Sewer bid tanked again

MOUNT OLIVE TWP. - Phyllis Shelton and her Old Flanders neighbors have waged a long battle but they have lost their request that the town underwrite the costs of providing sewers to the historic section of town.

Township Council members voted 4-2 on Tuesday, April 8, against including $250,000 in the 2014 budget for a sewer engineering and design study for the Old Flanders area. The study was needed to set the stage for installation of a new sewer line to serve 31 properties along Main Street and Park Place.

Im devastated, said Shelton who lives in a converted, historic mill on Park Place. We are surrounded by wetlands. This is the historic part of town. Ive spent my life and my money to make it nice and this is what I get.

Councilman Ray Perkins led the drive against the spending and said the taxpayers throughout town should not subsidize a sewer system that would serve so few taxpayers. Under the plan, the costs of a 20-year, construction loan would be spread to all taxpayers at a projected cost of 69 cents per taxpayer for 20 years.

Republican Values

Im a Republican and a conservative, Perkins said. I dont subscribe to the Obama version of letting other people pay for the benefit of a few. Im not going to be a Democrat and subsidize these costs.

Perkins was joined in opposition by Council President John Mania and council members Alex Roman and Joseph Nicastro.

Voting for the study were council members Colleen Labow and Daniel Amianda. Mayor Rob Greenbaum also had supported the sewer plan.

The vote was just the latest defeat in a series of measures in past years against providing sewers. Past efforts to sewer a larger section of Flanders were opposed by most residents, leading to the latest, scaled down effort to provide sewer services to 31 properties in the area of Park Place.

Proponents said sewers are needed to avoid the costly replacement of existing septic systems and cesspools.

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Sewer bid tanked again