SEELEY LAKE - After the June 20 Sewer Board meeting, it was clear that there are innumerable loose ends and many unanswered questions to be addressed before any user agreement reaches the property owners in Phase 1.
At one point, I made the comment that we would need many more property owner participants in the district to be able to pay for the proposed sewer system. Costs have always been too high and continue to increase. They are high enough to price many people right out of their homes. That idea seems to go right over the heads of most of the board members. They just keep charging right on with their unbalanced interpretation of what can be tolerated. Come hell or high water, most of the board is determined to push this sewer system down our throats.
Board member Beth Hutchinson identified at least three alternative wastewater treatment options that had potential to do the job at significantly lower costs. She presented the idea of holding a Saturday workshop in July to look more closely at these alternatives with company representatives who could answer specific questions with documentation. By holding the event within the next three weeks, no grants or proposed sewer tasks would be undermined, BUT THE BOARD VOTED THE IDEA DOWN THREE TO ONE, even though the alternatives are state approved.
Beth passed out a case study on the most interesting alternative to the board members. It had been installed in Christiansburg, Ohio--a place just our size that was threatened by the impossible costs of a conventional sewer. I found the case study online (Orenco.com, look for case studies) and thought it showed great promise for Seeley Lake’s issues--including costs.
It becomes clearer and clearer that the proposed system for Seeley Lake has a diseconomy of scale for our small town. The Orenco Effluent System could eliminate the need for expensive lift stations and the force main as well as other elements that are expensive to install, operate and maintain. Even though we would need to bury pipes deeper than Christiansburg, the costs would still be considerably less than we face now. I think this system and the other alternatives noted last Thursday are more than worth looking into. How could a workshop have hurt?
Seeley Lake needs affordable wastewater treatment. It also needs board members who can relate to the actual assortment of challenges faced within its diverse district--not just the interests of cronies.
I am asking the inflexible board members to 1) pull their heads out of the sand, 2) carefully read the case study they were given on Orenco and Christiansburg and 3) reconsider holding a workshop, even though it would now need to be in August. They should feel obligated to provide their constituents with the opportunity to hear about a handful of real alternatives.
Reader Comments(0)