Selectboard Meeting
October 29, 2007
Attending the meeting: Rob Bast, Andrea Morgante, Howard Russell,
Jon Trefry, Jeanne Wilson, Rocky Martin,
Alex Weinhagen, Wayne Elliott, Lloyd Seemann, Marlene Saunders, Richard Zybura,
Tom Herbick, Bob Wood, George Znoj, Steve Aube, Mark Miller, Becky Miller,
Howard Kimball, Kris Perlee, Jen Perlee, Jason Boivin, Allen Rushford, Diane
Snelling, Leo Fortin, George Palmer, Karl Novak, Trisha Novak, Bill Lippert,
John Dunshee, Ross Orvis, George Dameron, Penrose Jackson, Schuyler Jackson,
Ruth Ayer, Raymond Ayer, Patricia Durda, Guy Maglaris, Bobbi Jo Maglaris, John
Veilleux, Art Thompson, David Lyman, Barbara Lyman, James Stowe, Paul
Lamberson, Roger Kohn, Peter Erb, Henry Benis, John King, Paul Young, David
Fenn, Glenn Bomberger, Kevin Couture, Kathleen Couture, Charles Kogge, Tom
Joslin, Anne Donegan, Carol Jenkins, Ken Brown, Sue Johnson, Patti Drew, Carl
Bohlen, Tom Ayer, Tom Hackett, Jerry Wetzel
Due to the large attendance, the
Selectboard met in the Main Hall.
Informational
meeting on proposed upgrade and expansion of wastewater treatment facility
(WWTF) in preparation for November 6, 2007 bond vote:
Meeting called to order at 7:00
p.m. by Chair Rob Bast. Rob introduced
Selectboard member Howard Russell, a member of the WWTF Upgrade & Expansion
Project committee. Howard gave an
overview of the project, explaining the history of the wastewater treatment
system and the steps that had been completed to date to investigate an upgrade
and expansion of the facility. Howard
explained that an expansion was necessary because capacity was virtually
exhausted. Howard noted that the
Selectboard unanimously supports this proposal because it:
1.
supports the
vision outlined in the Town Plan of concentrating growth in the village;
2.
allows
greater opportunity for affordable and moderately priced housing;
3.
allows the
ability to meet the needs of the elders;
4.
provides for
local services, and will allow all to access needs locally;
5.
allows for
new and expanded business opportunities and more local jobs;
6.
will help to
maintain the rural character of the community, with a vibrant center surrounded
by open areas.
Howard explained that without the
expansion development will not occur in the village, and the entire focus for
development will be on outlying areas.
Since there will not be an
immediate pool of users to pay for the expansion portion of the bond, the
Selectboard is proposing that tax dollars be used to fund the part of the
expansion portion of the bond which is not covered by new allocation and
connection fees. Other funding sources
have been investigated, and the only option is a low-interest loan through the
State. Howard noted that some have questioned
why money has not been collected from users and set aside for this project. He felt that Selectboard member Randy Volk
answered this question best in saying – why would we take your money and set it
aside with no project in mind? That is
what bonding is for.
Director of Planning & Zoning
Alex Weinhagen reviewed how the proposal relates to the Town Plan and current
efforts on revisions to the zoning regulations.
Alex noted that the Planning Commission has been working for two years
on the village re-zoning project. The
commission’s efforts to create a vibrant village center were deemed a priority
by the Town Plan. The proposed village
re-zoning proposal relies on an expansion of the wastewater capacity. The vision is to concentrate development in
areas where historically development has occurred. This is a more efficient use of
resources. There will still be
development in rural areas, but the community has said it would like growth in
a concentrated area.
Alex explained that housing in the
village area (on smaller lots with municipal infrastructure) can be constructed
far more affordably than in rural areas.
Furthermore, the commission is proposing that developers be required to
build a certain number of affordable units.
Wayne Elliott of Forcier Aldrich
Associates (FAA) presented an overview of the technical aspects of the proposal
from an engineering standpoint. The WWTF
is currently permitted for 250,000 gpd, with 51% of the capacity being used by
Saputo.
The first step in seeking an
expansion of the system is to amend the discharge permit from 250,000 gpd to
450,000 gpd. The permit would need to
comply with stringent discharge limits.
For the expansion portion of the
project, FAA looked at four alternatives.
The preferred alternative was to utilize the same discharge method with
liquid disinfection. The expansion
portion of the project is estimated to cost $1.9 million. The total project cost (for upgrade and
expansion) is $3.7 million.
Engineering and permitting would
occur during 2008, with construction occurring in 2009.
Director of Buildings &
Facilities Rocky Martin reviewed proposed project funding. The cost of the upgrade, as well as O&M
costs, would be covered through user fees.
It is anticipated that the average annual household cost would increase
from $160 to $274.
The rates for Saputo would
increase from $99,000 annually to $182,000.
The expansion portion of the
project would be covered by a combination of allocation fees, connection fees
and tax dollars. Rocky explained that
the fees for connection and allocation were increased effective July 1, 2007.
Selectboard member Jon Trefry
noted that, even though he is not a user of the wastewater system, he is
supportive of paying tax dollars towards this project since he feels it is
critical in creating an economically viable community center.
Rob Bast then opened the floor to
questions and comments. Questions and
comments noted below, with answers (if applicable) in italics:
Are system users exempt from the
tax for bond payment? No.
How many years will the expansion
last? Estimated at least 25 years.
What is the life of the bond? Twenty years.
What portion of the bond payment
will developers be paying? Allocation
and connection fees will be applied towards the expansion portion of bond.
How do the proposed rates compare
to other towns? Approximately the
median rate for towns in
Is it legal to assess a tax on
residents who cannot connect to the system?
Yes.
Is it possible to phase in
capacity? Reducing the amount of
capacity does not significantly reduce the cost of the project.
Will Efficiency Vermont be part of
the project? Quite likely, but it is
too early in the design to determine what role they will play.
Planning for village and rural
areas should be complete before putting the infrastructure in place. The length of time to engineer, permit and
construct this project is significant (2009 for completion); this allows time
for the planning effort to be completed.
The output from Saputo is
pre-treated. The new rate structure is
very high for low BOD. This rate
structure is not going to be attractive to other industries. Has the Town advised Saputo of this
proposal? Yes, Saputo has been
informed throughout the planning and development of the proposal.
Can the bond be split now into
upgrade and expansion? No, the bond
has been warned as one unit. If the bond
vote fails, the Selectboard will probably come back quickly with another bond
proposal for the upgrade only.
The first bond payment will not be
due until 2011, but allocation and connection fees were increased in 2007. By the time the first bond payment is due,
the Town will have collected a significant amount of revenue. The tax implications are over-stated.
What will be the impact on the
schools? The users have been
subsidizing the cost for CVU. It is fair
to have all the towns contributing fairly to the cost of wastewater treatment
for CVU.
The entire bond cannot be paid for
through new housing. Tax dollars will
still be necessary to pay off bond.
How are cost over-runs paid
for? Contingencies and inflation are
calculated into the cost estimate.
What type of wastewater projects
are there grant funding available for? Only
phosphorus grants, which Hinesburg does not qualify for.
Were other processes
investigated? There are other types
of processes, but it is a matter of cost.
The proposed alternative represents what was felt to be a reasonable
expense. The average wastewater rate has
been $160 annually. This is the lowest
rate Wayne Elliot is aware of. The
average rate is $400 annually.
Future development should pay for
expansion.
Promoting a vibrant village center
could be an argument against the expansion proposal for village residents since
it could diminish the quality of life.
The expansion may not lead to more affordable housing or housing for the
elderly. Hinesburg is going to
grow. Development is going to happen
somewhere. The Town is looking to the
Planning Commission to give guidance on where the growth occurs. We cannot close the door on further growth.
What is driving the need for the
expansion? We have heard from some
current businesses that they would like to stay in Hinesburg, but cannot due to
limited wastewater capacity. Another
driving factor is the need for affordable housing.
Couldn’t the expansion be paid for
by raising user rates? Was there a hard
look at having the users pay, or was it easier to just spread the burden over
the whole town? This was
discussed. The current users do not need
the expansion any more than the rest of the community – they are already
connected. It didn’t make sense to have
the users bear the entire burden since everyone benefits.
Twenty years ago it was said the
facility had reached capacity. It was
a different problem twenty years ago – that was a problem relating to levels of
dissolved solids, which has been corrected.
If Saputo is using pre-treatment,
couldn’t they bypass our system and free up capacity? All output flow levels have to be
accounted for (whether separate or combined).
It is virtually impossible to get approval for a new discharge permit.
It has been stated that the Town
needs affordable housing so children can grow up and stay here, but current
zoning does not allow for subdivision in rural areas so landowners can create
lots for their children.
Helping the community get
businesses and high paying jobs should be a priority. We have to start now, because businesses are
not going to wait two or three years – they will go elsewhere.
Are pressures for expansion coming
from the residential side or commercial side?
As residential growth increases, the need for businesses and services
to support that growth increases.
Wouldn’t it make sense to drive
future residential growth into the rural areas, and keep the capacity in the
village for commercial and industrial growth?
What is going to bring businesses
to Hinesburg? It is not just about
bringing new businesses to Hinesburg, but also about allowing existing
businesses to grow and expand. Also need capacity to provide services to the
people who live and work here. There is currently not enough capacity to bring
much more than a couple restaurants to town.
Is this proposal consistent with
the Town Plan? Yes
Then this is a no-brainer. If it is consistent with the Town Plan, then
this is what we have to do.
Rob thanked everyone for coming
and reminded them to vote on November 6.
Meeting adjourned at 9:40 pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Jeanne Kundell Wilson