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ESCANABA -- The Escanaba City Council and the Wells Township Board of Trustees met Thursday for a work session to discuss the possibility of expanding city sewer service to the township.
The question of whether or not to expand sanitary sewer service to the township came from an unlikely source. McCoy Construction & Forestry intends to expand its presence in Delta County by constructing a new facility just north of Muffler Man on U.S. 41. However, the site is in Wells Township, which has limited access to city utilities and no access to sewer service in that area.
Early plans for the new McCoy site included a septic system, but there are concerns both about the cost of maintaining commercial septic systems and new regulations proposed by the state. A statewide septic code has been introduced in the legislature (House bills 4479 and 4480) that could make replacing septic systems difficult in the event of their failure.
"As part of their development it really made sense that if city sewer is available, that that would be a preferred route instead of a drain field," said City Manager Jim McNeil.
McCoy approached the city and the township with a proposal that included the heavy equipment company financially contributing to an expansion of the city's sewer system to the new site, and the city produced two potential plans for how to expand the system.
Option A would bring the sewer line directly under the highway to the site. The sewer would be placed just north of the Quality Inn & Suites and run about 775 feet to the new McCoy location. The gravity feed sewer would be installed at a relatively shallow level due to the short distance of the sewer. Early estimates suggest it would cost the city in the ballpark of $185,000 and McCoy and the township $71,000 each.
Option B would bring the sewer from the railroad tracks, under the highway and to the corner by the Krist Gas Station; then travel north along the highway to the new McCoy location. This would result in about 1,850 feet of sewer with 960 feet available to businesses in Wells Township on the east side of the highway.
Option B would cost the city about $288,000, with McCoy and the township each contributing an additional $240,000.
Despite the high upfront costs, the city itself leaned towards Option B for a number of reasons. Among those reasons was that it allows more initial customers, positions the city and the township for more sewer expansion options in the future, and provides a better base infrastructure for the two communities to seek grant funding for infrastructure projects.
The township, however had reservations about the project.
One concern was that the city currently offers water service to a select area of the township at a rate of 1.5 times the city water rate -- which itself has skyrocketed over the last few years due to lead service line replacements mandated by the state. Wastewater fees would be calculated in the same fashion, meaning a resident who currently pays nothing on a monthly basis for sewer could suddenly find themselves with a $100 or more monthly bill.
Another concern for the township was the fact that the expansion would reach a relatively small area of the township but cost a significant amount. Trustees expressed concerns that residents living outside of the "village" of Wells would not support the costs.
"I also fear that the people in Hyde, Riverland, they're going to look at us and say, 'You spent $175,000 on … Wells? What are we benefitting from that? You're using our tax money for what?'" said Trustee Gloria Johnson.
Simultaneously, the township officials and the city saw the potential need for the sewer expansion if septic systems cease to be a viable option under new state laws.
"In my mind, I think all else equal, everybody replacing their septic and installation of city sewer would probably be similar cost, but one you can get grant funding for, where the other is usually just bared by the home owner," said McNeil.
Strictly speaking, neither the township nor Escanaba are required to expand the sewer to McCoy nor further into the township. However, McCoy has delayed the construction phase of its project to allow the two municipalities to discuss whether the expansion should move forward with the company's involvement. An answer would be needed relatively soon for the development to take place next year as planned.
No decisions were made on the proposal Thursday, but township officials stated they would like to hold a meeting with the other businesses located along the Option B route to see if they had interest in connecting to city sewer. These businesses include Embers Credit Union, The Family Inn, Sunset Lodge and Muffler Man.