NORTH CANAAN — The Canaan Fire District held its annual meeting March 3. The agenda included the election of officers. They are Anthony Nania, warden; John Foley, treasurer; Jennifer Jacquier, tax collector; and Ned Gow, board of tax review. William Segalla and LeRoy Riva were elected to the executive board.
The rest of the meeting was devoted to passing resolutions that allow the sewer system, and therefore the Fire District, to be extended as proposed to the remainder of Route 7 South.
The extension would take the sewer line about a mile farther south. It would make hookups available to about 10 homes and several businesses, including Mountainside addiction treatment center, which will soon require sanitary services to meet its growing needs.
Based on bids recently received, the estimated cost of the project is $1,440,715. Adding in a contingency, the executive committee recommended authorization to seek grants and borrow up to as much $1.75 million.
Minimal impact on taxes
There was little discussion from the approximately two dozen residents who attended. Not a single person had come to a public hearing the night before. Nania said this is something residents have long asked for. It would seem the rest of the fire district residents are satisfied with the approach, which was designed to have no impact on taxes or annual user fees.
There has been plenty of time for residents to state their positions. The proposal was first presented to the public at last year’s annual meeting.
Fire District officials have been working since then on a grant and loan package from the Agricultural Rural Development Program.
“If you are a homeowner in the fire district, and you don’t live where the line will be built, you should know that we will do as we have always done,� Nania explained. “The entirety of the expense is to be raised from the properties that benefit from it over the course of 30 years. It won’t be a burden on the rest of the fire district residents.�
The Fire District’s responsibility is to run the main sewer line and lateral lines to the edge of each property. Property owners who elect to hook up to the sewer pay for the cost to run pipe and to hook up their homes.
Built into the financing package is funding to provide loans to everyone. Even those who decide to wait to hook up can take out a loan now, and get a jump on paying it off. The interest rate will be a maximum of 4.38 percent.
Need to build another pump
Engineering for the system extension raised some issues. In order to function using an existing pumping station across from the Geer campus, the pipes would have to be installed very, very deep, executive committee member Geoff Drury explained. That would actually be more costly than installing another, small pumping station. This compromise would also ensure that everyone along the route will be able to hook up.
The new pumping station is proposed to be situated on 6,000 square feet of property currently owned by Thomas Stockmal. It is the same property on the east side of Route 7 recently approved for a subdivision.
During a special permit process before the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z), the subject of sanitary services was a large part of the debate. The project was originally designed with a temporary community septic system, banking on the assumption that a sewer would be available before up to 16 homes were built there. P&Z required the project be designed without any presumptions. The subdivision was eventually approved. It remains on the market as real estate ready for development.
Negotiations for the purchase of the small tract by the Fire District have been ongoing since August. Drury said theyrecently agreed on a $10,000-purchase price for what amounts to a little less than 14 percent of an acre. But a rather rocky process has prompted the committee to work on a back-up plan: taking the property by eminent domain.
“There is no question of our ability to do it. It’s a public use,� Nania said. “We can assume we will reach a satisfactory conclusion with Mr. Stockmal. But we don’t want to send the contractor down there the day before construction is supposed to start and find we don’t have control over all the land. Then he can act against us, and it could all fall apart at the end.�
That process takes some time, but the project is not expected to move forward quickly. It is estimated that it will be fall before the finance package is completed.
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