Date:
Mon, 29 Nov 2004 14:05:18 –0500
From:
WMoomaw wmoomaw@comcast.net
To:
Bill Densmore <densmore@newshare.com>
Subject:
Re: Here is the letter that I sent to the Eagle, Transcript and the Advocate.
To
The Editor:
The
debate over whether to build a large water line to address water problems and
provide support for new development along Cold Spring Road sounds familiar.
History is repeating itself. At the
1977 Town meeting, the Selectmen, acting on the recommendation of the same
engineering consultant that the Town employs today, unanimously recommended a
very large gravity sewer line all the way to Mt. Greylock High School. At that time, the on-site sewage treatment
systems of both the High School and Sweetwood Nursing Home were polluting local
streams.
Several
of us stood up and asked if any alternatives had been considered, and were told
no, the “right solution” was a large 2-mile long sewer line. Town Meeting had
to be continued to a second night when it was agreed to develop a set of
alternatives before proceeding.
It
took two years with the full engagement of everyone to develop the small,
pressure sewer that relieved the pollution, yet prevented large amounts of
additional development along Williamstown's most scenic corridor. In the process, the Town qualified for an
additional $1 million for its innovative approach. The tacit agreement was that the small sewer solved current
problems, but that future development would have to meet the conditions of the
land for on-site water and sewer within the 2.5-acre rural residence
requirement. Except for expansion at
Sweetwood, this has worked to keep the corridor free of large-scale
development.
The
new proposal for a water line is much the same as before. There is a water problem at the high
school. Sweetwood would like to develop
real estate in Williamstown as a cash cow to support the North Adams Hospital.
Finally, a permit has been granted by the Zoning Board of Appeals to build an
industrial facility - a money making art conservation lab affiliated with a
“not for profit” organization. Our pipe
loving engineering consultant is proposing a big 16-inch water pipe that could
supply hundreds of houses. The extra
waste must drain into a 2.5-inch sewer line that may eventually need to be
upgraded at taxpayer expense. Our
Selectmen are all for it, and the Town has been kept in the dark about
alternatives and the true costs.
The lesson from the sewer line debate of 27 years ago is
that information is critical to getting an effective solution that meets the
interests and needs of all parties. In a
town where knowledge is a key industry, and traditions of protecting open space
are strong, we need a transparent and full discussion of the choices before
us. With so much at stake, let us take
the time to do this well.
There
are inexpensive and low cost solutions to the high school water problem that
can be implemented immediately. There
are much more suitable sites in town for an art conservation facility that
already have adequate water, sewer and street access. Finally, I would hope that Sweetwood and North Adams hospital
would reconsider their plans to sprinkle additional housing units along Cold
Spring Road, and instead find a location in town that would allow people ready
access to Spring Street and to events that make Williamstown such a delightful
place to live. Let us not make the
mistake of other towns that discover too late that building water lines, sewers
and roads leads to sprawl and ever higher taxes.
William
Moomaw
349
Syndicate Road
Williamstown,
MA