Commissioners approve rebrand of Mass. alternative septic test site as Barnstable County Clean Water Center

The Barnstable County Board of Regional Commissioners on Aug. 27 voted to rename the Massachusetts alternative septic system test center as the Barnstable County Clean Water Center and endorsed a logo and tagline developed by staff and a graphic designer.

Brian Baumgart, director of the wastewater division, presented two logo concepts and said the design work highlights Barnstable County and incorporates water imagery. Commissioners selected the primary design and endorsed the branding. "These were the two that really stood out to us as a group, and we wanted to present the two to you," Baumgart said during the presentation.

Commissioners also endorsed a tagline that frames the center’s work as locally developed solutions with broader reach, in part to reflect a partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. One commissioner said the Gates Foundation relationship "might as well" be used to demonstrate the center's international role.

The presentation prompted discussion about the center’s operational responsibilities. A commissioner explained that the Clean Water Center will help towns meet Massachusetts Title 5 expectations for innovative and alternative (I/A) septic systems by creating performance and utility-capability support the towns currently lack. "The towns are going to have to be involved in the oversight of the performance of those septic systems. The towns don't have that capability. That's why ... we supported a huge EPA grant and other funding to develop this utility, performance capability at the Clean Water Center," the commissioner said.

The board approved the renaming motion, seconded from the floor, and voted unanimously in favor. Commissioners discussed a ribbon-cutting event scheduled for Sept. 26; staff said the ceremony will be held noon–1:30 p.m.