Ortonville- One of the most fundamental questions in the village’s quest for sewers? where a wastewater treatment plant will be located? remains unanswered after a study session Jan. 30 with township and village officials.
County officials, attorneys and engineers for both municipalities, and about two dozen residents attended the study session, intended to discuss future plans for sewers, in both the village and township, and what may be done cooperatively.
The study session was different than what Brandon Township Supervisor Ron Lapp envisioned it would be, however.
‘I thought it would be an exchange of ideas,? he said. ‘They thought it was more of a presentation by the village to the council. I didn’t glean anything exciting.?
Village Manager Ed Coy viewed the meeting as successful from the village’s standpoint.
‘We accomplished our goals in that we brought the township board up to speed on what our problems are in the village and what the plans are to take care of the problem,? he said.
Coy had two issues he hoped to see answered at the meeting? the amount of involvement that could be expected from the township in regards to sewers and whether the township would be willing to allow the village to use up to 5 acres of land off M-15 and adjacent to Brandon High School the township board purchased in November. A wastewater treatment plant location was one of the potential uses township officials had mentioned for the land when investigating the purchase.
However, Lapp said the township, while interested in sewers for the M-15 corridor and homes located around Bald Eagle Lake and Lake Louise, was unsure that it could sell residents on a special assessment district given the current economy and said he would need to take a vote of citizens to see if there is interest.
He was also concerned upon hearing that village engineers do not believe it would be feasible to expand a wastewater treatment plant in the future to allow the township into the system at a later time when they are ready.
The village would need a wastewater treatment system large enough for about 1,000 units. The township estimates it would need about 3,500 units.
‘Normally, it’s feasible to expand the system to double its size,? says Leanne Panduren, a project manager for Rowe, Incorporated, the engineering firm for the village. ‘To expand the plant four times would be difficult.?
The estimated cost to village residents would be about $14,500 per unit for sewers in the village, said Panduren, using numbers from a 2004 survey.
Lapp said he needs more specifics, and not generalizations, but was open to a suggestion from village councilmember Bob Flath to do a straw poll of township residents in a proposed sewer district.
Township resident John Grenfell spoke in favor of sewers at the session.
‘Everytime you screw around, it’s costing you money,? he said. ‘You can double the cost of whatever (sewers would have cost) eight years ago… I’d start thinking about getting this doggone system up and running.?
‘I hope everyone can hook this up,? said Joe D’Anna, co-owner of Papa Bella’s Pizza in the village. ‘There’s too much talking, not enough doing… This is an opportunity to control our own destiny.?
Lapp planned to draft a letter to township residents last week and present it to the board. If approved, the letter would poll residents along the M-15 corridor and around the lakes on their feelings on sewers and would be sent to them, along with a postcard to return with a possible yes or no to sewers, which he would hope to get back by March 16.
‘I came out of (the study session) with the opinion the township is being blamed or they feel we’re dragging our feet, or changed our positions,? said Lapp. ‘We haven’t, we support the sewers, but we need to protect our interests and if the village can’t build a wastewater treatment plant that’s expandable, why would we sell them property and leave the township with nothing to fall back on??
A village of Ortonville proposed sanitary sewer system draft preliminary schedule released on Jan. 30 by Coy shows the first two tasks as determining the wastewater treatment plant property locations,obtaining an option on it and finalizing the number of users. The completion date for these tasks is this month.
Coy said the village will wait to hear a decision from the township on whether they will sell them property for the wastewater treatment plant, but if not, they have a couple alternatives for the purchase of other parcels of land. He would not comment on what those alternatives were.
A vote on the sewer issue is set for September, according to the schedule.