BURRILLVILLE – Officials from the Pascoag Utility District gathered this week with family, friends and colleagues of the late Ann Polacek to celebrate creation of a well field, and to dedicate the new water source to the former longtime commissioner.
PUD acquired the 17.6-acre property at 98 Roosevelt Ave. from the Knights of Columbus last July in hopes to establish a well to serve as backup source, and provide room for the company’s future growth. The lot previously held a two-story lodge that served as headquarters for the Knights.
Over the past year, that structure has since been demolished, with a well drilled on a portion of the property, which lies within the Clear River sub-basin of the Blackstone River Watershed.
And on Wednesday, June 26, officials from the quasi-municipal utility company dedicated the new field, revealing a unique sign acknowledging those who helped to make it happen, including PUD officials, the town and the fraternal organization, with a plaque featuring Polacek’s picture at the center.
A life long resident of Pascoag, Polacek was vice chairperson of PUD’s Board of Utility Commissioners from 2001 until her passing in 2018. The Burrillville High School graduate earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Boston College and a master’s in special education from Lesley College. She worked as a special educator for the town of North Providence for 37 years, and was a volunteer at Zambarano Hospital, a member of the Burrillville Democratic Town Committee and involved in the Special Olympics of Rhode Island, serving as a coach and volunteer for many years.
“The staff at Pascoag Utility were proud to know and work with Ann and to dedicate the site to her so that her legacy could continue,” said PUD Supervisor of Administration Desarae Dolan.
Speakers on Wednesday, including new General Manager Bill Guertin and board Chairman Al Palmisciano, pointed, in particular, to Polacek’s work following the discovery of the contaminant MBTE in two of the company’s main wells back in 2001. Pollutants in the water were determined to have come from a gasoline release from the North Main Street Mobil at 24 North Main St., a business which later went bankrupt.
The crisis led PUD to purchases most of its water wholesale from the neighboring Harrisville Water District for the past several years, but work to obtain a new source continued behind the scenes.
“Ann was a dedicated member of our board and was always focused on bringing on a new source of water for Pascoag after the MTBE crisis,” said Dolan.
The effort finally gained traction last year as PUD acquired the Knight’s property for $199,000, a purchase financed with help from the town’s American Rescue Plan Act funds.
“The project would not have been possible without help from the town of Burrillville and the Knights of Columbus,” said Dolan.
Dolan noted that PUD obtained official approval from the Rhode Island Department of Health for the new water source location on Monday, July 24. The property, she said, has potential for more than one well, and PUD is in the process of identifying more locations for drilling. If there is still room remaining, the remainder of the large property could be for used for the benefit of area residents.
“We imagine that there will be conversations with the town in the future to discuss using any leftover space for either open spaces or recreation,” Dolan said.
The achievement is among several major changes that mark something of a new era for the Burrillville-based company. Guertin officially takes reigns as PUD’s general manager on Monday, July 1, following the retirement of Michael Kirkwood, who has led the district since 2011. An effort to merge the utility district with the Harrisville Water Department for creation of a new entity dubbed the, “Clear River Electric and Water District,” has also received the required approvals, with Gov. Dan McKee signing off on Monday, June 17.
The new, “CREW,” is now set to own and operate the water production and distribution system in the villages of Harrisville, Pascoag and Oakland starting on January 1, 2025.
Kirkwood was among those in attendance celebrating the dedication on Wednesday, along with Polacek’s daughters, Kathy Jalette and Kerry Dauplaise, who unveiled the new sign.
“My mom was one of the most caring, smart, dedicated, and compassionate persons you would ever meet,” said Jalette, adding that PUD erected a, “beautiful,” monument in her honor.
“It was a really great event,” Kirkwood said.
