Neighbors don’t dig sewer line

July 8, 2009

By J.B. Wogan

Barry Adams summed up much of the negative sentiment in the Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District headquarters June 30.

“I just don’t think that we’ve been treated fairly,” he said.

Adams is one of 74 residents who stand to pay for the installation of about a mile-long sewer line along Southeast 20th Street. The project, which the district estimates will cost about $2.4 million, will force residents, at some point, to pay to connect to the new sewer line. Only a handful have said they want one.

The cost of the project would be divvied up between the sewer district and residents like Adams whose properties abut Southeast 20th Street who will have to pay now if they commit to hooking up to the sewer line either now or in the future.

The exact amounts aren’t final because the district is waiting to see if more Southeast 20th Street residents will sign up for the sewer. As of June 30, 15 property owners had signed up, representing about 17 percent of the homeowners. Their contribution would come to about $400,000, meaning the district would provide the other $2 million, according to Jay Regenstreif, planning engineer for the district.

The district has $1.1 million set aside from other projects that either didn’t move forward or were built under cost estimates, said Regenstreif.

If the sewer line goes in, some residents would pay as part of a previous commitment.

The rest would likely have to pay at some point. The district obligates residents to hook up to the sewer if their septic tank fails. In some cases, that would mean that residents may not have to pay for 15 years or more.

But the district charges 6 percent interest for people who do not pay immediately. Regenstreif said the rate is based on the municipal bond market.

Regenstreif told residents that the project was highly unusual. Under normal circumstances, 17 percent participation would not be enough to warrant moving forward with the project, she said.

But the city has plans to add a sidewalk and bike lanes to the road, repaving the road in the process. So, rather than tear that up in the future, the sewer district has decided to go ahead now.

Construction projects are also costing less than any time in recent memory.

“I’m 100 percent convinced that this project will never be cheaper,” said Lisa Tobin, engineering manager for the district.

C.J. Kahler said he thought property owners on Southeast 20th Street were effectively subsidizing about 88 other parcels in the basin north of Pine Lake when they eventually hook up to the district’s sewer system.

“It seems like those of us on 20th are paying so they can get sewer,” Kahler said. “For me, that’s a disconnect.”

Property owners on the side streets off Southeast 20th Street would pay similar costs if and when they decide to install sewer lines there, Regenstreif said.

Not everyone was opposed to the project or its financing system.

Mary Pigott, whose 14.87-acre property is the biggest along Southeast 20th Street, stands to pay the most if she hooks up to the sewer line, and yet she’s in favor of it.

Mike Bell, another resident along Southeast 20th Street, said he fully supported the project and he didn’t think it made sense to question the district about costs. He said residents had to trust the staff’s expertise.

“We have to trust them. That’s what they do,” Bell said. “You can’t get away from the costs. It costs something.”

Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com. To comment on this story, visit www.SammamishReview.com.

Barry Adams summed up much of the negative sentiment in the Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District headquarters June 30.

“I just don’t think that we’ve been treated fairly,” he said. Adams is one of 74 residents who stand to pay for the installation of about a mile-long sewer line along Southeast 20th Street. The project, which the district estimates will cost about $2.4 million, will force residents, at some point, to pay to connect to the new sewer line. Only a handful have said they want one.