SOUTHWICK – The Board of Selectmen is still exploring the town’s options for meeting a state mandate to connect the school campus to sewers.
The Board agreed last night to ask Town Counsel if residents were charged a fee equivalent to a new septic system, could the town pay the difference.
Original plans to run the sewer line down Powder Mill Road were voted down at the spring Town Meeting. The Sewer Implementation Committee (SIC) then recommended an alternative plan to the Board last month that was similar to the original plan but did not have a betterment fee for all the residents, but instead had a connection fee issued only if and when a resident connected to the sewer.
Residents again felt this was not advantageous and came out in numbers to express concerns. The SIC met with the Board again last night and recommended a plan to bring sewers only to the schools at a cost of about $1 million.
All residents would end up helping foot the bill through taxes but the project would cost significantly less and would not offer residents the option of connecting. A non-grinder pump station to service the school sewers would be built near the Recreation Center and a series of short pipes would run through the neighborhood to connect to the schools. A state grant may help with the cost.
Selectman Russell Fox suggested the town continue seeking options that would bring the sewer line down Powder Mill Road for several reasons.
“It’s not good planning for the entire town,” Fox said about the school-only option.
Plans to install sewers also included the replacement of water mains and the ability to connect Whalley Park to the sewer. Fox said it would protect the acquifer and replace the aging water system at the same time. It also included a better pump system. With the school-only plan, the existing pump station would still need approximately $500,000 in repairs and updates.
Resident Susan Drapeau represented the Powder Mill residents and was asked if she thought they would consider a plan that brought sewers down Powder Mill if the cost to residents was similar to installing a new septic system – around $10,000 – which could be paid for over 38 years.
“It’s hard for us to comprehend,” said Drapeau.
She said she looked into financing options and said very few neighbors would qualify. Without an actual financial figure, they would have a hard time approving any option other than school-only.
SIC member Art Pinnel agreed and said while he understands the big-picture merits of taking the sewer down Powder Mill Road, he could not support it knowing the residents were against it.
“I’m not in favor of anything other than connecting the schools at this time,” he said.
Freda Brown, a member of the SIC, said it was “short-sighted” to only connect the schools and said some residents did not “love the town” as much as others.
Powder Mill Road resident Jessica Bishop took exception to the remark but said she chose not to address it and instead asked if the $10,000 fee Fox was considering included the line from the street to the house. Fox said that was not part of the fee.
