A round of applause for Millie Garcia

What started as a sewer pipe collapse in 2016 has ended with a reception and many thanks to one Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection employee.

Current Assistant Commissioner for the department, Millie Garcia, played a pivotal role in the Swifts Beach Project. Garcia served as Regional Director of the department from 2015 to 2024. 

The project was approved by Garcia during her time as director and began in Nov. 2023. Plans included installing a new pipe above the old gravity sewer system and sealing the existing asbestos-ridden pipe with a specially formulated resin that hardens on contact with water. 

The approach was a cost-saving plan spearheaded by local businessman, Danny Warren, who organized the event for Garcia. The project was an alternative to proposed grinder pumps in Swifts Beach homes or the excavation of the asbestos, which would have required shipping them out of state.

Warren was the inventor of the resin used in the project and worked closely with Garcia during the approval process.

Warren gave thanks to Garcia at an honorary ceremony Wednesday, Aug. 27. Town officials, police officers and senators gathered to share their gratitude and stories of Swifts Beach at the event.

"She listened, she truly listened," Warren said. "She believed and confirmed the science because she cares very much about protecting the people that she represents." 

Warren highlighted the memories of the neighborhood and importance of Swifts Beach to the community.

"The future was going to be bleak if this sewer challenge that the townspeople had was not redeveloped. So I just wanted to say, thank you very much Millie," Warren said.

Linda and Eric Andrade have been summer residents of Swifts Beach since 1999 and shared their joy for the sewer project. With Eric being a plumber, the couple were concerned for the future of their neighborhood.

"A lot of our neighbors were elderly and they're only summer residents," Linda said. "If something were to happen with grinder pumps who was going to alert us?"

Originally a part of a group opposing the grinder pump plan, the pair said they were happy with the outcome and thanked Warren for his hand in the project.

"We're grateful," Linda said. "This is a big deal." 

Garcia was given an official citation from the sate by State Senator Kelly A. Dooner who shared positive words for the Assistant Commissioners work.

"You have saved and changed the lives of hundreds of families in Swifts Beach," Dooner said to Garcia. 

With tears welling in her eyes, Garcia said that the gratitude was overwhelming.

"The emotions have gotten to me," she said during her speech. "No words can describe how sacred of a job we have as public servants."

Garcia stressed the importance of eliminating asbestos, protecting the environment and people and saving costs for residents. 

"Now you can go out and experience a wonderful afternoon of walking in this beautiful natural area and not be inundated by nuisance odors or worse — like wastewater flooding," she said.