Trent Woods plans sewer survey on Home Services

Jan

Trent Woods plans sewer survey

posted by admin in Sewer Septic

TRENT WOODS — Taxpayers here will have an opportunity to make their opinion known on a plan to tap on to New Berns wastewater treatment plant.The proposed contract, which goes out for bids next week, will have real numbers to review in mid-January, board members said at a special meeting Thursday night.After that, the town will send all property owners an objective survey on whether or not they want to go forward with the plan to pipe sewage to New Bern, which was developed over the past 10 years. The $70,000 for engineering fees to Rivers and Associates for the plans and bid specifications for project infrastructure, which prompted a 3-cent increase on the towns tax rate, will be paid regardless of the ultimate decision. It can be credited toward the total cost of the project if the town goes forward. The board was encouraged to reassess the towns plan by the results of a privately circulated survey showing opposition to the towns plan, which could from $5 million to $9.5 million.Mayor Victoria Watson stressed Thursday a survey of residents was part of the process the town board planned.”This is always what we were going to do,” she said.”We were never going to go all the way until we had the final numbers,” said Commissioner J.V. Williams.A recent private survey circulated to about 1,800 Trent Woods residences garnered 579 responses, with 496 indicating opposition to the project, 65 expressing support and 18 offering no opinion, Kenneth Morris III told commissioners last week.”With close to one-third of Trent Woods residents responding in dissension to a sewer system, and with significant environmental information that indicates that a septic system model is preferable to a sewer system, we are asking the town to reconsider this matter one last time,” he said.”I think we all decided, even before Mayor Gorman left office, that as soon as we get all the facts and figures and the final numbers in, we should present it to the citizens one more time,” Watson said.”Ive contacted a retired Trent Woods citizen who is willing to come in here, and as I envision it, send out the information of the rates for the City of New Bern at two times, 1.5 times and 1.35 times, and the rate with water or water and sewer combined,” she said.”The (New Bern) Board of Aldermen have already approved for those rates to go up again in March and also approved another rate increase in July.”Sean (Corcoran) has kind of grabbed this one by the horns and I see no reason why we, four intelligent people with the advice of the attorney, cant put together the final information” for taxpayer review, she said.At the suggestion of newly named Commissioner Drew Willis, who served previously from 1993-95, the board discussed the possibility of an independent polling agency doing the survey that would be circulated to all 1,756 residences with a bottom line yes or no question.Residents were polled by the town in 1996, and again later, with surveys that included information that has since changed. The citizens group, including Morris, David LaVigne, Owen Andrews, Marc Jessup and Mike Cook, polled residents in November with questions even members conceded were less than neutral.Town attorney Jim Davis told the board residents can not officially vote on the issue because financing will not be secured by Trent Woods, but by New Bern.”Youve been elected to make this decision,” Davis told board members. “Its nice to have citizen input but the referendum is you guys.” Some residents also met recently with Gorman, and Commissioner Corcoran and Morris said they “seemed to be responsive and indicated that the town would consider alternatives presented to the town.”Corcoran, who requested the first of several work sessions to review the project, said it was difficult to determine the cost to each resident until actual project bids and loan rates are in hand. The plan on the table would have Trent Woods fund the pipes to transport the waste to New Berns system, then turn them over to New Bern to maintain with a staggered-payment schedule depending on how many residents tap on.The initial tap-on fee would be $1,500 to $1,700, increasing to as much as $3,500 for dwellings constructed later or those eligible now but not opting to tap on initially.Opponents argue that with escalating project cost estimates, the emerging alternatives for sewage treatment, and a new assessment of the negative environmental impact of sewage treatment facilities over septic systems, the whole issue needs a new scrutiny. Sue Book can be reached at ext. 262 or at mailto:sue_booklink.sue_booklink..