Jackson Twp. sewer project questioned

JACKSON TWP. - Residents of the Bulford Farms development in Jackson Township may soon get what they've been asking for since 2009: a public sewer connection to replace their septic systems.

An engineering study by the Quad 3 Group is complete, township supervisors and the Dallas Area Municipal Authority gave their stamp of approval, and the project was bid out.

But a new sewer system serving only 19 properties in the upscale development isn't cheap - it comes with a price tag of $527,135, from low bidder Doli Construction Corp. The project's high bidder came in at $718,200. Property owners will have to pay at least $22,765 for their share of the installation costs and at least another $3,000 for a lateral line to their homes. Some need to add $4,000 more to install a grinder pump.

At the request of residents, Jackson Township officials and the Dallas Area Municipal Authority have agreed to extend a public sewer system from neighboring Sutton Hills into the Bulford Farms development.

Most of the 19 residents are in favor of the project, due to one failing septic system and the belief that connecting to the sewer will increase property values.

Tom Nardone, who owns two two-acre properties in Bulford Farms, agrees the price tag is steep - and he has to pay it twice.

"I kind of won the lottery on that," he joked.

But he's willing to pay it. Noting that he's not a real estate agent, he said, "Putting in a sewer system I think adds value, as opposed to putting in a septic."

On the other hand, two residents, John Magagna and Mary Dockeray, each of whom has a property on Oldfield Road, aren't on board.

Dockeray said she doesn't oppose the project: "Who wouldn't want sewers?" she said.

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Jackson Twp. sewer project questioned