Michael Gagne is a man on a mission.
The Coalition’s Connect-to-Protect Coordinator has been reaching out and introducing himself to owners of homes in the Apponagansett watershed not yet on the town’s sewer lines. The past couple months, the former Dartmouth Town Administrator has been going door-to-door and making phone calls to explain to those remaining homeowners the most important way they can personally help save the Bay: by redirecting their household wastewater discharge—the most significant source of nitrogen pollution in the area—to sewer.
Gagne breaks everything down to make easy what could be a complicated process. Are homeowners in the watershed? Are they eligible for increased subsidies? Would subsidies cover the sewer hook-up cost? How can they work with local banks to get a no-interest loan?
Gagne helps these people navigate the significant subsidies the Coalition offers, as well as taking advantage of tax credits and no-interest loans that can be paid off over many years to pay for the hook-in.
Last Wednesday night, Gagne brought his knowledge of all of these unique opportunities to fund a hook-up in a presentation at Dartmouth Town Hall, which was also filmed and recorded by Dartmouth Community Television and will run again for any of those interested in tuning in.
“It’s really all about putting the pieces all together to help homeowners pay for the hook-up,” he told the crowd that night. “With all the right help, some homeowners can get on sewer with no out-of-pocket costs to allow Dartmouth residents to increase their home value.”
