Residents vote down plan to update septic with sewer

NORTH CANAAN — No sewer for Green Acres and Honey Hill, at least for now. Residents and property owners in the area where an extension of sewer lines had been proposed voted the plan down July 10 by a 2-to-1 margin.

Ironically, the project — which had been proposed by the Canaan Fire District because of the favorable finances at this time — appeared to have been shot down by the lingering effects of the recession.

This is a neighborhood of working families and retirees,  many of whom are trying hard to live within their means. Inflation and tax increases have taken a toll on their budgets.

After the meeting, Fire District Warden Anthony Nania said he was not particularly surprised by the outcome and said money was obviously the issue.

“There are people who can’t pay their mortgages. It’s just too much for some to take on,� he said.

He said the district’s executive board will re-examine the plan, determine if enough people still want it and maybe propose it again, possibly in a modified form.

Federal aid might be lost

What troubles him most, he said, is the potential loss of  several million dollars in federal stimulus money that would have paid for half the project.

“I think I can hold onto that money for another six months or so, but I don’t know if there is any hope for government aid in the future.

 â€œI think interest in the project is still there,â€� he added. “There were probably a dozen hands in the air when the question was called.â€�

He also believes a hasty decision may have been made by those anxious to vote the project down. The agenda was pre-empted and the vote was taken early.

The town meeting form of government is designed to give voters a chance to share their views and perspectives before the vote.

The meeting agenda for July 10 was laid out in three parts: questions directed to a district representative; opinions shared, that could serve as a chance to persuade —or dissuade — neighbors; and the vote.

But the vote was called for during part one of the meeting. Resident Gary Grandell made the motion, which was followed by applause, lots of seconds of the motion and comments that the answers were all there and there was no need for a lot more discussion.

One person commented that most had come with their minds already made up.

Nania and executive board member Geoffrey Drury, who was elected to moderate the meeting, urged the crowd to continue the discussion, but it was ended by a nearly unanimous voice vote.

All 144 eligible voters who received electronic ballots on the way in to the meeting cast them an hour and a half later. It took 10 minutes to vote and tabulate the results via two optical scanners.

Town registrars verified and announced the results as 96 to 48, against. A decision either way needs at least two-thirds of the voters.

About 200 properties would have been affected under the proposal. But in many cases, there was more than one eligible voter per property. Married couples with joint ownership, for instance, were each legally allowed to cast a ballot, and many did so Saturday.

While some allowance can be made for people owning more than one property, probably fewer than half of the properties were represented in the voting, according to one estimate.

Confusion over costs

In the end, property owners seemed to understand that solid numbers cannot come until after the project is approved.

Final engineering is estimated to cost $250,000. Nania said those upfront costs are covered by tax revenues paid by current Fire District residents, but he cannot in good conscious spend that money without project approval.

But question after question at Saturday’s meeting was raised in regard to costs; many of the questions came up several times, several had already been addressed that day and in meetings and newspaper articles prior to the meeting.

There seemed to be a lack of confidence that every possible expense had been laid out for public scrutiny — and it was true that there was at least one surprise in store for taxpayers. Discussion led to the revelation that existing septics would have to be destroyed once the sewer is installed. That cost was roughly estimated at $1,000.

Some advocated for looking at what’s best for the community as a whole. Others agreed in theory, but said picking up the tab for others was simply not within their means.

All property owners in the extended area would bear the cost of a portion of the project, whether they hook up to sewer immediately or not. Each would be assessed based primarily on property value at an estimated average of $16,300.

There were lots of other concerns expressed and questions regarding how the project would affect property values, how assessments would be paid and what the environmental impact would be.

Residents were assured the the sewer treatment plan has sufficient capacity and will last indefinitely. They were advised the $1,000, one-time connection fee is essentially a capital investment in the sewer plant.

And, yes, the project would offer the same sort of disruption as the current Route 7 project, but with a chance at being considerably less messy. They were advised to go online and search for video on rock-trenchers, a new technological approach that significantly cuts time and mess when laying pipe. Of course, not all contractors use the technology.

Historical precedent

The Canaan Fire District was formed just after the turn of the last century to install and maintain sidewalks and streetlights in the center of town. Nania explained that it had nothing to do with the Canaan Fire Company, which became official in 1911 and receives no tax revenues. But both operated on the same sort of buy-in system.

“Back then, fire companies were paid for privately. If you wanted them to come to your house, you had to buy in,� he said. “At the same time, people outside the center of town did not want to pay for the sidewalks and street lights. They formed their own municipality, set up so that those who don’t benefit from something don’t pay for it.�

Since the sewer plant was built about 30 years ago, there have been 13 Fire District extensions. The nearly completed extension down Route 7 to the town line leaves Green Acres and Honey Hill, on the west side of town, as the last remaining section of the town center without sewer.

Any proposed project not only requires approval of property owners within the affected area, but approval by voters within the entire district.