Winter will offer time to get septic plan ready for votes

CORNWALL — After countless hours over many years of information-gathering and meetings by the West Cornwall Septic Study Group to share ideas and explore septic treatment options for the village of West Cornwall, that information has coalesced into a proposal.  

Due to the COVID-19 uncertainties, however, the Board of Selectmen recently agreed to put off until spring of 2021 the next steps, including public hearing, town meeting and eventual vote by referendum.

The intervening winter months will also allow time for the Board of Finance to review cost and funding projections to provide more definite estimates to residents at a public hearing. Once the estimates are firm, the finance board will be better able to approve the proposal, enabling the town to move it on to a public hearing. 

By spring, the hope is that social distancing restrictions may be loosened enough to provide more safety at an indoor meeting.

Grant funding from the federal Department of Agriculture (USDA) is a good possibility and it could contribute up to 45% of the project costs. Regulations require, however, that the town referendum approve the project, before the USDA decides finally on the grant award.

One necessary step, an approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission, was achieved at a meeting in mid-October.  The commission’s review of the Town Plan  showed that the project as proposed was consistent with the town’s conservation and development plans.

At the start of 2020, there had been a request from WMC Engineers of Newington for an additional payment of $6,000 to complete their work on project plans and to complete the USDA grant application. That application required numerous elements of engineering detail.

The selectmen asked the West Cornwall Septic Committee to vote to approve the request for additional payment. That approval came in mid-February.

Early March brought the onset of concerns about COVID-19, and the Town Hall closed in mid-March. In early April, the West Cornwall Septic Committee paused meeting, although they indicated that Stephen McDonnell of WMC would continue work on the USDA application.

In mid-June, McDonnell announced that the USDA application was submitted and being processed.

A possible home for the facility

In the aftermath of a July fire at the late Barbara Farnsworth’s shop in West Cornwall, the selectmen began to consider whether that site might see future use as a location for the West Cornwall wastewater processing facility.

The former site of the old West Cornwall firehouse standing adjacent to the Farnsworth property was discussed in August by the selectmen, who felt that it could afford the Farnsworth heirs the advantage of off-road parking for a car or two next to the shop.

The sale of the tiny parcel could be effected for $500, but the Farnsworths are now awaiting results of an environmental study, looking for any contaminants that would require soil remediation. Once those results are in and the Farnsworths agree to the purchase, a town meeting would be needed to approve the sale of the little parcel which is assessed at $200.

As COVID-19 continued its spread into the cold-weather months, the selectmen agreed that moving the public consideration of the West Cornwall Septic Project to the spring was the most prudent action.