Developer asks Oak Bluffs to spare bowling alley septic costs

The developers of a bowling alley and sports bar on Uncas Avenue go before the Oak Bluffs board of wastewater commissioners Wednesday, March 11, to seek a sewer hookup permit. Sam Dunn and Bob Sawyer, partners in the project, said a decision to deny the hookup would cost them an additional $250,000 for an advanced septic system.

We have a project that is worthy in every other respect of the towns cooperation, Mr. Dunn said in a phone interview Wednesday. It only seems logical to me that we wouldnt be put to this expense. Whats the sewer for?

The proposed bowling alley and sports bar attracted considerable support from town leaders and Island residents, and opposition from neighbors. During extended review before the Marthas Vineyard Commission(MVC) as a development of regional impact (DRI), Mr. Dunn offered to install an approved septic system capable of removing nitrogen from wastewater. Mr. Dunn estimated the cost of the advanced septic system at $300,000.

The MVC approved the project on March 21, 2014, with a determination that the project would have a minimal impact on the environment. The denitrification septic system, with specific targets for the amount of nitrogen allowed to leave the property in effluent, was written into the decision as a condition of approval.

Ten weeks later, at the May 7, 2014, meeting of wastewater commissioners, Mr. Dunn appeared before wastewater commissioners to ask for approval to hook into the town sewer system, at his expense, estimated at $50,000. While the existing sewer main runs along nearby Circuit Avenue, the bowling alley location is not on a street approved for sewer hookups by the commissioners.

Wastewater commissioners have granted a limited number of permits for sewer hookups since 2008, when they set a policy of reserving limited plant capacity for homes and businesses who already have a legal right to hook up, and for future sewer projects. They have also denied a number of requests.

The board set a priority for future projects along the Oak Bluffs side of Lagoon Pond, identified as an area where septic systems threaten the health of the popular salt pond.

The town has completed construction of two new effluent beds that could substantially increase capacity, on a parcel adjacent to the treatment plant known as the Leonardo property. The commissioners have applied for a variance from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to begin using the new beds, which do not comply with current water-quality standards.

At the May 7 meeting, commissioner Gail Barmakian, who is also a selectman, said she would not commit to a permit, a view echoed by commissioner Hans Von Steiger. After a discussion, the commissioners voted to issue a letter to Mr. Dunn in which they said they would look favorably upon hooking the requested [bowling alley] project up to the town wastewater system, dependent upon when, and if, DEP approves the use of the Leonardo effluent beds.

Ms. Barmakian spoke against the bowling alley during the MVC public hearing process. In a telephone interview Wednesday, she said that the letter did not commit the board to granting the permit.

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Developer asks Oak Bluffs to spare bowling alley septic costs