By Patricia Bogumil
Interim editor
An idea to create a new storm water drainage district was proposed by the Village of Waterford in 2009.
The new utility would basically service the same areas as in Waterford Farm Drainage District 1, which covers parts of the Village and Town of Waterford and Town of Norway.
While the Village of Waterford and Town of Norway boards expressed support for the idea, the Town of Waterford cited cost issues and accountability concerns in declining to participate.
“Just the attorney fees are going to be huge and to have just the preliminary engineering study done, you’re talking big dollars,” said Robert Langmesser, the Town of Waterford Chairman.
“Our Town Board said: ‘This is something we cannot get involved in. Let the Farm Drainage District handle it,’ – especially Langmesser added, since there were no guarantees on when the new utility would get around to fixing the town’s drainage problems. “It may never happen,” he said.
“If I have to go and fix those broken tiles in our township, I’ll have to budget for that,” Langmesser added, “but we can’t get involved with this massive project they’ve got in mind.”
Without Town of Waterford support, the idea of a new utility is not moving forward, said Village Administrator Rebecca Ewald.
But drainage issues in the village will be addressed soon.
Bids were opened Nov. 14 for a $1.1 million storm water improvements project that is being fully funded by a federal Community Block Development grant.
It does not require local matching funds or assessments, said Ewald.
The project will overhaul the existing pump station in the village, and lay out force main, storm sewer and stop gates at the existing lift station.
The bids address a variety of alternatives for different components of the project, said Ewald, and are currently under review.
Bid awarding may be ready to be acted on at the village board’s Monday, Nov. 28, meeting.
Construction would then take place this winter and be completed in the spring.
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