A proposal for a new sanitary sewer system along Andersonville Road has more Independence Township residents desiring to join in the project.
Because a special assessment district would pay for construction, the township board last week set a new public hearing for Tuesday, Oct. 7.
A June public hearing took place after petitions were filed from owners of more than 50 percent of the property in the original proposed district, which includes portions of Andersonville Road, Lake Forest Drive and Lake Lane.
Since then, township attorney Steve Joppich said additional petitions have requested all of Lake Forest Drive to be part of the project. Because the proposed special assessment district has been expanded, Joppich said the new public hearing is necessary.
In the original plan, the township government planned to assess affected property owners a total of $250,655 over 20 years. That would only cover construction of the main system, however, with residents required to pay for connections individually. Some had argued for a larger overall assessment to cover all costs, but officials said some residents may choose to wait to connect to the main line.
Another issue brought up in June appears to have a solution.
Because of the grade (especially for lakefront property owners), many homeowners will need a grinder pump to ensure consistent flow into the main system. Officials originally estimated the cost for the device at $6,000 to $10,000. DPW Director Linda Richardson told the board last week that the cost estimate is closer to $5,600.
After checking with legal and financial authorities, Joppich said the township government could offer individual financing contracts for the grinder pumps.
“It is acceptable as long as there is a health, safety and welfare purpose,” Joppich said.
“I think the board should think seriously about it,” Supervisor Dale Stuart said, “because it is a considerable expense.”
While some questions were raised about township liability for something normally considered private property, Richardson said grinder pumps would receive township inspection and certification at installation in a similar manner to other new construction. After that, responsibility for maintenance falls to the homeowner.
Officials agreed, however, to deal with that issue separately from the SAD hearing.