Townships address CLRSD costs

Like-minded extreme right wing lemming. I.
11/07/2009 1:15 PM

Amos - No the project didn't have merit. Yes the majority of the folks were against it. The township and CLRSD board members knew it. They knew it as far back as 2005 when they decided to take that survey. They knew the majority of the people affected were against it, and went ahead with it anyway. Do you think that is acceptable? The MPCA is on record stating centralized sewer is no better than individual septic systems for treating waste water. When the meeting to approve the water treatment plant permit was held in St Paul, an individual on that panel stated that the project merely moved a little bit of waste water from one place to another. Think water treatment plants are fail safe? Think again. The people in Williams MN probably wish they had their septic systems back. http://wcco.com/local/sewage.treatment.plant.2.1290935.html The treatment plant there is leaking and it's only 9 years old. It's going to cost 1.6 million to replace. There are 200 people in that community. How many septic systems could that 1.6 million buy? The CLRSD centralized sewer project was a farce from the get-go. 10 years ago they sold it by telling all the lake cabin people that their lakes were impared due to all the failing septic systems and that if centralized sewer wasn't installed, they would only get worse. Here we find out the septic issue is approx 8% of the problem. Fast forward 10 years and low and behold, the lakes in the CLRSD district are still in pretty decent shape. However the ALASD sewered lakes around Alexandria aren't fairing so well. Why do you think that is? It is because residential runnoff is the majority of the problem. Also an individual with the CLRSD scared people by telling them that if their septic was over 10 years old it was probably failing. They were also told that mound systems are not only expensive (up to $40,000) but that they don't work around here. Well our septic system is over 20 years old and passed it's inspection with flying colors. The second drain field hasn't even been touched yet. Imagine that. Somebody was telling stories. I'd say people should educate themselves on this WHOLE affair before coming to a conclusion.

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Amos A.
Garfield, MN     11/07/2009 10:01 AM

"That sewer project was not going to get stimilus funding." You can't know that for sure. The local state reps were against it due to the very vocal opposition to the poject. Dare I say, the main reason behind the opposition was for financial implications? The project still had merit. Just no vocal backing. What would the outcome have been if that project could have been even half funded by stimulus dollars? If the residents who would have been affected by that project could have gotten a permanent solution to their sanitary sewer issues at a reasonable cost I think you would have seen a whole lot of the "environmental" arguments thrown out the window.

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Like-minded extreme right wing lemming. I.
11/07/2009 9:12 AM

Skipp T - The CLRSD board members were appointed by the township board members. Some served on both. Amos A - That sewer project was not going to get stimilus funding. The CLRSD did spend an extra (approx) $50,000 to get it shovel ready. At that point even our area state representatives were against it.

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Skipp T.
11/07/2009 6:45 AM

I have heard several people say the board should have to pay the costs incurred. Do that and no one would ever volunteer. I am not saying they were right or wrong, but remember those board members were elected officials and there is more than one way to make them pay.

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Amos A.
Garfield, MN     11/06/2009 7:56 PM

I guess we'll never know what the availability of federal funding would have been. I would think that this would have been a prime "shovel ready" project for federal stimulus dollars. Too bad the rug was pulled out from under it just before those funds became available.

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gary b.
Parkers Prairie, MN     11/06/2009 7:47 AM

I'm kind surprised that more citizens in this county are not organizing to oppose the $3.5 million debt that was incurred by the CLRSD in the first place.. It's frustrating that those on the boards of such organizations such as the CLRSD are not held responsible for their actions. Instead, its the tax payers who have to suffer the burden of their lack of foresight and incompetence. I think a full investigation is needed looking into the actions of the CLRSd board, conflicts of interest which may have "clouded" the members judgement, as well as misleading statements on the part of the board which overstated the availability of federal funding. --Gary Brever

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