Over 100 Devola residents talk sewer project
County officials spend time answering questions
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More than 100 Devola residents were updated on the upcoming sewer project during a public meeting Tuesday night.
County officials were on hand afterward to answer legal or technical issues. Representatives from Heritage Land Services and the engineering firm WSP were also available for questions. Maps of the affected area were shown to residents who wanted to know where main and lateral lines would be placed.
Commission President Kevin Ritter told the crowd that in 11 months, they have been successful in raising 94 percent of committed funding of the originally stated project costs of $15 million.
With the increased costs of labor and materials, the project may cost upwards of $17 to $18 million, but the commission is still hopeful for the requested member directed federal funding of $7.5 million.
Ritter said with the amount of funding they've received, "tap fees and sewer bills will be well below what we estimated a year ago."
Still, "many factors go into the final cost and are impossible to predict" until the project gets underway, he added.
"Our pledge to you is this," Ritter said. "We'll continue to work to see if additional funding can be brought in."
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Commissioner Jamie Booth covered the "nuts and bolts of what you will see in your backyards."
He gave a brief overview of decisions that have been made and why some of them were changed, such as going from grinder pumps to a step system.
With the grinder pump, there was only a 30 gallon storage tank and the maintenance could be costly and labor intensive.
After investigating the step system, they found it would be easier to maintain and the sewer system wouldn't be affected if there was a power outage.
Each home would have a 250 to 300 gallon reserve and the system would still continue to operate for several days without power.
He noted lines will be bored in areas where possible, but there will need to be some open excavation for the new tanks and connections.
"We're going to make a mess. It won't be pretty but we'll fix it up," Booth said, adding with homeowner cooperation, they will try to get things back to normal as soon as they can.
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Commissioner Charlie Schilling gave a breakdown of original versus current cost estimates.
The original tap fee was estimated to be $12,000 per home. With the funding received, the tap fees are now estimated at $6,000 per home.
He said that everyone hooking up to the county sewer system pays a tap fee, so not only Devola residents are assessed that fee.
The original monthly bill was estimated at $110 to $120 per month. Schilling said it is now to be determined, but the $7.5 million in member directed funding is still in the process, but county officials are still hopeful they will receive the extra funding.
Homeowners will be responsible for an electric hookup to the system, but the county is also looking to ease the burden for those costs.
"We can't take public funds for use on private property for the electric hookup," Schilling said.
Instead, county officials are looking for options, such as the county paying up front for the costs, then homeowners paying it back over time.
"The county is developing solutions to reduce cost and inconvenience," he said.
There are also options for the tap fee. The homeowner could pay the $6,000 up front, or have an annual property tax assessment of $200.
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Chris Howard, president of Heritage Land Services, spoke of easements and right-of-way documents that some homeowners have not yet signed and returned.
He said if the main sewer line touches a property in any way, an easement is needed. Of the more than 560 homes to be sewered, only 58 permanent easements were needed.
"If you weren't contacted about it, you don't need it," Howard said.
He said the second document needed is the agreement that gives the county the right to connect the main line to the home.
"It gives the right to enter the property for maintenance," he said.
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Washington County Job and Family Services Director Flite Freimann said JFS would work with families to help with expenses.
"We will work with you individually and we're confident we can help those with small children and low-income and seniors," he said.
He said most of the aspects of the project were out of homeowners' control, but as the project was court ordered, costs could be kept low if everyone worked together.
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During the question portion of the meeting, residents asked about where main and lateral lines would be run and replacement of fences if they need to be removed.
County Engineer Roger Wright said if a fence needs to be taken down, it will be replaced.
"The particulars will have to be worked through with each home. Each individual home is a unique situation," Wright said. "But we will try to limit the inconvenience."
He also answered questions about homeowner responsibility when it comes to the sewer lines.
A lot of feedback has been received about the responsibility aspect, so a T connection will be added to the line. From the T to the house is the homeowner's responsibility, he said.
From the T to the tank, from the tank to the main line and the main line itself are all the responsibility of the county.
A question was also asked about the timeline of adding the laterals and main line. Booth said he and Wright will talk to the EPA about putting in the main line and laterals at the same time instead of putting in main lines, then going back and adding laterals later.
He also said the septic tanks would most likely be pumped out and filled, but that would be up to the contractor who wins the bid. He said the process would need to be quick at each house.
"A day is the time we have to disconnect (from the septic tank) and reconnect (to the main line)," he said. "You can't be without sewer."
Michele Newbanks can be reached at
mnewbanks@mariettatimes.com.
At a glance:
¯ A public meeting was held Tuesday night to update Devola residents on the sewer project.
¯ Residents were given the opportunity to ask questions.
¯ Project costs, timelines and homeowner responsibilities were discussed.
Source: Washington County Commission.