CROMWELL — Turkey Creek Regional Sewer District met for its regular monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, July 20, in the Cromwell office.
The agenda was packed with discussion of the Wawasee area sewer project, which is getting closer to fruition. Dick Green, attorney for the district, along with engineer Brian Houghton, Umbaugh and Associates representative John Julien and TCRSD Superintendent Timothy Woodward all presented updates on the $4.6 million project.
Julien noted the largest portion of the cost would come from a $3 million bond, and the other $1.6 million would need to come from customers and rate increases through the district. After running analytics, Julien determined the district needed to bring in approximately $1.6 million annually to maintain the current operation, but falls about $185,000 short of that.
The possible rate increase also hangs on which option the district chooses for financing the project. Julien presented two: one that allows the district to add the bond on top of two other existing bonds, at a cost of $715,000 per year; or the option of deferring the principle until the existing bonds are paid, making the payment closer to $265,000 yearly.
Customers with the district will find the cost of hooking on to the sewer system to be about $5,800 each paid to the district, plus an estimated $5,000-$8,000 in installment costs. The district has set up payment plans to help. Residents can choose to pay the fee up front and avoid interest costs, or use a 60-month payment plan of $110 per month at a 2.5 percent interest rate. There is also an option to pay $4,150 by August 7 with the remaining $1,650 due one month later. Since Wawasee residents have been the driving factor in the completion of the four-part sewer system, a large portion of the hookup cost will be incurred by them.
Houghton recommended residents begin working with a contractor soon to find the best location for sewer placement, and Woodward offered to meet on-property to discuss regulations with the contractors. Both men noted that pushing the work off until cooler months can be a bad choice, as the ground is harder to work with.
Houghton spoke with the district about opening bids, which the board approved through a motion. The district scheduled the three-part bidding to take place Thursday, Aug. 13 at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and noon. Contract 1 is scheduled to take 290 to substantial completion, and 260 days for Contracts 2 and 3.
The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, Aug.17.
In other business:
Three public members were in attendance at the meeting and the district was able to answer several questions presented by them, including financing, exemptions and requirements for installment.
Woodward noted the district received a satisfactory rating following a four-hour inspection by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, noting that the good rating is “a comment to our staff.”
The district is in the process of designing a new website and was able to preview the progress during the meeting. It will allow users to pay sewer bills online and provides history of the district, downloadable documents and contact information.