Clarksburg residents put some tough questions to Town of the Blue Mountains staff and council at two meetings about plans for the water and wastewater servicing project.
The meetings, on Saturday, Oct. 18 and Monday, Oct. 20, were held at the Marsh St. Centre and were a result of a growing list of questions and concerns over the cost of providing town water and sewer services to Clarksburg residents.
Reg Russwurm, director of engineering and public works for The Blue Mountains, made the presentation and fielded questions with the help of Deputy Mayor Duncan McKinlay.
The plans, thus far, are not specific. The next step in the process is to make preliminary designs, and decide on the best option. Ideas to phase the construction to include just the downtown area in the beginning and/or to only install lines for water and not wastewater are a few options town staff will look at.
The cost of servicing seemed daunting to the residents present at the meetings. The town has estimated that if it was to proceed with the plan today, and achieved provincial funding in addition to the federal government's contribution of $5 million, each Clarksburg resident would have to pay $22,825 for service to their property line.
They would then have to arrange and pay for a contractor to connect the service from the property line to their home or business, and to decommission their existing septic system and well.
The few residents already legally connected to the town's water and sewer service, will not be charged a capital charge for the new system, since a portion of their monthly bills is set aside for replacement and repair.
The existing pipes in Clarksburg are smaller than the planned pipes and will be replaced should the project be approved. A key component in the plan, according to Russwurm is fire safety and larger pipes are required to meet safety standards for emergency situations.
Russwurm assured the residents that the plan would be unlikely to proceed without provincial funding. The town's applications to the province have been denied three times, but they will make another application in November for funds from a project called Building Canada. The plan released by the town projects a three-way split in the cost, $5 million from the federal government, $5 million from the province, and another $5 million from the town.
All the costs released to date are estimates and could change based on the many variables in the project, not the least of which is the current state of the economy.
Many of the people at the meeting voiced their concerns about the cost of the project especially in light of the recent economic uncertainty. One person suggested a five-year moratorium be placed on the plans, and could not believe the plan was being considered at the present time.
McKinlay said he would not stop moving forward with preliminary plans because there was no way to tell what was going to happen in the economy in the next five years or what the governments will do for economic stimulus. He stressed, however, that drafting some preliminary plans did not mean they were committing to any construction date, or even to a definite plan.
Town staff have been pursuing the idea of servicing Clarksburg for a number of years, even surveying the well water and septic treatments that exist now. An independent consulting engineering and planning company, the Ainley Group, found that almost a third of the residences in Clarksburg had water that would not pass the Ministry of Environment standards for water quality.
Russwurm reasoned that the survey, conducted about six years ago, showed the majority of people in Clarksburg had acceptable water quality, but still showed concern about the properties below standard.
"We want to provide good water quality to everyone," said Russwurm. "Not just the majority of people."
Councillor Cameron Kennedy told the crowd at the meeting that his biggest concern as a council member was the health of the citizens, more than the cost of the project.
"It's not a decision that council will make easily," he said. "If we have one person sick from water or septic ... I don't want that on my shoulders."
One resident said the plan was being pushed on the town, and that many of the residents he knew didn't even want water and wastewater servicing. He asked for a show of hands at the meeting to see who wanted the service. His survey was cut short, however, by McKinlay who said that private comment forms were available for all local residents and the town council and staff would carefully consider all the comments they received.
Mayor Ellen Anderson cautioned her constituents to approach the issue carefully.
"It's always an emotional issue when money is involved," she said. "We are trying to do the right thing ... I don't want to see human beings in my municipality arguing about water."
She said the costs of a septic system and a well are sometimes hidden, but must be considered to make a fair and balanced decision. She added that she pays for a water softener and the salt to go in it, that she must constantly replace rusted fixtures, and that a new septic system can cost about $15,000.
Another resident said he was one of several in the area "hanging by his toes" when it comes to his septic system and well water. He asked about the time frame for the plan, because if he were to replace his systems, he would not want town service, but as it stands now, he wants town service "yesterday."
Russwurm explained that the federal government requires the town to use the funds they have been granted by March 2011, which means the construction will have to be complete by November 2010.
Residents would be billed by March 2011, and will have the option of a payment plan or paying the cost upfront. They will have to be connected to the system within 11 months of receiving a bill for the capital sum.
If they choose not to connect to the system because they are satisfied with their current system, they will be billed a sum of $24 a month for water/sewer maintenance, and may connect at any time once they have paid a contractor to install a connection from the property line to their home or business.
The ultimate decision for the go-ahead on this project rests on the shoulders of The Blue Mountains town council. McKinlay urged residents to fill out comment forms or write letters to the town expressing their opinions on the matter and including their situations for consideration.
After a public meeting in May on this same issue, the town received just 15 comment forms.
The forms are available on the town website or at the town office on Bridge St. in Thornbury.
Letters are also accepted, and may be sent to the office or e-mailed. The town asks that comments be submitted by November 14 so they can be reviewed as soon as possible.
McKinlay closed the meeting saying there was some historical momentum behind the servicing project and that nothing has convinced him, thus far, that the council should stop considering it.
He made it clear that he had not made up his mind to go ahead with or delay the project, and urged residents to send in comments to help the council make an informed decision.
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