Date: Fri 01-Aug-1997

By ANDY GOROSKO

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

sewers-town-meeting-Oakview-Rd

Full Text:

Town Meeting Approves Sewers For Oakview Road

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Voters at a town meeting Thursday morning approved an expansion of the town's

sewer district, extending it to the section of Oakview Road near Mile Hill

Road.

The sewer district expansion will provide sewer service to several more homes.

Voters at a town meeting last year approved expanding the sewer district to

the section of Oakview Road near Route 34 and also to Newtown High School.

The Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) July 24 endorsed extending sewers to

serve the section of Oakview Road near Mile Hill Road. The narrow street runs

behind Newtown High School.

Because some nitrate contamination problems have surfaced in domestic water

wells serving Oakview Road homes, town officials proposed extending sewers to

the area for environmental reasons.

The elevated nitrate levels on Oakview Road apparently stem from a

malfunctioning septic system at the high school. Drinking water with high

nitrate levels can pose health risks.

The houses included in the sewer district expansion approved Thursday will be

served by "grinder pumps," mechanical devices that propel sewage at relatively

low pressure until it reaches a point in the sewer system where it can flow

downhill under the force of gravity. The alternative to low-pressure sewers

would be the construction of an expensive sewage pumping station.

State Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) officials maintain that a

malfunctioning high school septic system caused the well-water contamination.

While town officials acknowledge that the high school septic system probably

contributes to the nitrate problem, they point out that the area is in the

vicinity of a former landfill and septage lagoon. The fertilization of school

athletic fields and the presence of horses in the area also are thought to be

contributing factors to the nitrate contamination.

First Selectman Robert Cascella told P&Z members the $34.3 million in bonding

approved by voters in 1992 for sewer-system construction will be used to

extend sewers to Oakview Road.

In studying the best way to extend sewers to the high school from Sandy Hook

center, the town's engineers found it would cost less to route the sewer under

Oakview Road than along Route 34, he said.

The sewer lines to the high school and Oakview Road are expected to be in

place before the winter.

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Well that is some spin. The Democrats have a super majority on the LC and passed the Education Budget without serious consideration of if the voters could afford the multi million dollar increase. "Was the request justified?" rather than "is this needed?" and "can the voters shoulder yet another large increase?" The voters rightly sent it back. Then for some reason all the discussion around reductions to the increase seemed to be coming from the classroom, rather than administration and overhead costs. Is this a coercive tactic to manipulate parents into supporting the budget like tacit threat of cutting freshman sports was two years ago? Who believes the Democrats did not caucus privately before the meeting and came in with a number already worked out? This is the Dems budget, they own it.

Education Cuts: Who Voted For What

I think it is important that we do not villainize every black box seen around a home, business, farm, or municipal property. A black exterior station does not always mean rat poison is being used. These stations can hold a number of different products, including monitoring blocks, snap traps, non-toxic bait, anti-tick bait stations, organic salt- or cornmeal-based control products, and newer fertility-control approaches intended to reduce rodent populations without traditional poisons. The better conversation, in my opinion, is not simply “black boxes are bad,” but rather: what is inside them, who is maintaining them, and whether the rodent issue is being managed responsibly. Exclusion, sanitation, trapping, habitat reduction, and careful monitoring should all be part of a responsible IPM strategy. To be fair, on my own property I do use rodenticides, including Bromethalin and Bromadiolone, in secured bait stations. But that is a choice I make for my property, based on my circumstances and the risk I am trying to manage. I also believe property owners should understand the tradeoffs and be encouraged to use the least harmful effective method whenever possible. I support protecting Newtown’s wildlife. I also support giving residents accurate information and not assuming that every black box represents reckless or unsafe pest control. The goal should be responsible rodent management, not fear of the box itself.

Discusses Policy Against Rodenticides

Debora, thank you! I accidentally doubled the project prices by adding the bond to the appropriation. Thank you so much for catching that and pointing it out. With the corrected numbers, the voters approved a combined $1.32 million for a salt shed ($600k) and library pavement ($720k), while rejecting the $1.12 million replacement turf. Regarding the 80s, I truly respect the hurdle of 14% mortgage rates. My point is simply that the math has shifted: in 1980, while the rates were higher, the price of a home relative to earnings was significantly lower. We are facing a different, but equally crushing, financial wall. Ultimately, it is disheartening that voters who recognized safe sidewalks and parking lots as essential, dismissed a playing field in the exact same condition. The turf has passed its life cycle and is just as much of a liability as the library’s pavement, the only difference is that this safety concern affects thousands of children who, coincidentally, cannot vote. These are apples-to-apples needs. I was hopeful our community would agree that all Newtown residents deserve safe conditions, regardless of which facility they utilize. Again, I would be remiss not to mention that when 82% of residents don’t show up, we have to deal with the interests of those who did. Hopefully, the next referendum will have a bigger turnout.

The ‘Me’ Generation

Thanks for the reply. I meant the numbers you presented in your letter. I found one place where other numbers were listed: https://www.newtownbee.com/04232026/get-out-and-vote-on-the-2026-27-proposed-municipal-and-school-budgets/?q=\\\%22advisory%20questions\\\%22. In that article, the numbers were cited as: Treadwell field: $1,125,000 Library: $720,000 Salt Storage: $600,000 As one who started out in the early 80's when inflation was double digits, my 1985 mortgage rate was 14%, and child care costs were comparable (in present value), I shared your grief but never considered the voters ironic or shameful. PS. I agree college tuition is ridiculous. Thankfully, universities are offering (or considering) waiving all or most tuition for middle class families (upwards of $200,000 incomes). Hopefully, they'll also reconsider their need for those funds in the first place.

Sure! Child care costs: https://www.ffyf.org/2022/10/13/data-child-care-prices-continue-to-rise-ahead-of-midterm-elections-outpacing-inflation/ (also from 2021-2025 we had 2 children in a local daycare in Newtown and it cost us $3200 a month, so that's a number I am very familiar with) Home price / median price vs income source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/home-price-income-ratios Tuition increase vs inflation: https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/noting-a-decline-in-middle-class-students-colleges-provide-more-aid/ Hope this helps :)

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Date: Fri 01-Aug-1997

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