Hampden to vote on sewer pipeline

HAMPDEN – Drivers navigating U.S. Route 1A between the Souadabscook Stream and the Crestwood Trailer Park this summer may find it a little tricky if residents vote to install new sewer pipeline in town.

The Town Council will open the sewer issue to a public hearing at its meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, after which it will vote whether to make it a referendum item on the June ballot.

The construction is estimated to cost $1.5 million over a 20- to 25-year period, with two-thirds of the project funded by sewer user fees and one-third by taxation, Town Manager Susan Lessard said Friday.

“There may be a minimal impact on [sewer and tax]rates, and by Tuesday night, I should know the definite impact so people will know if it goes to a vote,” Lessard said Friday.

The sewer problem is caused by age, the town official said.

The old pipelines have been in use since the 1930s and have served their purpose, Greg Nash, the town’s director of public works, said recently.

Approximately five years ago, the town filed a plan with the Department of Environmental Protection to fix the town’s sewer issues within five years, Lessard said.

In that time, the town has taken steps to improve the nagging sewer issues by installing overflow tanks and completing pump station upgrades, but it’s time that “the town takes action to avoid negatively impacting the public,” Lessard said.

“The complaints are getting worse,” she said. “It’s our responsibility.”

The construction set to take place over the summer is extensive, the town manager said.

“We’re talking about moving light poles and sewer lines, and [there] is no way to do this without affecting Route 1A,” she said.

“Whoever wins the construction bid will make sure traffic runs smoothly. The first responsibility are the residents of the community and even though this is an inconvenience, we will all work to alleviate the inconvenience as much as possible,” Lessard said.

The pipelines now run alongside the shoulder of the road, but Nash said they probably will be moved into the road more because “that’s where they belong.”

The council meeting will be held Tuesday, rather than Monday, because of the Patriot’s Day holiday.

During the meeting, the council also will hold a public hearing about funding the business park Phase 2 extension. The town could borrow $950,000 over 10 years for road construction, sewer facilities, water lines, hydrants and other improvements at the Hampden Business and Commerce Park.

The process for the park extension would follow that of the sewer lines. The council will decide Tuesday night whether to put the park’s funding on June’s ballot.