LETTER: A few anti-sewer points and one option for businesses

As a part time resident of Misquamicut, I want to share my views on the proposed sewer district for Misquamicut. I have attended a few meetings, not all, but enough to have a good idea of what is going on.

I AM COMPLETELY AGAINST PUTTING A SEWER DISTRICT IN MISQUAMICUT.

Here are my reasons:

1. This project appears to be driven by the needs of a few businesses along Atlantic Avenue and their representatives they have hired to politically push this project in Town and amongst Town Council members for their votes. I do 100% sympathize with the problem these few business owners face as a result of RI DEM rules and can understand the Town trying to help them as Misquamicut business owners. I am not anti-business AT ALL but think alternative solutions can be found without subjecting ALL the residents of the area to such a large and costly project. It is totally unfair to socialize the costs of such a large project to benefit a few property owners, however good the intentions may be.

2. The cesspools subject to replacement under the 2007 Act total approximately 40 from my research. These owners have known about this issue for close to five years and to now at the last minute push such a large project to get it approved does not seem like the right approach. This issue impacts around 6% of the residents and businesses in MFD.

3. Over 100+ new septic systems have been installed in Misquamicut since 2000 according to RI DEM records. By making this group of people pay TWICE while bailing out the cesspool owners who kept them for decades would seem to me to be rewarding the folks who waited and did nothing while punishing those of us who have invested in new technology and complied with the law.

4. The additional costs to be unilaterally imposed on homeowners who have denitrification systems or traditional septic systems is totally unjust, unfair, and is completely taxation without representation. This is a VERY significant incremental cost you are forcing on these homeowners who have completely functional, paid for, 100% operational septic systems that are in full compliance with the RI DEM mandate. In todays economy, why would you want to make people incur additional costs of annual debt service, ad valorem taxes, and sewer fees each and every year for decades to come? These costs are 100% avoidable. This is really a major issue for a lot of people. Plus, those costs are going to absolutely be increased every year. In addition, there are the one-time costs and inconvenience to rip up your yard to re-direct the plumbing from the back yard to the street and lets not forget the cost to remove your existing fully functional septic system.

5. This project is NOT about the environment of the salt ponds. Look at the RI DEM studies of the ponds in our area. They are not ranked poorly at all and are actually just one level away from the highest rating the RI DEM could give a salt pond. If this project was truly about the environment, you would need to sewer the Cove Area and Weekapaug, two areas that have not been addressed at all. Why? There are no business owners in this area. We are going to sewer one little area while letting all the other areas that abutt the pond continue to release nitrogen into the water?

6. Adding additional capacity to the current town treatment plant will only lessen its useful lifespan and, eventually, require an upgrade of the entire plant. This upgrade will call for more debt at the town level, including higher taxes, and higher ad valorem and sewer usage fees for not only the Misquamicut residents, but all residents of town.

7. Study the town of Warwick history, they have put sewers in over the past decade and have a number of sewer districts. Some were done right and have been financially successful and others are a financial disaster. Since you are imposing liens on our properties and additional incremental costs on us residents without a vote or any say in the matter, I can only hope the new sewer district is at least run correctly as not to make matters worse. What type of board will govern this entity?

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LETTER: A few anti-sewer points and one option for businesses