Five Local Residents Call Special Public Meeting
SYRACUSE — After attending one of Turkey Creek Regional Sewer District’s regular monthly meetings, five local residents took information distribution into their own hands. Led by Bob Raynor, more than 130 local residents gathered at the Syracuse Community Center Monday evening, July 2, to hear more about the plan to reverse TCRSD flow from Syracuse back to the Cromwell facility and replace septic with sewer in the process.
Last month, Raynor attended the meeting with neighbors Penny Bennett, Denise Adkins, Nancy Shields, and Darcy Hively to learn more about a pending project they had just learned of. Raynor expressed amazement by the time he had learned of the project, the district was already halfway through the year in which the board is planning to break ground.
Raynor spoke for a large majority of the meeting, offering information shared in the public meeting he attended, as well as information shared in written format. “If the majority wants it and needs it,” said Raynor, “ … then I will step aside.” He re-iterated his main goal is to educate his neighbors and present an opportunity for discussion.
Raynor mentioned making contact with several officials throughout his research leading up to the meeting, including Bob Weaver of the Kosciusko County Health Department as well as two property appraisers. State Representative Curt Nisly was in attendance for the meeting and brought with him a resource to the public as requested by Raynor.
Dan Thiele of Fremont brought to the discussion 8.5 years of resisting the change from septic to sewer. Thiele presented the public his own experience with his local sewer district, but first mentioned his lack of total knowledge of the district and current situation. “I don’t know if you need a sewer or not,” stated Thiele. Thiele said he banded together with local neighbors to shelve the project, and here were a couple tips he shared for the public:
Begin by requesting an official inspection of the existing septic tank to assess its true condition.
Do not sell easements to the district without a real assessment of value (Thiele indicated the district could purchase easements for $1 if the property owner agreed) thereby driving up cost for the district who will need to pay for assessments.
Seek out locals who are existing customers or part of a similar project to see if estimated cost matched up and how the board and district handled the situation.
Stay united and find an effective way of communication with the whole group (a list for emails was promptly passed around).
Locals interjected with questions and comments as warranted while Raynor attempted to keep the meeting on track. At first, comments and concerns were raised by the actual cost of the project. Figures between $8,000-$15,000 were tossed around, but local business owner and current district customer Robert Vandal spoke up quickly. Vandal noted his project ended up costing close to $30,000, a number that sent a shock wave through the crowd. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it was closer to $15,000 for you,” added Vandal to the residents.
Overall, here are some concerns and notes gleaned from the meeting:
• To understand more and make the most informed decision, attend the monthly meetings the third Monday of each month (7 p.m. at 4852 N. 1200W, Cromwell)
• Prepare a list of questions and reach out to Rex Heil or Tim Woodward via email or phone call prior to attending a meeting
• No solid reasons to make the change from septic to sewer (no health concerns for the lake or from Weaver of the health department)
• Concern for potential power outages with a new system that would not be gravity flow
For additional details on what was discussed at this public meeting and June’s TCRSD meeting, please visit the TCRSD website, www.tcrsd.com.