NORRIDGEWOCK — Ahead of a special town meeting scheduled for the end of the month, the Board of Selectmen plan to hold a public hearing Wednesday night at the Town Office, on 16 Perkins St., on upgrading the town’s wastewater facility and an ordinance governing charges for sewer use.

Town Manager Richard LaBelle said the Board of Selectmen has told the town’s sewer commissioners that they would like to see users’ annual sewer rates increased over the next few years to build a reserve and to prepare for debt payments. He said the selectmen did not have an actual figure of what the costs would be and would leave it up to the sewer commissioners.

LaBelle said the current rates are $35 per quarter and 5.5 cents per cubic foot and a flat rate of $100 if a person is connected to the sewer system but not town water. He said the average household sewer rate is $112 a year.

“The desire of the Board of Selectmen is to see the rates increase incrementally in order to build a reserve and prepare for the incurring debt service payments,” LaBelle said.

Norridgewock probably will begin construction on the upgrade to the wastewater treatment center in spring 2018. LaBelle said the hope is to have it completed by December 2019.

LaBelle said a “tremendous amount” of design work still must be done, but town officials have a preliminary idea of what they want to accomplish.

Earlier this year, it was announced the town would receive $5 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program, which will be focused primarily on upgrading the infrastructure of the facility on Willow Street. Announced in April this year, the funding consists of a $2.8 million loan and a $2.2 million grant. The June 26 special town meeting will be held to formally accept and allocate this funding. LaBelle said the selectmen already have accepted the funding conditionally, but the town meeting is a requirement.

LaBelle said the ordinance governs the amount of debt service that the general tax base of the town would pay. He said the selectmen voted to raise the cap on tax-based financing “up to $120,000.” That’s up from the current ordinance cap of $87,719.

Once the town assumes the new debt for the upgraded facility, LaBelle said, the estimated payment will be $131,572. LaBelle said the selectmen decided to increase the amount contributed toward the annual debt service from the general tax base. The increased sewer rates would help build a reserve, be used for general maintenance and fund the remaining amounts of the debt service. The new debt will be assumed once the upgraded facility is up and running, LaBelle said.

Olver Associates, the engineering firm that worked with Norridgewock on improvement designs, will be on hand to answer questions at the June 7 hearing. The firm also will be at the Mill Stream Elementary School on June 13, which is voting day, at noon, 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to answer questions about the project. LaBelle said a public hearing about the ordinance change will be held June 21, the last hearing before the June 26 town meeting.

The wastewater treatment center is about 25 years old, and the upgrades the recent funding will pay for should extend its lifespan another 25 years. A wastewater treatment facility converts water that is no longer suitable for use into water that can be reused.

The Norridgewock Wastewater Treatment Facility has been a source of contention in the past. In January 2016, the Norridgewock Sewer Department was found to be in violation of state Department of Environmental Protection regulations.

Around the time the violation was cited, the sewer commissioners voted to raise sewer rates by 10 percent to address the department’s debt to the town, as well as to request bids from engineering firms. The DEP violation was incurred after biochemical oxygen demand numbers, which measure water clarity, were determined not to be up to standards. The problem was corrected later.

The sewer rate was increased from a $30 basic charge and 5 cents per cubic foot of water to a $35 basic charge and 5.5 cents per cubic foot. In addition, flat rates, which are for sewer users who are not connected to town water, increased from $74.60 to $100. The last sewer rate increase occurred in 2012; the previous one, in 1994.

The wastewater plant and the Sewer Department have a rocky recent history in Norridgewock. Before the DEP violation, former Town Manager Michelle Flewelling had advised the selectmen that the aging pump station had the potential to be in violation of state law, and she advised them they might require legal counsel.

Colin Ellis — 861-9253

cellis@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @colinoellis

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