Superintendent Timothy Woodward was presented an award after being nominated manager of the year. Pictured, in front from left, are Board President Rex Heil, Woodward and board member James Young. In the back row are board members Dan Mikolajczak, Larry Mock, Robert Dumford and Jim Boone. (Photo by Chelsea Los)

CROMWELL — Turkey Creek Regional Sewer District board met for the regular monthly meeting Monday night, March 21, but the topics were anything but ordinary.

Project Engineer Brian Houghton had board members seeing red after presenting a chart detailing the amount the district pays to the town of Syracuse. Since the inception of the district in 1989, two connection points of the district’s have flowed to Syracuse to be treated and the metered flow rate is billed to TCRSD each month.

When Houghton outlined the average monthly bills between 2015 and 2016, the district noticed they have paid the first three months of 2016 at a 42.3 percent increase in rates. Although the board has agreed to pay those rates and approved them each month during the meeting, the large increase had every board member scratching his head. That figure means an estimated $36,000 increase in bills for the district each year, and the rate can also continue to increase or decrease each year.

“I think we need to take a good, hard look at divorcing ourselves from Syracuse,” stated board member Robert Dumford. “How can professional services go up over 400 percent in one year, and nobody say anything about it?” In following the chart, Dumford expressed disbelief at the figures. Transfer expenses in Syracuse increased from around $42,000 to more than $196,000 in just one year. Even more shocking, professional services expenses jumped from $268,000 to a whopping $935,000.

Several board members expressed their desire to bring the sewer rates home, and avoid paying Syracuse any additional years of rates that could continue increasing. “It’s been going on too long, probably,” added board member Larry Mock.

Houghton had prepared a new plan in anticipation of the district feeling this way. Houghton felt as if the new wastewater plant being constructed could handle the additional sewage that had previously been pumped to and treated at Syracuse’s plant. With an estimated 80,000 gallons of sewage that would be added to the district’s flow with this project, Houghton assumed an additional oxidation ditch would need to be added. In total, he estimated the project would cost $1.9 million to bring the 800 some connections to TCRSD.

Board President Rex Heil spent the majority of the meeting shaking his head in disbelief. The district heard a variety of large numbers tossed on the table relating to various expenses, without reaching much of a conclusion. Dumford settled the matter more definitely by making a formal motion to request a representative from Syracuse be present and able to explain the rapid increase in expenses during next month’s meeting. The board offered a second to the motion, and Houghton agreed to begin the process of getting a representative.

The meeting concluded on a more lighthearted note as district superintendent, Timothy Woodward, announced his award as manager of the year. Out of 1,800 wastewater operators in the state, Woodward was selected for the award after being nominated by his staff. “This will probably never happen again,” laughed Woodward. “I am very humbled. I have a great staff.”

The next meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, April 18, at the Cromwell sewer office.