Orrington calls special town meeting Town says timing couldn’t be better to improve sewer, water line conditions

ORRINGTON – Though it would mean new costs for some property owners, local officials say the timing has never been better to bring sewer and water lines to the north end of town, a venture for which the community has been waiting more than a decade.

The sewer and water work, which would coincide with this year’s Department of Transportation’s reconstruction of a portion of Route 15, are among matters residents will consider during a special town meeting at 7 p.m. Monday night. Originally scheduled for the town hall, the meeting has been moved to the Center Drive School cafeteria, Town Manager Dexter Johnson said this week.

According to Johnson and Ron Harriman, the town’s development consultant, the cost for bring water and sewer lines to north Orrington has been estimated at about $1 million.

The cost to the community, however, would be much lower because the bulk of that cost would be offset by a combination of grant, loan and surplus money, Johnson and Harriman said.

According to Johnson, the work would address several serious problems. Private septic systems in north Orrington have been failing due to age and poor soils.

The failing septic systems are threatening to contaminate nearby drinking-water wells. Replacing the septic systems has been costly and complicated for those who have had to do so in recent years, Johnson said. North Orrington’s inability to adequately handle sewage is preventing economic development from taking place in that area, which residents have identified as a prime location for future growth, he said.

Economic development has become even more important here with the double whammy presented by the recent closure of the HoltraChem Manufacturing Co., once a major component in the town’s commercial tax base, and payments that begin this year on the recent expansion at Center Drive School.

Harriman said the reason town officials are working to coordinate the water and sewer work with the road reconstruction is because under state law, roads are not to be disturbed for five years after they are rebuilt.

On Monday, voters will be asked to authorize applications for $300,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds and a $500,000 grant and a low-interest loan of up to $193,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program, as well as an expenditure of $37,000 from the town’s undesignated fund balance, or surplus.

Harriman said the town has a very good chance of receiving the grants and so far has had green lights throughout the application process.

“Everyone has recognized that this is a crucial project,” he said. “It’s a project that is necessary.”

The surplus would cover the town’s share for the water line extension, which would involve extending the line crossing the Penobscot River from Bangor from the former North Orrington School about three-quarters of a mile north to the Brewer line, Johnson said.

The sewer line extension from Brewer would affect a 1.2-mile stretch of Route 15 running from near Harrison Avenue to just beyond Snow’s Corner. Payments on the federal sewer loan, Johnson said, would be spread among the nearly 70 property owners it would serve.

According to Harriman, their share would amount to between $150 and $200 a year over the life of the 29-year loan. Residents who hook up to water and sewer systems also would be responsible for the usual user fees.

Though some initially experience a brief period of sticker shock, most residents have been supportive of the work, Johnson said, especially those who otherwise would face the prospect of having to spend several thousands of dollars to replace failing septic systems on undersized lots.

Also during the meeting, voters will consider filing an application for a $10,000 CDBG that would be used to fund the town’s efforts to develop an economic development strategy.