FROM THE NEWSROOM: Wright-Pierce Engineering and local officials recently presented a proposed WPCA facilities upgrade to the Killingly Town Council; the upgrade would benefit the 40-year-old main plant and the Rogers Village Pump Station, removing traces of nitrogen and phosphorous, and making the facilities more energy efficient. Engineers and WPCA Chair Gerard CinqMars say due to limits on nitrogen and phosphorous set by the DEEP, Killinglys WPCA has been paying yearly fines since 2002 for its overly high levels, paying $20,000 last year and $40,000 this year; these upgrades would solve that problem. But the project will be costly; officials estimate it will cost $25.8 million total, with about $5.2 million projected to come from grant funding; to pay for the upgraded facility, officials proposed increasing the user rates by 12.5% or an estimated $50 per year over the course of four years, an overall rate increase of around $200. Hoping to take advantage of low-interest loans through the Clean Water Fund this fall, Town Manager Sean Hendricks said if the Council wants to push this project forward, discussions and approval for funding should start taking steps as soon as possible. Hendricks said one option that needs to be discussed is whether rate-payers would be solely responsible for the projects price tag, or if the town should contribute money through the general fund. The Town Manager expects a public hearing on this matter to be scheduled sometime around August; its still unclear whether this is a project that would only need town meeting approval, or if it should go to referendum. Tune in for the full report.
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 10:54:13 +0000
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