he Fayette County Board of Education late this summer will consider closing up to four elementary schools and a middle school to help offset falling tax revenues.

The school board at the conclusion of the May 2 workshop left Superintendent Jeff Bearden with instructions to provide information on the potential closure of Fayette Middle School, Fayetteville Intermediate School, Hood Avenue Primary School, Tyrone Elementary and Brooks Elementary schools. The closure options will also include opening Rivers Elementary School.

Bearden in April had proposed to close Fayette Middle, Hood Avenue Primary and Fayetteville Intermediate and open Rivers Elementary as a way to help offset the school system that is facing significant decreasing revenues from plummeting local tax revenues and falling student enrollment that generates approximately $4,000 per student from state sources.

Each of the schools initially proposed for closure are located in the Fayetteville school board district represented by Bob Todd who, unlike at least three of the remaining four board members, is not up for reelection this year.

The discussion among board members at the May 2 workshop ended with Bearden being asked to develop four optional closure plans for consideration. Those include:

1. Beardens original proposal for closing Fayette Middle, Hood Avenue Primary and Fayetteville Intermediate and opening Rivers;

2. Beardens proposal and closing Tyrone Elementary;

3. Beardens proposal and closing Brooks Elementary; or

4. Beardens proposal and closing both Tyrone and Brooks.

The May 2 meeting was scheduled to hear the details behind Beardens April recommendation to close Fayette Middle, Hood Avenue and Fayetteville Intermediate and open Rivers Elementary northwest of the city.

Link:
Up to 5 Fayette schools may be candidates for closure, BoE says

WESTERLY Dozens of residents opposed to a plan that would extend the town sewer line to Misquamicut, at a cost borne largely by shoreline residents and businesses, filled the Town Council chambers Monday night.

The residents raised a number of questions about the $24 million proposal while others leveled criticism. They asked whether businesses would pay an equitable share of the project cost, whether the sewage plant has enough capacity, whether the project would prompt an undesirable development boom, and whether it is being rushed. They also questioned why the Town Council, not residents at a referendum, would decide whether to move forward with the plan.

Town Manager Steven Hartford, an advocate and architect of the plan, said that the most recent projections show that Misquamicut residents would pay $1,227 annually for the project for 20 years, the duration of a revenue bond that would be issued to finance the work. Under the traditional sewer extension system in which the town pays for about half of a project and new users pay for the other half, residents would pay about $1,220 per year, Hartford said

Examples of the cost for commercial properties, under the proposal, include the Breezeway Resort, which would pay $17,795 annually and $355,899 over 20 years, and Marias, which would pay $23,062 annually and $461,241 for the term of the bond.

The proposal follows a cesspool phaseout program enacted by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. The phaseout requires owners of property within 200 feet of a coastal shoreline feature, including salt ponds, to install costly denitrification septic systems to replace cesspools. Residents said the cesspool phaseout applies to less than 50 property owners in the Misquamicut area.

Hartford and others who developed the plan said they believe it achieves a fair balance between what residents would pay and what businesses would pay. The amounts are based on projections of system use rather than the traditional lot size determination. Under the plan, Hartford said businesses would pay eight times more than they would pay under the lot size payment determination.

While theres a perception out there that the homeowners are paying more then they would under a conventional sewer extension, thats just not true, and the reason is that the businesses are picking up a substantially greater portion of what they would under a conventional assessment, Hartford said.

In response to another question, Hartford said that while the current plan gives residents who have already installed denitrification systems a 10-year forbearance period before they are required to hook up to the sewer system, all property owners in the affected area will be required to eventually hook up to the system. Officials are considering extending the 10-year forbearance to a longer period of time.

The sewer plant on Margin Street can handle the additional load presented by extending the sewer line without the need for an expansion of the plant, Hartford said. The plan does not require a townwide referendum because revenue bonds would be used to pay for the project. Revenue bonds are paid off with money generated by user fees as opposed to general obligation bonds, which are paid with taxes from all town taxpayers. General obligation bonds require referendums.

Russell Ryan of Kimball Avenue said businesses should have to pick up a greater share of the cost of extending the sewer line since they have more to gain, including not having to give up parking spaces to make room for new septic systems.

Read more here:
Negative feedback on sewer proposal

ESSEX Monday's Town Meeting has 40 articles on the warrant.

But the primary focus of the debate is expected to center on one issue the future of the properties at Conomo Point.

The first six articles are devoted to Conomo Point issues, a proposed town budget of $15.6 million with $6.4 million for education, and a sewer service bylaw.

The annual gathering of the town's registered voters will be held Monday at 7:30 p.m. at Essex Elementary School, with registration to begin at 6:30 p.m.

Townspeople are encouraged to show up early, since the turnout is expected to be very high, town officials said; if the meeting runs too late, it may be extended to Tuesday.

At Special Town Meeting, just held April 25, an article that would allow the town to offer the current tenants the right of first refusal to buy the properties an article some officials expected to pass easily barely squeaked through at 144-141.

Monday, Town Meeting will take up the issue of allowing the possible sale of the properties south of Robbins Island Road, with the article authorizing the selectmen to take any and all actions relating to the properties.

Another potential flashpoint will be the proposed zoning bylaw for Conomo Point. The version contained in the warrant that is publicly available, however, has undergone significant changes enough so that the Planning Board is not recommending the article's approval Monday night.

"The board has specific concerns relative to the proposed dimensional requirements and the time available to review the documents," the Planning Board said in its report.

Resident Bruce Fortier said he did not think enough time was given to read the proposed changes, though Town Administrator Brendhan Zubricki said the town's Boston-based law firm of Kopelman and Paige ruled the edits acceptable and that changes would be made at Town Meeting. Members of the Planning Board agreed with Fortier, and voted not to recommend the article, without prejudice.

Link:
Essex Town Meeting has Conomo Point focus

I am dismayed that the Misquamicut sewer project, twice voted down by Westerly residents, will now be considered by the town council without voter input. How did this happen?

I can only surmise that Misquamicut business interests, along with development and civil engineering interests, are behind this. All three of those interests are well-represented on the town council. This project, designed to circumvent voter input, only needs four council votes to pass. Three of those are assured; only one more is needed.

The plan is that the sewers will be paid for with a 20-year bond. Supposedly, Misquamicut businesses and residents will pay for a large portion of it. I see two problems here. Despite what we are told, development will increase in the beach area once the new sewers are installed. That will bring additional taxes to Westerly residents in the forms of increased road maintenance, road maintenance equipment, police protection, etc.; are these new costs mentioned in the plan?

We are told that the sewage treatment plant is capable of handling increased sewage. Will that hold true once development begins? Will we eventually have to pay to increase the plants capacity?

These are hidden costs to the taxpayers and hidden subsidies for developers. Many communities have environmental and development impact fees to help with these new costs to the taxpayer. The Westerly Town Council has made sure that those fees have not been implemented in Westerly.

The other big problem I see is related to the sustainability of the plan.

As we all know, sea levels are rising. Add to that the fact that we are long over due for a major hurricane strike. Hurricane Irene, if she had tracked a mere 50 miles further east, would not have been slowed by grazing New Jersey, and would have hit us as a major storm.

What if Misquamicut is again wiped out as it was in 1938, as it surely will be one day? If the businesses there are destroyed and the owners file for bankruptcy, who will be further burdened by this unpaid debt? Does it make sense to invest millions of dollars in that location? Is there somewhere else that money could be spent for the benefit of all taxpayers, over a long period of time?

Residents of the area are not eligible for low-interest loans to install high-tech septic systems because they are included in the Westerly Sewer District. How did that area get included?

Misquamicut can be removed from the district so that they can get the low-interest loans that they need.

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LETTER: Sewer plan ill-conceived; lack of vote creates ill will

WESTERLY The towns potential financial risk was a chief concern Monday as the Public Works Committee reviewed a proposal to extend the towns sanitary sewer line to much of the Misquamicut area.

Committee member Howard Hyde asked whether the $24 million, 20-year bond proposed to fund the project would be a good investment. Other members of the committee asked whether the bond would have a negative effect on the towns bond rating.

The committee also discussed the towns risk in the event of a major hurricane or other catastrophic weather event, or if any of the businesses committed to helping pay for the project were unable to meet their financial obligations.

The committee, which serves in an advisory capacity to the Town Council, will eventually make a recommendation on the proposed project to the council.

Officials have proposed a two-phase project that would cost Misquamicut residents and business owners $19 million, with the town covering the remainder of the cost. The first phase would require bond financing of $9.3 million; the second phase would require $9.8 million in bond financing.

Town Manager Steven Hartford said the bond, to be issued by the state Clean Water Finance Agency, would be insured. The insurance would pay for the bond in the event that the town Sewer Department was in default and unable to meet bond payments, Hartford said.

Jack Armstrong, a committee member, said he was not convinced that the town would not ultimately be on the hook for paying off the bonds if property owners and businesses fail to meet their obligations.

Hartford said that the bond would be issued by the agency to the town but he said that in addition to insurance, the town would be protected by liens that would be placed on all of the properties affected by the project. While it is important to explore the towns risk, Hartford advised against basing public policy on worst case scenarios.

The project has to get done. The town, ultimately, has to figure out what to do with wastewater in Misquamicut whether its now or later, Hartford said.

Under the proposal, single family households would expect to contribute $1,227 annually for the project. Over 20 years the term of the bond the household cost would be $32,600. Examples of cost for commercial properties include the Breezeway, which would pay $17,795 annually and $355,899 over 20 years, and Marias, which would pay $23,062 annually and $461,241 for the term of the bond.

The rest is here:
Officials debate financial risk of sewer project

Contractors for the Fox Metro Water Reclamation District are proceeding with the installation of sanitary sewer lines in Oswego's Cedar Glen Subdivision and a portion of the Windcrest Subdivision located east of Ill. Route 25, north of Waubonsie Creek.

Jeff Humm, Fox Metro engineering supervisor, estimated the project is currently about 50 percent complete.

Jim Detzler, Fox Metro Board president who lives along Route 25 at the entrance to Cedar Glen, said Monday he and other Fox Metro officials understand the construction is an inconvenience for homeowners in the two subdivisions and their continuing patience is appreciated by Fox Metro and the contractors.

"It will be a real nice improvement once all the work is completed," Detzler said.

Humm said sewer lines have been installed in the right-of-way along Elmwood Drive, Oaklawn Avenue and Evergreen and Glendale drives.

"We've also done Ashlawn (Avenue) from Elmwood up to Eastway (Drive)," he said.

Still yet to be completed, Humm said, is the old portion of the Windcrest Subdivision up to Windcrest Drive near the south end of the project area, and Eastway and Cebold drives on the north end.

Humm added that if weather conditions permit, contractors should have all of the sewer lines installed by the end of June and the streets resurfaced in July. Final landscaping would then be installed in August, he said.

Fox Metro hired Len Cox & Sons Excavating of Joliet to complete the project at a total cost of $1,892,867 last spring and the firm began work in September.

The agency is financing the project through a low interest loan obtained from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA).

Link:
Oswego sewer project about 50% complete

By MARK LAW

Staff writer

STEUBENVILLE - The Jefferson County commissioners Thursday approved the formation of a countywide port authority, two days after Steubenville City Council gave its OK.

A port authority is an economic development tool, capable of using eminent domain powers, issuing bonds and generating money through assessments for infrastructure for economic development projects.

The city had a port authority and council voted to abolish it to make room for the countywide port authority.

The county and city will each have four appointments to the port authority, with the county's Regional Planning Commission naming a member. There will be no elected officials on the port authority.

County Commissioner Thomas Graham said the port authority is a "major accomplishment" for the entire county. He said it will take time for the port authority to get going, but he believes it will be best for economic development throughout the county.

"It is an excellent step in the journey for the community to take on economic development," said county Commissioner David Maple.

He added all the prior organizations in the county pushing economic development were positive steps to improving the economic outlook for the county.

County Commissioner Tom Gentile said the creation of the countywide port authority has "been quite a task." with the Community Improvement Corp. and Progress Alliance all meeting to discuss the issue over time.

Continued here:
Port authority creation done

Residents in the rural, disadvantaged Menifee community of Quail Valley were given some words of encouragement recently from officials hoping to replace their failing septic tanks with a full-blown sewer system.

"I'm more optimistic than some people but I'm hoping that within five years, we'll see construction on a new sewer system here," said Ron Sullivan, a board member with the Eastern Municipal Water District. "But we have to be patient when we're working with state and federal funding sources."

Sullivan was among the handful of speakers to address a crowd of about 45 Quail Valley residents earlier this month at Quail Valley Elementary School. In separate English- and Spanish-speaking sessions, residents listened intently as officials updated them on the progress of installing sewer connections to about 1,460 Quail Valley homes.

"Rumors go around that nothing is happening and that's not the case," Sullivan said. "There is more going on than what people realize."

Quail Valley has long had a problem with failing septic tanks and drainage systems, especially during heavy rains. Most of the homes were built decades ago for part-time residents, but now are occupied by families that live there year-round.

During rainy seasons, homeowners have found their underground drain fields swollen by rain, which has pushed up household wastes into their yards. The bacteria-laden water drains downhill toward Canyon Lake which, while it has a water treatment plant, is still is a drinking-water source for thousands of area residents.

The problem is so bad that a building moratorium is in place until sewers can be installed.

Several agencies have tried to get funding for a sewer system, but so far they've secured only enough to design a portion of the overall plan.

Estimates in 2005 indicated it would take about $45 million to $65 million to complete the overall project, according to Armando Arroyo, a civil engineer with the Eastern Municipal Water District.

But officials say the door may be open a little wider now that a similar $16 million project is nearly completed in the Enchanted Heights area of Perris.

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MENIFEE: Quail Valley residents get sewer update

FARMINGTON

Plans to install low-pressure sewer systems in two neighborhoods that currently have environmentally worrisome septic systems is being re-examined by town officials in an attempt to get the project approved in time to get on the November ballot.

Presented by Town Engineer Russell Arnold Jr. at Tuesday's town council meeting, the project will go back to the town's water pollution control authority for consideration at its May 9 meeting. A timeline introduced to the council showed two public hearings on the project tentatively scheduled at the June 13 WPCA meeting and the July 12 town council meeting.

Town council members were unanimous in their desire to try to get the project to voters in November, though there was no official vote.

Residents at a referendum last fall rejected the proposal as presented, citing cost concerns and fears that a pump system, which pushes the waste to a central sewer main line, could fail during a power outage. Many were instead in favor of the traditional gravity sewer system, which operates exclusively under the influence of gravity.

Since the project went to referendum, it has not changed, Arnold said. He asked that the town council consider recommending the low-pressure sewer option again, arguing that it is more economical and less intrusive to install than a gravity-based system.

Additionally, Arnold said that because of the elevation and the topography of the neighborhoods to be affected, at least 20 percent of the homes will require a low-pressure system no matter what. If the town does nothing, the septic systems in the majority of all the homes in the affected area will likely fail in the short term.

"How many more times do you want to deal with this?" Arnold said. "That's the question."

If approved, the low-pressure sewer plan will affect 95 homes in the area of Blue Ridge and Ridgeview drives, Shady Lane and Woodpond Road.

It will require each property owner to pay for the installation and maintenance of a grinder pump and service lines. Property owners will also have to hire a contractor to install the pumps, reroute their sewers, crush and fill their existing septic tanks and connect to the sewer hub at the street.

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Questions Linger Over Appropriate Sewer System For Farmington Neighborhoods

Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone has come up with a plan to construct a sewer system to accommodate his grand vision of expanding Wine Country into a destination resort.

Stone is preparing to take that plan to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

"I am asking that the board join me in committing a total of $5 million for this project," Stone wrote in a report to the board. "This commitment from the county will jump-start sewer construction within the Wine Country region and ensure ongoing economic prosperity of Southwest Riverside County."

State and local water officials have warned that wineries' practice of relying on septic systems won't work if there is a major commercial expansion of Wine Country. They have stressed that the introduction of sewers must accompany the planned tripling of wineries and anticipated opening of many hotels and restaurants.

Financing, however, has been a concern, but Stone said he has figured out a way to pay for a sewer system.

Stone is asking supervisors to authorize a $2 million loan from the county's waste management enterprise fund to provide upfront funding for the system's first phase.

He also wants the board to commit $3 million in the future for a second phase, if needed.

The Eastern Municipal Water District, which provides sewer service in much of Southwest County, would install the lines.

Charlie Bachmann, Eastern's assistant general manager in charge of engineering and construction, said the plan is to run a line from Nicolas Road through Roripaugh Ranch, then along Calle Contento to Rancho California Road. It would serve wineries spread along Rancho California from the Temecula city limit to Monte de Oro.

Bachmann said that initial phase is expected to cost $15 million to $18 million.

View post:
REGION: Stone has $5 million financing plan for Wine Country sewer