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Date: Fri 18-Aug-1995

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Date: Fri 18-Aug-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

edink-sewers-Main-St

Full Text:

Let's Not Sacrifice Main St For Sewers

We have nothing but admiration for that small band of citizens on the town's

Water Pollution Control Authority who have overseen the planning, and now, the

construction of Newtown's $30.4 million. Their work has been technical and

tedious. They have remained patient and willing to listen. They have borne the

brunt of the natural resentment of residents who are having their

neighborhoods ripped apart. In almost every instance, they have performed

their difficult task with equanimity and skill. But with regard to the

sewering of Main Street, their efforts appear to be falling short.

From the beginning, Main Street residents, have steadfastly maintained their

preference for locating the sewer line beneath Main Street. They were told by

the WPCA at the outset that the state didn't like the idea because it would

tie up traffic on a state road. And since the "under Main Street" plan

presented some construction difficulties having to do with a concrete slab

below the street, it would cost more. In refusing to consider that

alternative, the WPCA has forced Main Street residents to choose between

having sewers planted in their front yards, where old and stately trees would

be destroyed, or in their back yards, where, in many cases, easements would

severely limit property owners from using their own land.

This week, residents on the east side of Main Street once again launched an

effort to get the WPCA to press the appropriate state agencies for needed

permissions to put the line under the street. They circulated a petition

urging such action, which will be presented to the authority at it's meeting

on August 31.

Sewers in Newtown are the result of state orders. Every cent paid by taxpayers

for the $30 million project is being spent to comply with these orders.

Clearly the directive to clean up groundwater pollution was justified, but the

state cannot expect to place such a heavy financial burden on a town without

agreeing to cooperate as much as possible in implementing a workable sewer

plan. A workable plan, to our mind, does not include stripping mature shade

trees from a historic Main Street, nor does it include tying up in perpetuity

significant parcels of private property on lots that are already small and

constrained.

To date, the WPCA has been timid about asking the state for cooperation on

this point. They should stop being so fainthearted and take a strong stand,

knowing that the sewer users and the town they represent are behind them.

Newtown's historic Main Street is emblematic of Newtown's heritage. It is a

source of community pride, not to mention an economic draw. We will take the

temporary inconvenience and we will pay the marginal extra expense. We are,

after all, the motorists and the taxpayers who will make the sacrifice. All we

ask of the WPCA and the state is to stand back and let it happen.

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