Residents in a neighborhood north of Canon City where failing septic systems have become a frequent problem are again measuring pubic interest in pursuing sanitary sewer service through the Fremont Sanitation District. Sanitation District Executive Director George Medaris and Fremont County Commission Chairman Mike Stiehl laid out the details of a year long preliminary engineering study to the North Canon residents at a September 12th meeting. The general area under consideration for sanitary sewer service includes York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Lawrence, and North Streets. G.M.S. Consulting Engineers of Colorado Springs have identified 146 potential homes in the area that could be served.
Medaris said preliminary engineering estimates place the cost of the sewer expansion at $2.6 million. Medaris said cost estimates have escalated over the past year not only due to high construction costs but the area targeted for sewer lines have such poor soil conditions and high groundwater tables. Fremont County Environmental Health Office Sid Darden said 54 septic systems have failed in the area over the past nine years and the issue of public health is why the County Commissioners have taken an interest in the project.
Medaris said a number of finance options are being explored including grants and loans. Medaris said a 40 year loan through the U.S. Rural Utility Services (formerly Farmers Home Administration) is the preferred loan option to help spread the cost out over a longer period of time for the residents. Grant possibilities being explored include a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant and a $500,000 state grant either through mineral impact funds or the Colorado Department of Public Health. Medaris said the goal is to try to keep monthly fees to the residents at less than $55. That fee would cover not only the monthly loan payments but also the removal of septic tanks from each home site.
Medaris and the Fremont County Commissioners have emphasized that the residents of the area are the ones who will decide if the project will move ahead. The project would require creation of a local improvement district by the Commissioners. The Commissioners say they would have to have 51 percent of the residents agreeing to sign connection agreements before they would schedule a public hearing to consider formation of an improvement district. Some residents at the meeting said it would be unfair to force them to connect to public sewer, but Medaris said it's no different than creating an improvement district for paving a street. If 51 percent of the residents want the improvement then all of the residents would be required to share in the cost. Medaris said the only way some residents could opt out of the project is if they live at the end of a street like York Avenue, and then the sewer main simply would not be extended that far.
The first step was to form a citizens committee from the North Canon neighborhood. They will meet in early October to get a detailed briefing on the scope of the sewer project. They are then expected to canvas the neighborhood to measure public support for the project. Another general public meeting is then anticipated for mid-October. Medaris said if residents want to move ahead with the sanitary sewer project an income survey would be necessary before grant and loan applications are submitted. With all the necessary engineering required he said its unlikely construction would not begin until the 2008 construction season.
The preliminary engineering study performed over the past year was funded through a $10,000 state mineral impact grant, $12,000 from the Fremont County Board of Commissioners, and $11,000 from the Fremont Sanitation District.
Medaris said preliminary engineering estimates place the cost of the sewer expansion at $2.6 million. Medaris said cost estimates have escalated over the past year not only due to high construction costs but the area targeted for sewer lines have such poor soil conditions and high groundwater tables. Fremont County Environmental Health Office Sid Darden said 54 septic systems have failed in the area over the past nine years and the issue of public health is why the County Commissioners have taken an interest in the project.
Medaris said a number of finance options are being explored including grants and loans. Medaris said a 40 year loan through the U.S. Rural Utility Services (formerly Farmers Home Administration) is the preferred loan option to help spread the cost out over a longer period of time for the residents. Grant possibilities being explored include a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant and a $500,000 state grant either through mineral impact funds or the Colorado Department of Public Health. Medaris said the goal is to try to keep monthly fees to the residents at less than $55. That fee would cover not only the monthly loan payments but also the removal of septic tanks from each home site.
Medaris and the Fremont County Commissioners have emphasized that the residents of the area are the ones who will decide if the project will move ahead. The project would require creation of a local improvement district by the Commissioners. The Commissioners say they would have to have 51 percent of the residents agreeing to sign connection agreements before they would schedule a public hearing to consider formation of an improvement district. Some residents at the meeting said it would be unfair to force them to connect to public sewer, but Medaris said it's no different than creating an improvement district for paving a street. If 51 percent of the residents want the improvement then all of the residents would be required to share in the cost. Medaris said the only way some residents could opt out of the project is if they live at the end of a street like York Avenue, and then the sewer main simply would not be extended that far.
The first step was to form a citizens committee from the North Canon neighborhood. They will meet in early October to get a detailed briefing on the scope of the sewer project. They are then expected to canvas the neighborhood to measure public support for the project. Another general public meeting is then anticipated for mid-October. Medaris said if residents want to move ahead with the sanitary sewer project an income survey would be necessary before grant and loan applications are submitted. With all the necessary engineering required he said its unlikely construction would not begin until the 2008 construction season.
The preliminary engineering study performed over the past year was funded through a $10,000 state mineral impact grant, $12,000 from the Fremont County Board of Commissioners, and $11,000 from the Fremont Sanitation District.