A third public meeting Wednesday on a plan to rehabilitate the area’s sewer treatment plant drew few members of the public.
The cost of the rehabilitation is estimated at $14 million, $4 million of which will be off set by grants, explained Tim “Chopper” McBride, executive director of the North Koochiching Area Sanitary District.
The project is expected to increase the rates of the district’s more than 4,000 household customers by $18 to $19 per month.
Boise Inc. officials voiced concern Wednesday about the rate increase the paper mill will experience should the plan move forward. McBride said the mill’s annual cost would increase by $100,000 per year under the plan, and company officials stated the increase could not be passed onto customers.
McBride called the Boise increase unfortunate, but said there are no other reasonable options than to move forward with rehabilitation.
“The significance (of the rate increase) on the personal level is big, and on the industrial-commercial level, it should be weighed,” he said.
McBride said Wednesday’s meeting drew a few interested constituents, a majority of the NKASD Board and some members of the East Koochiching Sanitary Sewer District, and staff.
A presentation on the history of the project was offered, which included information on why it should be done, an explanation of the costs, and whether there is a real need for the project.
The board has considered doing the rehabilitation in a piecemeal fashion, but McBride said costs would likely be reduced by just $3 million. That would mean a difference in the increase in monthly rates for households of just $2.80, he said.
“And those reductions would have to be done in five to 10 years at a cost of $3 million,” he said.
McBride said the board has attempted to get the word out about the project by public meetings, stories in The Journal and on local radio.
“We know when people get their bills they will be shocked,” he said.
McBride said the deteriorating plant — half of which was built in 1950 and the other in 1985 — must be rehabilitated because of its permit. “Without the permit, we can’t operate and without operation, with have no more society,” he said.
He referred to sociologists and demographers who have determined that the value of sanitation is No. 1 in a society, with water No. 2, and shelter, warmth and food following. “If you’re in the woods by yourself, water is No. 1, but you better make sure you are up stream (from those without sanitation),” he said.
Rehabing the plant is cheaper than constructing a new plant, estimated to cost between $30 and $50 million, he added.
Questions about the project should be directed to McBride at the district office 283-9388.
