SOUTHINGTON Worksheets and notes are now online to help people understand changes in sewer use rates that will affect 10,000 customers starting in July.

The information was posted Wednesday on the municipal website under the heading "sewer-related documents" on the "news" section.

People will find explanations on why the rate system is changing, work sheets on what it will cost to buy and install the required metering devices, how to decide if it makes sense to install a separate meter to record water used only for irrigation, and other issues.

The sewer fees, which will have a fixed facility charge and a variable component based on actual water use, will raise enough money to cover the yearly operating cost of the water treatment facility.

The budget is now $5 million. The soon-to-be-scrapped rate system is based on estimated water bills and repeatedly fails to raise sufficient funds. It would fall $250,000 short next fiscal year and more in subsequent years, if left unchanged, town officials have said.

"We had to improve the rate system," Cheryl Lounsbury, the head of the town sewer committee and the town council's vice chairperson said Tuesday evening at a sewer committee session. "If we did not, we would not be acting responsibly."

The new system will raise money by a 10 percent increase in rates and more precise quarterly billing based on actual water usage. Earlier this month, town officials said the new rate system "will capture an additional 16 percent of the required revenue, which is currently not being collected"

Residents who use private wells and private septic systems are not affected.

The annual bills for 2013-14 that residents will receive in April, May and June of this year will be based on the old system. The new rate take effect July 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year when residents on public water and sewer can expect to receive quarterly bills that more accurately reflect their sewer usage.

People with questions about the new rates can also may the town sewer department at 860-276-6233.

Excerpt from:
Southington's New Sewer Fees Explained On Town Website

CBS New York (con't)

Affordable Care Act Updates: CBSNewYork.com/ACA

Health News & Information: CBSNewYork.com/Health

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) An alarming amount of pollution in Long Island waterways has prompted officials to call for major changes.

As CBS 2s Carolyn Gusoff reported Wednesday, Suffolk County officials said nitrogen pollution is ruining bays and rivers and killing sea grasses and marshes, and making Long Island more vulnerable in storms.

Scientists said the reason is nitrogen from household sewage. County executive Steve Bellone said the top priority of his administration is to stop the pollution.

The surface water effects are clear. Weve had harmful algae blooms, red tide, brown tide, closed beaches, dead rivers like the Forge River. Every surface water body in our region is listed as an impaired water body, Bellone said. We have 360,000 unsewered homes. We have more unsewered homes than the entire state of New Jersey.

Bellone has launched a plan to reverse the crisis, installing public sewers where there currently are none. The first phase of the plan is to install sewer systems under about 12,000 homes near the Forge River, the Connetquot River and the Carlls River in Deer Park and North Babylon; Oakdale; and Mastic and Shirley.

Seventy-five percent of Suffolk County homes currently use septic tanks. Environmentalists said that is antiquated.

In a civilized society in a dense community we treat our sewage before we dump it into the bay, said Adrienne Esposito of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment.

Original post:
Suffolk County Exec Announces Plan To Install Sewers In Effort To Protect Water Supply

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Porches - Leather (Live) - Video

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Jacksonville bath remodeling / Jacksonville bathroom remodeling contractor - Video

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Coronado-based design/build firm, FlaggCoastal Homes, has been awarded Best ofHouzz for one of their Coronadodesigns. Flagg Coastal Homes specializes in thecategory of Beach Style Homes.The award was given for an exquisite bathroom designoverlooking the CoronadoGolf Course.The Houzz endorsement willappear on Flaggswebsites and on future projects to immediately set the localdesign/build firm apart fromthe competition.

The function ofHouzz is to provide homeowners with a comprehensivelisting of homebuilding, remodeling and design professionals, empowering themto find and hire theright professional to execute their vision. From decoratinga room to building a customhome, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, homedesign enthusiasts and homeimprovement professionals across the country andaround the world.

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Coronados Flagg Coastal Homes Receives Design Award

A church along Oak Hill Road in Evansville speaks out, after several cars decide to cut through their lawn to avoid construction. The damage leaves deep ruts in the ground, and is causing the church to lose their patience. Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church says they have reached out to police and the Oak Hill Neighborhood Association for help.

Moving to the Tristate to be the new Pastor at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Evansville, Pastor Rebecca Grate, already faces a bump on and off the road. "They don't teach you what to do in your very first perish, about what to do when people drive through your yard," says Grate.

For about a year, Oak Hill Road, in Evansville has been under construction. In March, workers blocked off access from the road in front of the church, to Lynch road. The church says people are avoiding the nearby detour, and making their own path by cutting right through the church's property. It's putting their new pastor in a rut. "It's been this winding road to find out the proper way to deal with things, and wanting to be nice because we are a church, but we've had ground damage. We actually need to do something about this," says Grate.

"It's very rude, and frankly, we thought the behavior was just incredible," says church member Sharon Wilson. She shows us the damage. Wilson says one driver got stuck, and asked for the church to help him out. "Be respectful of others property, and not to be arrogant to think your the only one who's time and effort means anything." Wilson says some even try to go around the back of the building. "Inconvenience is one thing, because you know the project will end, but when it's destruction of your personal property, or could injure the people on your property, that's a different story."

The church has received help. The construction company for Oak Hill Road laid down telephone poles as barriers, and have used their equipment to block traffic. The church still asks drivers not make their yard, your highway. "You are all welcome to come here and join our activities, but we would really like it if you would not drive on our grass."

The church hopes this is the last of the damage. They have decided to wait until construction wraps up to see how much the damage will cost to repair.

More here:
Drivers Tear Through Local Church's Property

Albany

As a supermarket rises where Watervliet's historic St. Patrick's Church once stood, a midlevel appeals court heard arguments Wednesday about issues surrounding the sale of the church in 2012.

At the heart of the case is who has legal standing to decide the fate of the church. Under the New York's Religious Corporation Law, a church corporation has that role.

But Citizens for St. Patrick's contends that its members who donated money to repair the church's copper roof with a promise that St. Patrick's would stay open have the needed legal standing to contest any sale of the property of the church.

St. Patrick's Church of West Troy, a corporation affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, sold the 3.5-acre site with the church and related buildings to PCP Watervliet LLC, a subsidiary of the Nigro Companies, on Dec. 31, 2012.

The citizens group sued unsuccessfully to overturn acting state Supreme Court Justice Kimberly A. O'Connor's approval of the Dec. 31, 2012 sale of the church for $1 million.

The church was torn down in 2013.

On Wednesday before the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court, Rosemary Nichols, the attorney for the citizens group, said state law pertaining to nonprofit organizations should apply in giving the group standing in legal matters.

Nichols was questioned repeatedly Wednesday by Presiding Justice Karen K. Peters as to why a fraud lawsuit was not pursued.

Nichols replied that such a suit would not have been expedient.

Continued here:
Church case lives on in the courts

DURANT Senior Pastor Joe Zaino of Pleasant Grove Assembly of God sees the long-awaited construction of a new sanctuary as the start of a new chapter for the 115-year-old church.

The building, being constructed with the help of volunteers, is expected to be completed in about a year at the church, 7051 Turkey Creek Road.

The old sanctuary was first built in 1899 as a pavilion with a roof and columns that could sit up to 400 people. People would come from across the country and stay for a week at a time on the churchs 39-acres, attending camp meetings and revivals featuring messages from prominent Assembly of God ministers of the day.

Over the years walls and additional rooms were added to the pavilion to form a sanctuary, but the building became unusable and was demolished in 2003.

The fellowship hall has housed the services for 12 years.

We fixed it up the best we could, Zaino said. We can get about 150 chairs in there but theyre (the congregation) ready to go into the new sanctuary.

Zaino said their congregation consists predominantly of senior citizens and retirees and raising the money for a new sanctuary, while a long held wish, has been difficult.

Theyre 100 percent supportive of everything, Zaino said. For many of these people, this has been their church for their whole lives.

The first phase of the sanctuary construction began in January when the church partnered with Mobilization and Placement Service (MAPS), a missions organization that builds churches, schools and youth centers for the Assembly of God denomination. The builders, all retired professional contractors, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and engineers, work on a volunteer basis.

These guys are quite a blessing, Zaino said. These men will save us at least $300,000.

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New sanctuary in works for historic church

Albany

As a supermarket rises where Watervliet's historic St. Patrick's Church once stood, a midlevel appeals court heard arguments Wednesday about issues surrounding the sale of the church in 2012.

At the heart of the case is who has legal standing to decide the fate of the church. Under the New York's Religious Corporation Law, a church corporation has that role.

But Citizens for St. Patrick's contends that its members who donated money to repair the church's copper roof with a promise that St. Patrick's would stay open have the needed legal standing to contest any sale of the property of the church.

St. Patrick's Church of West Troy, a corporation affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, sold the 3.5-acre site with the church and related buildings to PCP Watervliet LLC, a subsidiary of the Nigro Companies, on Dec. 31, 2012.

The citizens group sued unsuccessfully to overturn acting state Supreme Court Justice Kimberly A. O'Connor's approval of the Dec. 31, 2012 sale of the church for $1 million.

The church was torn down in 2013.

On Wednesday before the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court, Rosemary Nichols, the attorney for the citizens group, said state law pertaining to nonprofit organizations should apply in giving the group standing in legal matters.

Nichols was questioned repeatedly Wednesday by Presiding Justice Karen K. Peters as to why a fraud lawsuit was not pursued.

Nichols replied that such a suit would not have been expedient.

Read the rest here:
St. Patrick's court case outlives Watervliet church