Opponents of Cumberland Head sewer speak out

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September 15, 2009

By DAN HEATH The Press Republican Tue Sep 15, 2009, 03:30 PM EDT

wITH box

By DAN HEATH

Staff Writer

PLATTSBURGH — Residents voiced much opposition and little support for the Town of Plattsburgh’s Cumberland Head Sewer District plan.

About 250 people attended a public hearing Monday night at Cumberland Head Elementary School, where public comment was first opened to Cumberland Head residents.

FEW FAILURES

Resident James Connors questioned the need for the system, asking how many systems fail each year.

Town Water and Wastewater Director David Comfort said the Clinton County Health Department reports that between five and 12 systems fail each year.

Resident John “Jack” Andrus, retired director of the Clinton County Health Department, questioned why 700 residences should be required to hook up to cover that small percentage of failures.

“This does not constitute a public-health emergency,” he said.

COSTS QUESTIONED

Figures supplied by the town show a homeowner with a median assessment of $215,000 and median usage of 46,000 gallons of water a year would pay an estimated $671 per year, in addition to $1,500 to $2,500 for connection.

Many in the audience were opposed to the cost and questioned the figures provided.

Head resident Tom Steele said debt costs should be divided up by the total number of hookups, rather than assessed value.

Ron Laberge of Laberge Engineering said assessed value is the way the town determines costs in its other special districts.

Resident Nick Masters said it’s a given that property assessments will increase at least $10,000 if the district is created, the same as when the water service was finished in 2001.

Laberge noted that similar assessment increases occurred across the town at that time, not just on Cumberland Head.

WANT SYSTEM

There was some support voiced for the sewer system. Homeowner Judy Charland said she’s one of the people with a failed septic system.

She’s spent $1,300 this year alone to try to keep it working. The only remaining option is an engineered system that would cost about $20,000.

Dennis Hulbert said he recently bought property on Cumberland Head and can’t wait for public sewer service to be available. He said failed and improper systems are doing damage to the lake, which has landed it on the Lake Champlain Basin Program’s priority list.

“I understand the money’s hard. Down the road, it’s going to get much worse if we don’t do something now.”

TREATMENT PLANT

Dr. Colin Read said the town and the City of Plattsburgh would be better off working to improve the city treatment plant, where the sewage would be sent, or building a new one. The latter would have the added benefit of freeing up space on the downtown waterfront.

Comfort noted the city plant overflows four to five times a year. The City Beach is then closed, and samples are taken to ensure no coliform bacteria is present.

“The Health Department has never required the beach to remain closed based on those samples,” he said.

FEELING FORCED

John Kirkpatrick said his septic system on Cumberland Head has worked without a problem for 26 years.

“Personally, I feel the town is trying to force this down our throat,” he said, to loud applause.

Later, Town Councilor Martin Mannix said he takes exception to that comment, as the residents can force a public vote on the plan through a petition.

There have long been problems with septic systems on Cumberland Head, he said, even beyond when he was on the Town Council 20 years ago.

Costs were always prohibitive, Mannix said, between $2,500 to $3,500 a year for homeowners. That changed when the town received word earlier this summer that it was eligible for $12.2 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Rural Development.

“Do we not bring this opportunity to the residents of Cumberland Head?” he asked.

VOTE SOON

Written comments will be accepted through Friday.

Town Supervisor Bernie Bassett said the Town Council could vote at its Monday meeting on whether to move forward with the plan to install public sewer.

Once the town holds that vote, opponents have 30 days to submit a petition to hold a permissive referendum on the proposal.

COST ESTIMATES

The loan’s debt-service tax rate is $1.74 per $1,000 of assessed property value, payable annually.

There is also a $100 annual charge for each single-family residence.

The use cost is based on water usage, billed quarterly at $4.28 per 1,000 gallons of water.

The town estimates homeowners would pay $1,500 to $2,500 to hook up to the system, which will be owned and maintained by the town.

Homeowners would also have to decommission their septic systems by pumping them out and then filling them in.

E-mail Dan Heath at:

dheath@pressrepublican.com