Published: June 12, 2008 08:47 am         

50 attend hearing on sewer district

By JIM AUSTIN
Cooperstown Crier

FLY CREEK — Otsego Town Supervisor Tom Breiten said Saturday that he would rather a have a vote sooner than later on the proposed sewer district for a section of the western shore of Otsego Lake. Approximately 50 people attended an informational meeting about the district to hear the latest cost estimates and policies for the proposal.

And some came to voice their objection to the district, claiming to have a petition with more than enough signatures to defeat the proposal, should it be approved by the town board. No petition was filed with the town, however.

At the end of the meeting, Cliff Foreman commented about the petition and asked Breiten, ``Why not end it right now?’’

Breiten said he is not convinced everyone who signed the petition has all the correct information. ``We’ve already spent some money, why not spend a little more and take it to a referendum,’’ he said. ``It would be ideal to have (the referendum) before the end of summer while everyone is still here. I’d like to wrap it up and move on one way or another.’’

If the town board voted to create the district, that decision would be subject to permissive referendum. Breiten said he is almost certain enough people would sign a petition to force the referendum, so it may be simpler to go directly to a referendum. The district would cover 53 properties with 29 of them expected to be initial users. Watershed Coordinator Win McIntyre said the number of initial user was reduced to focus on those systems that had failed during testing. In that area just south of the Otsego/ Springfield town line, the failure rate for septic systems was 75 percent — the highest failure rate around the lake.

Each residence would have a septic tank with a pump to send the effluent to a shared secondary treatment facility behind the Hickory Grove. Properties which do not have enough land for a tank would have a grinder pump installed to send the sewage directly into the treatment facility.

The system is expected to cost $740,000, and officials hope to secure a minimum of $200,000 in grant funds. ``There’s a good probability on the lesser amount ($200,000) and a not as good a probability on the higher amount ($330,000),’’ Mc- Intyre said.

Initial hook up to the system is $5,000, and depending on the amount of grant money, the annual charge would run from $884 to $1,178. Property owners would still be responsible for the periodic pumping of their own septic tanks.

Officials currently expect to finance the system for 30 years.

Town attorney Martin Tillapaugh said the process for the formation of the district is spelled out in state law and makes certain people’s voices will be heard.

The formation of the district will be decided by a majority vote of the deeded owners if it goes to referendum.

He also said that once the town formulates costs for the system, they are set in stone, and to spend additional money would require the approval of the property owners.

Property owners with a failed system when the district is formed would be required to hook up. Those whose systems are operating properly would not have to hook up, but if their system failed in the future, they would have to hook up at that time.

There was some concern among property owners regarding a beaver dam in the hills above the Hickory Grove. The dam has ruptured a number of times and sent water and debris rushing down the hill, across the state highway and into the lake. They asked if the system could withstand a dam break.

McIntyre said the dam is being addressed. It was built by the beavers on a slippery clay base and has given way nine times in four years. Some efforts, he said, will be made to strengthen the dam to avoid problems. Engineer Tim Wales said the dam would definitely be taken into account.

Breiten said the next step is to nail down the remaining details. There has to be agreement on policies and procedures, a complete map plan and report and cost estimates. Once those are in place, it could go to the town board, which has to approve the formation of the district. The board could, he said, decide to go directly to a referendum rather than require people to file a petition to put it to a vote.