By Ben Rayner, Sound
Senior Staff Writer:
NORTH
BRANFORD:
The North
Branford Town Council voted unanimously to kill a deal with the state
Department of Transport (DOT) to install sewer connections on a stretch of Totoket Road and a
small section of Williams Road,
as part of the long-awaited and much-anticipated Snake Hill Road realignment project.
Though the
affected residents were in favor of such a deal in 2002, delays and the
economic turn around have seen many of those residents reconsider what would
require a substantial financial outlay.
According
to town officials, the state has proposed installing sewer line connections for
residents along Totoket Road
near Snake Hill as part of the oft-delayed realignment project that is now
scheduled for 2010–but looking more and more remote. In 2002, residents said
they would be in favor of accepting the state’s proposal by a greater than two
to one margin.
The cost
for the project in 2002 was estimated at $225,000 with the town paying only 20
percent of that total figure: $45,000. However, residents getting the hookups
would have had to pay $13,700 for the hookup to the street, another charge
ranging from $2,000 to $5,000 for the hookup to the house, and a yearly sewer
use fee that all participants pay.
In 2008,
the cost of the project has now gone up by 20 percent to $275,000, with the
town’s share increasing to $55,000. Residents’ costs for just the installation
from the street would rise from $13,700 to almost $17,000, a figure that simply
makes it unfeasible for property owners to pay even with deferments and the
increased value added to properties with a municipal connection.
“These are
tough economic times, and this is an enormous amount to absorb and I know my
mom simply can’t afford it,” said one property owner speaking on behalf of a
family member. “We really never had issues with septic systems up there.
Seniors just can’t make up that money in reality. She’s against it because of
this economic factor.”
Councilman
Alfred Rose said he felt obligated to make sure residents understood the pros
and cons of the proposal by pointing out the dramatic increase in cost in the
three years since the estimates were given.
“I think
it’s important to listen to the folks who live out there. There really doesn’t
seem to be a reason to have sewers out there,” said Rose. “But we saw how fast
the cost of sewer installation jumped and you probably won’t get a chance
anywhere near this cost to get sewers. As long as everybody is okay with that,
we are.”
After
residents spoke, almost all of whom were against the proposal, the council
wasted little time in voting unanimously 9-0 not to approve the measure.