Winthrop Council Fills Precinct 6 Seat, Hears Blizzard Water System Debrief

WINTHROP -- March 10, 2026, Winthrop Town Council appointed Martin Finn to fill the vacant Precinct 6 seat and heard a detailed storm debrief attributing seven simultaneous water main breaks during February's blizzard to improperly calibrated backup controls at the town's pressure reducing valve station. Finn defeated Michael Gillespie 5-3 in a roll call vote held after Councilor Tassaneri successfully moved to appeal Council President Letary's decision to delay the appointment to the March 24 meeting. DPW Director Steve Calla told the council that manual set points at the PRV station were "above the operating parameters of the system" and a surge relief valve failed to open at its specified 83 PSI threshold, allowing pressure to spike to 90 PSI and rupture mains on Veterans Road, Marshall Street, Beale Street, and elsewhere; all seven breaks were repaired and water restored by 9:30 p.m. the same day at a cost of approximately $100,000. Town Manager Anthony Marino said the town will pursue the PRV vendor's and engineering firm's insurance carriers for those costs, and that a longer-standing stormwater project for the Girdlestone and Tyleston Road area remains in design limbo, needing an estimated $4 million to $6 million in construction funding still to be identified.