By Sean Rice
srice@dailystandard.com Celina City Council may assist a local developer with a sewer extension that could bring service to nearly 100 acres north of the city.
Celina developer Chuck Samples and Jeff Puthoff, an engineer with Choice One of Sidney, pitched a new plan to utilities committee members Tuesday that would bring sewer service to state Route 197 and Celina-Mendon Road.
In September, the committee listened to a proposal that called for new, pressurized sewer lines and a pump station to serve the second phase of The Reserve subdivision, where 77 homes were planned. An extra 100 unplanned lots would have benefited from the pump station plan, planning members were told.
On Tuesday Puthoff explained their revision of the project, which calls for a total of 243 planned and future lots, using gravity-power sewer lines without a costly pump station.
The plan calls for running a 12-inch gravity line from the Reserve subdivision back to the Eaglebrook subdivision pump station. The extension could serve The Reserve and a group of 12 existing homes that have septic systems near the intersection of Celina-Mendon Road and state Route 197. The estimated $83,530 project would require property easements from three to six property owners.
"I know this is a lot to dump on you in one sitting," Puthoff said. "No pun intended. But I hope the city can see the benefit of added homes and added tax base to the city."
Community development consultant Kent Bryan said historically the developer pays to have the sewer extended to a new development, but the city pays the difference if the pipes are made larger to serve more acres.
Under that scenario, the city would pay to have the line increased from 8 to 12 inches and to have the line extended past The Reserve to serve the added land discussed.
Committee member Rick Bachelor said he has trouble voting to support the project until more is known about the needed property easements.
"That could be a real deal breaker if we have to go through the process of eminent domain to do this," Bachelor said. |
