Portland residents’ opinion sought for new water district
BROCTON — Town council members in Portland are hoping that residents with varying opinions on Proposed Water District 8 make their concerns heard at a public meeting to be held Thursday, October 26 at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall
The meeting has been slated to review the revised map plan of a new water district that will include residents along Webster Road who were left with contaminated wells following the 100-year flood events that plagued Brocton and Portland two years ago. With enough public consensus, the town moved forward with efforts to secure emergency funding opportunities through USDA Rural Development with a grant award equaling $1.25 million and $594,000 in low interest loaned money to create a new water district which would feed residents in the township, some of whom suffered well contamination following the unusual flood event.
The creation of the district, which is estimated to cost users approximately $308 per year, would be paid for utilizing a low interest loan program according to Town Supervisor Dan Schrantz. If the town did not sign on to create the district at this point, a comparable lower interest program would likely not be offered in the future.
At last Wednesday’s council meeting, Water Department Supervisor Drew Smith urged all affected residents to turn out for the meeting on Oct. 26 to make their opinions known. Schrantz concurred adding “We really encourage people who are for, or against, the creation of the water district to show up for this meeting. The engineer who assisted us with the application process will be here to answer questions, review the revised map plan of the project and explain what’s involved, and we really do need a good representation of town residents’ opinion to proceed forward.”
In other matters, the council moved to streamline the rate charged to water customers who seasonally disconnect their water throughout the year to match the reconnection charge for customers who are shut off for nonpayment.
Council members will gather on Oct. 26 for their public meeting at 6:30 p.m. on the water district, and are expected to meet Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. for a public hearing on annual fire protection district contracts and the adoption of the next year’s annual budget.
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