 2020 has been revised to the threeyear average for the same billing period in 2019, 2018 and 2017. “It appears that the ERT is registering the pulse of the water consumption on the meter in WHAT THE HECK! Precinct 6 Town Meeting Member William S. Brown was outraged about his recent water bill — which amounted to more than $1,000 for a six-month billing period. The town cut the bill in half after Brown protested that the billing was based on a busted water meter. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) the property, however, the dials have stopped working on the meter, therefore resulting in the reduction based on the average,” it said. Officials at the Department of Public Works and the Water Meter Technician told Brown that they will replace the inside water meter. TOGETHER: A pair of swans on Hawkes’ Pond in North Saugus. WAITING FOR WARMER WEATHER: Catawba rhododendron and P.J.M. rhododendron at Saugus Youth and Recreation building with conspicuous flower buds. keep their leaves all winter, and their flower buds are formed almost 11 months before they will actually bloom. The most popular rhododendrons are the May flowering P.J.M. rhododendrons and the June blooming Catawba hybrids. P.J.M rhododendrons were developed by Weston Nurseries of Massachusetts in the early 20th century. Through the winter the small leaves are usually a reddish purple, and when the weather is particularly First Congregational Church of Saugus announces Ashes to Go and Ash Wednesday service T he First Congregational Church of Saugus, UCC, will be providing Ashes for the community on Feb. 17 from 8–10 a.m. Pastor Katie Omberg will be on the church corner of Central Street and Hamilton Street (300 Central St. in Saugus) for an imposition of ashes. If the weather is bad, they will be under the front door on Central St. The church is Open and Affirming: all are welcome, no matter where you are in the journey of life or the journey of faith. The church will also hold an Ash Wednesday service at facebook.com/uccsaugus at 6 p.m. All are welcome. cold they may roll up to conserve moisture, only to unroll as soon as the temperatures rise a bit. The Catawba rhododendron foliage is six to eight inches long and remains green all winter, although it too will curl up in response to cold. Every morning you can look out your window at them and get an idea of how much you need to bundle up for your walk. What shrub it is that has little bell-shaped flowers, almost like lily of the valley, blooming now? I have been asked this question more than once. Actually, it is not really in bloom yet–those are the flower buds, formed late last spring, which will not fully open until April. Japanese andromeda (Pieris japonica) with drooping flower clusters and evergreen foliage is the most popular. A North American native relative called mountain andromeda (Pieris floribunda) with upright flower clusters is sometimes grown in gardens here. The flowers are usually white when in bloom. There are also pink flowering varieties. One of these is near the arched gate of St. John's Church memorial garden on Central Street. It looks like the variety 'Valley Valentine' which is known for flower buds that look deep red throughout the winter. Editor’s Note: Laura Eisener is a landscape design consultant who helps homeowners with landscape design and plant selection, placement of trees and shrubs, as well as perennials. She is also a member of the Saugus Garden Club and offered to write a series of articles about “what’s blooming in town, since so many people have taken to walking the streets in their neighborhoods as a way to get some exercise and get out of the house” during the global pandemic.
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