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

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.

View original post here:
LETTER: Sewer plan ill-conceived; lack of vote creates ill will