Sewer District Discusses Turkey Creek Project
CROMWELL — Board members and employees of the Turkey Creek Regional Sewer District met Monday evening, May 15, to discuss the district project on several small items as well as the large study on rerouting sewer lines back to their own site instead of paying Syracuse to maintain this.
Readers may recall last month the board decided to get rolling on a large study that would provide details on how to change from paying the town of Syracuse for some of the district sewers to bringing all that flow back to their own Cromwell location.
Familiar face Brian Houghton of Jones and Henry provided district maps with tentative outlines of the homes that would be added to this project, as well as the ones already owned by the district but flowing to Syracuse. After months of battling large increased rate prices the district felt they could no longer continue to pay the outrageous numbers.
District superintendent Timothy Woodward has cited a lack of preventative maintenance as cause for trouble in the town of Syracuse and feels the district is paying the price for their mistakes. Since a rate study was completed by Jon Julien, the board has not been paying the full amount due on each bill that comes from the town of Syracuse.
In addition to receiving information about the upcoming project, or possibility of a project, Woodward was able to provide updates on several lingering maintenance and upkeep items for the district. Woodward has been in the process of replacing several pumps, gearboxes and electric control boards in the area, the majority of them dating back nearly 27 years.
Woodward completed an agreement several months ago with Ritter Electric for the company to stock the district’s required pumps, but now Ritter is requesting spare parts also be on hand. After much back and forth with the board, Woodward agreed to review the agreement and determine whether TCRSD or Ritter or even the pump company will foot the bill for those parts up front.
Members of the board also discussed pending litigation with a property owner in the district. This property owner claimed to have removed any kind of structure on the property many years ago, the board has deemed that is inaccurate and have been billing this customer for the connection since 2004 without a single payment.
In the past, this property owner has gone so far as to place portable restroom structures on the property. The district is working with attorneys Dick Green and Andrew Grossnickle to finally find a solution to this ongoing problem.
The board will meet again Monday, June 18, at the Cromwell location of TCRSD. Monthly meetings begin at 7 p.m. and are open to the public.