Sewers issue surfaces in League forum on ward system referendum
In “Read more,” see a video of county legislators’ committee discussion on New Castle’s sewer petition.
October 21, 2011
by Christine Yeres
The recent revival of the sewer hopes for three New Castle communities with failing septic treatment plants has caused others to question why their own communities aren’t on the list – especially once Chappaqua Crossing was added to the group last May.
County Legislator Mike Kaplowitz announced two and a half weeks ago that “the stars have aligned” and that the chances of procuring hook-up to Yonkers’ treatment plant for Random Farms, Riverwoods, Yeshiva and Chappaqua Crossing had greatly improved. See “The time is now for sewers, says Kaplowitz, and he’ll fight for them,” NCNOW.org, 10/5/11. Since that time, sewers have been the talk of the town here in New Castle, especially among candidates running for office. Republicans have cast the issue as evidence of the current town board’s unresponsiveness to residents’ needs; so does Manny Areces, in promoting the system of representation by ward, a referendum item on the November ballot.
Sewers: Who wants them v. who needs them—and who pays for them
The question of sewers for New Castle—who wants or needs sewers vs. who needs them urgently, and as important, which sewers the county will pay for and who would have to pay out-of-pocket for them—came up during the League forum on the ward system referendum last Monday night.
Two questions about the referendum lead the debate back to sewers
Prompted by a resident who asked Manny Areces —a promoter of the referendum to increase board membership by two and hold elections by ward – to provide an example of the board’s unresponsiveness to residents, Areces chose the sewers issue.
Areces: If the sewer problem in our town had a representative at the table, instead of being put off for years it would have been dealt with on an ongoing basis. And those people who live in Kisco Park and Riverwoods and Pheasant Run know this. We would be fighting more for the Millwood business district to have their sewer district.
In her response, Supevisor Barbara Gerrard, opposing the ward system in the forum debate, denied that by petitioning for sewers for Random Farms, Riverwoods and Yeshiva, the town board had played favorites.
Gerrard: For at least 12 years we’ve been trying desperately to get the county, which is where the bottleneck has been, to accept our residents [at Random Farms, Riverwoods and Yeshiva] into the sewer district. Finally we’re moving. The current county executive is in favor of our petition and finally the DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) who I’ve been trying, for at least the last four years, to make recognize that it’s their money and their water [is also in favor of it]. The DEP has finally said to the county that the county can get a benefit [shared use of a new UV water treatment plant] worth $20 million to $40 million if they will support new Castle’s petition. We’re very pleased – not that it took so long – but that we finally have some support from the DEP.
Another resident asked Areces his basis for thinking that the present town board is unresponsive to residents and asked Gerrard whether she thought her board is truly responsive to the needs of residents. Speaking first, Areces’ response again centered on sewers:
Areces: This referendum is about improving, and giving the town board the help it needs. It’s about getting more people involved in the process, not about saying anyone’s wrong or saying they’re not doing their job. It’s that the town board needs help; that’s why we need six [board members]. Also, I don’t know where you guys live, but I’ve walked our town and none of these people can say they have a seat at the table and that a lot of their issues have been answered. And as far as the sewers go, if the sewer problems were in your neighborhood you would expect the town board not to be talking about it, but suing the Yonkers sewer district so they will do it right. A lot of other communities have taken more proactive action, but there’s nobody sitting at the table from Kisco Park, Riverwoods or Millwood. That’s the difference.
In response, Gerrard explained that sewer district creation costs big money and that although New York City gave millions to the County to prevent contaminated surface water from reaching the Croton reservoir—drinking water City and Westchester county residents —it was for just that: to remove sources of pollution to the reservoir. Other areas petitioning for sewer districts would find them costly to finance.
Gerrard: The hold-up was the $10 million the City had put in the piggy bank, if you will, for the sewer district. If the county [legislature] wouldn’t vote to let [Random Farms, Yeshiva and Riverwoods] into the sewer district, even if we sued, the courts would not force the [county] to give us the $10 million and we would be in the position of telling those residents, “Aren’t you lucky! We got you into the sewer district – now it will cost you $150,000 or $200,000 [each] for the privilege.”
Reached yesterday, Gerrard explained further, “The money is in the County’s control, and no court orders a jurisdiction to make an expenditure that is basically discretionary. The money was given to the County for these types of projects—but with no specificity as to actual projects, so there’s discretion there. It so happens that the towns in the Northern Westchester Watershed Committee all agree that, among us, New Castle’s need is top-priority, of all the hot-spots in the watershed, the most polluting. But even if we could get permission for other areas to go on sewer lines, who would pay the millions and millions of dollars to make it happen?—residents themselves.”
Affordable housing an additional incentive
The board’s inclusion of Chappaqua Crossing’s sewer extension in the petition in May, Gerrard believes, acted as an additional catalyst in capturing the county’s and DEP’s attention for the petition; of the 32 units in the site plans for the 111-unit Chappaqua Crossing development that require sewer extension, 20 of them qualify as “fair and affordable” housing that would count toward satisfying the county goal of 750 units across the 31 municipalities who are parties to the settlement. In fact, when the town board added Chappaqua Crossing to the list, it made clear in its petition that Chappaqua Crossing was not to be treated separately or jump the line in front of the three existing areas in urgent need of sewers.
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Editor’s Note: NCNOW filmed the Monday, October 17, 2011 meeting of County Legislator Mike Kaplowitz’s Environment and Energy Committee. The meeting lasts one hour. The first 40 minutes of the meeting is a big-picture presentation of water treatment in the county by Commissioner of Environmental Facilities, Thomas Lauro. At the 40-minute mark the committee discusses New Castle’s May 2011 petition. Supervisor Barbara Gerrard and the town board’s counsel, Clinton Smith, are called on to comment. To skip to that part, shift the marker at the bottom of the picture forward to the 40-minute marker.
Clearly, Kaplowitz’s efforts only have a shot if 32 affordable houses at Reader’s Digest are built. Last I heard SG is still suing us and who knows how long that will take to resolve. There is no doubt the county will likely require the affordable houses constructed before anyone else can be tied into the system.
Where does the town stand with the SG suit, is there any real hope of the town resolving the SG issues, is the town discussing a settlement yet, has SG submitted any of the documents to get the project moving within the towns imposed 1 year limit? The answer is NO! Who will suffer, Riverwoods, Random Farms, Yeshivia and any individual homeowner who had hoped to tie into the sewer system.
This town needs to face the facts of the Reader’s Digest development and the town should settle the issues before the legal costs bankrupt New Castle. The impacts for the school are over inflated and the only real impact to the school is the out of control spending of the school board.
GOP candidates are making it sounds though they’re giving out sewers to everyone. Thank you for clarifying the sewer issue. I, too, was annoyed when I heard that they were giving out sewers and I wasn’t on the list. I realize, though, why I’m not on the list and am unlikely to ever get on one, especially with a changed economy.
Two years ago I was forced to dig up and replace my septic tank and septic field. Due to the topography of my property (rocky, hilly) I was unable to relocate the field. At great expense I had to have speciaf soil and material trucked in to reconstruct the septic system. Between the labor, materials, and landscaping it cost me over $50,000. The town and the septic installer told me that it “happens all the time” in our area. My question is- If I and others had to pay to rebuild our failed septic systems why dont the homeowners of random farms chip in and rebuild there system? They own the homes (as I own mine) and if the system that serves Random Farms is failling let them pay to fix it. Why do they get sewers and most of the rest of us pay out of pocket for repairs.
Editor’s Note: The explanation is in an article in today’s NCNOW: http://www.newcastlenow.org/index.php/article/new_sewers_issue_surfaces_in_referendum_forum.
The Random Farms-Riverwoods-Yeshiva treatment plants are of a magnitude that affects the Croton reservoir (and, therefore, water drinkers) in a way that, I would guess, your single property does not.
So from my reading of your article, and despite his statements to the contrary, it is clear that Mike Kaplowitz has done nothing to get sewers in New Castle.
Is it that you think Kaplowitz has had no hand in bringing home sewers he and the t.b. have been petitioning for or that you don’t consider the three communities to be New Castle? I guess it has to be YOUR sewer for you to be happy.
We have been talking about sewers for far too long. In case nobody knows, the sewer issue was around before the construction of the Millwood A & P Shopping Center. Yes, the Millwood A & P Shopping Center! This is not a Red or Blue Topic, it is now an issue that will help us support the Town, County, and School Budgets! If you do not understand how a sewer pipe can save jobs in our School’s, or keep existing Town based businesses in Town, then you really do not understand the importance of a sewer line at this time. Please ask each candidate how extending the sewer line helps save jobs at Town Hall, helps save jobs in our Schools, and helps retain the businesses that we love to have in Town; ASK THEM! Then you will hear for yourself! How many more BASE pass-a-long lease expenses can the Tenants of the Millwood A & P Shopping Center pay, before the Community shops elsewhere? Then what will we see ? Do we like the Tenants that occupy the A & P Shopping Center, I think so, should we provide them with Lease Obligation Relief by providing the Landlord with the ability to build a second floor: I THINK SO! Are we making Plans to afford our Community the ability to economically protect ourselves and the value of our own homes; I don’t think so! Will either Kirkwood or Carpenter address these issues until resolved sucessfully - Who knows ! What can Kaplowitz or Murphy do to get our sewers in Millwood - LET’S ASK THEM BOTH ! Who stands in their way if anyone at all?
Why have I been paying sewer taxes for all these years?
My home is very old and we have had to do a lot of work over the years in order to keep our system up to date. The money came out of our pocket. Random Farms is a much newer community and the homeowners should be responsible for replacing or maintaining their own system. The same goes for the Yeshiva; they should take care of their own, like everyone else! As far as Readers Digest is concerned; well after what they have put this town through with lawsuits and not lending their parking lot to Greeley, I think nothing should be done for them!
I believe the funds could go towards a better cause!
Sewers at Random Farms? I am sure they have issues, but large homes on large tracts of land - but still one family per home. Come look at the Chappaqua Ridge/Ridgewood Terrace area - many of us are not on sewers and have streams nearby that empty out into the Old Farm Lake aquifer. Many of us have very old systems on very small plots of land where we cannot relocate our fields under the current regulations. If there was anywhere in Chappaqua where sewers are needed, it’s Chappaqua Ridge and Ridgewood Terrace. I challenge Mike Kaplowitz and our town supervisor to even bring this area up in discussion. Last time I talked to them (not the current supervisor), they told me to dig it myself!!!
