Phase I would have seen pipes go in the ground along with holding tanks and provided subsurface treatment at the Munn field for 18,000 gallons a day. Phase II would have seen the construction of a wastewater treatment facility at the Munn site and the expansion of the gallons per day capacity from 18,000 to 91,000.
Repeatedly, at public hearings leading up to the vote and going back as far as six years ago, the public asked for and expressed willingness to pay for a system that provided wastewater service for Waitsfield Village. This proposal did not do that.
On many occasions, members of the public expressed an interest in buying septic and water "futures," and the town acknowledged that the issue of allocating capacity needed to be addressed. This proposal did not do that.
This proposal envisioned creating a service district for wastewater that included Waitsfield Village but provided no service for that area. Within the service area, property owners would be required to sign on to the town's septic monitoring program and have their private systems monitored/pumped and maintained -- for a fee.
But those property owners would have no recourse should the town sewage administrator find their system was broken. Why should/would any private property owner let a municipal enforcement officer on their property with the potential power to declare their septic system unusable? Especially since there is no municipal alternative for them to sign on to? The proposal that was voted down did not address this problem?
When the town goes back to the drawing board on this project, and it must do so quickly, those are just a few places to begin revamping the project. The costs of these projects must be borne more equitably across the spectrum, rather than asking village and Irasville residents to shoulder the whole burden.
The entire town pays for the fire department, which protects all of us. The entire town pays for the road department, which keeps all of our roads safe. The entire town pays for police protection. The entire town makes a contribution to the Mad River Valley Health Center, the Mad River Solid Waste Alliance, etc. Is it so far fetched to think that the entire town should or would fund municipal services that keep the river clean and keep development centered in designated areas?
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