Will Wolcott’s “No” Mean Higher Costs to Others?

Louise Hoffman Broach, Wayuga Editor
Tuesday, December 5 2006

Aman says he’s disappointed at village’s decision to opt out

photo by Bill Huff, Jr.
Seth Galek, Red Creek Plant Operator and Marty Aman, Executive Director of the Wayne County Water and Sewer Authority, exaimine the Red Creek sewer plant oxidation ditches.
WOLCOTT - When the Wayne County Water and Sewer Authority began designing the Chapman Corners waste treatment facility in Red Creek 1998, it did so with the intention of solving problems shared by a number of small communities in northern Wayne and Cayuga counties.
But last week, one of the municipalities, the village of Wolcott, bowed out of the project, which went on line earlier this fall. The village board voted 4-1 to opt out after being part of the planning process from the beginning. Those against the plan argued it would more than double sewer rates for some in a village where 12 percent of the residents already can’t pay their taxes.
Besides, Mayor John Monson said, the 180,000 gallons a day that is running through the village’s existing treatment plant isn’t overwhelming it and there’s even some capacity for more should an industry be interested in coming to Wolcott.
But Marty Aman, director of the county water and sewer agency, disagrees with the mayor’s assessment regarding capacity. And Aman says that the grant dollars awarded to Wolcott to help defray the cost of hooking into the plant, money the village must now turn down, may disappear in the future, leaving more of a burden for taxpayers who could be faced with a crisis and no options.
“I guess you can say I’m disappointed,” Aman said about the village’s decision. “In the grand picture, it’s a setback ... this program wasn’t put together overnight. It’s been eight years in the making. We’ve been dedicated toward working on a regional plant.”
He said that was one of the reasons that the state backed the idea. The plant on Chapman Corners Road serves the Butler Correctional Facility and was intended to take care of sewer issues in Red Creek, the village and town of Wolcott, the village of Fair Haven and parts of the Town of Sterling.
Aman said with the possibility of expansion to 1 million gallons a day capacity (right now maximum capacity is 500,000 gallons a day although the plant is only running at 80,000 from the prison and homes in the area that surrounds it), it is also likely the plant could serve an even larger area.
The added problem is that in order for the plant to be cost-effective, it must be regional, so Wolcott’s opting out could mean higher costs for the communities that use it, Aman said.
The communities have received state and federal grant dollars for planning and to help offset installation costs, but user fees, as well as some capital costs, have to be shouldered by the residents.
Monson said for the village, it would mean a $1.7 million debt, something he just couldn’t support. He stands by his statement that the current plant, which has recently undergone some maintenance, is adequate and will meet the community’s needs for years to come.
Fair Haven Mayor William McVea said he too was disappointed at Wolcott’s decision.
“I don’t know exactly what effect it will have on us,” McVea said. “We’re in the first year of our commitment. We know what our costs will be, but we were hoping that Wolcott would come in to reduce future costs.”
In Fair Haven, everyone will pay a fee on their county tax bill for the connector sewer. McVea said the charges would be assessed whether or not they hook up to the sewer. For those who do hook up, a treatment fee of about $3.50 per 1,000 gallons of water used will be added to quarterly water bills, plus a charge for operation and maintenance. A smaller charge may have to be made to cover administration for those who have not hooked up.
“Our initial estimate of $714 for Phase 1 will drop to $613 when Phase 2 is finished, then to $575 when Phase 3 is completed and up to $595 when Phase 4 is done,” McVea said. “This will apply to all users. If you practice water conservation, your treatment charges will be less.”
The village has received a legal opinion that it can establish a program to assist lower income village residents to help pay hook-up and ongoing costs. The village will be investigating grant programs as well.
Fair Haven didn’t have much of a choice to opt into the line; a state Department of Environmental Conservation consent order was in place, instructing Fair Haven to do something about its sewage pollution or face massive fines.
Phase I of the sewer project in Fair Haven should be on-line in 2007 or early 2008, he said.
In Red Creek, the village is working on joining the project in phases as well. Several meetings were held earlier this year with citizen groups to explain how the village was managing the work.
Aman said there are benefits to the environment to have sewage treated in the new facility, but he heard the sentiments of the Wolcott residents regarding cost. Still, he said, in the long term, there are benefits to opting into the new plant sooner rather than later.
An area with an upgraded sewer infrastructure could be attractive to new industries and could return jobs and increase the tax base.
“It could also improve the quality of water in Port Bay,” he said, noting that the area around the village, including cottages on the bay in the towns of Wolcott and Huron are likely to eventually opt into the plant to protect the environment there.
He is also hoping that the village will reconsider and that this isn’t a portent of what might happen if the area embarks on a water project.
“If we can’t work together on a sewer project, what’s to suggest we can work on water?’ he said.

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