The Belfair Waste Water Reclamation System (Belfair Sewer) cost has doubled from $26.4 million in 2007 to roughly $48 million and growing daily. This is a very small sewer system with only about 220 Phase 1 hook ups and 3 more planned phases with fewer hook ups. With about a 100% cost over over run to date, with a heavy debt service of millions of your tax dollars not covered by grants and numerous loans, with no advisory committee involvement during actual construction helping control spending and creating transparency in government and finally with skewed ERU calculations, the result is abnormally high hook up costs and excessively high monthly sewer rates. All structures in the Belfair UGA are forced to hook up. Our sewer system will likely force too many businesses to immediately close, discourage new business and create more unemployment. Who in their right mind would ever consider moving to Belfair with such high sewer costs? How badly was this project mismanaged by Mason County government?
Mason County admits an initial hook up fee of $3000 per ERU but that was only good for existing businesses and homes until January 31, 2012. Now new and existing structures will pay $6000 per ERU until January 1, 2013, then $7900 per ERU before January 1, 2014 and $10,200 per ERU until January 1, 2015. Worst of all sewer hook ups will steadily increase until 2025 when Mason County projects $20,600 per ERU. Many Belfair structures have 3 to 10 ERUs.
Mason County admits initial $96 monthly sewer rates per ERU but steadily increasing to cover excessive cost over runs and operating costs. National sewer rates are commonly between $40 to $60 a month. Sewer rates do increase over time but our rates are excessive now and could soon nearly double simply because we may lose more sewer customers than gained. Everyone in Mason County may have to make up the difference.
Mason County believes Belfair has a 155 gallon per day ERU. ERU is Equivalent Rural Use of water per day per structure. Always remember less gallons per ERU means more ERUs per hook up with higher monthly sewer rates and higher hook up costs. A 10 ERU structure now pays 10 x $6000 or $60,000 to hook up now and would pay $206,000 in 2025. Monthly rates are 10 x $96 or $960 now and much more over time.
Why all the doom and gloom? Sewer shock is expected but we'll be the laughing stock of the state with an inaccurate ERU rate and abnormally high sewer construction and debt service. Bremerton's ERU is 250 gallons per day, City of Shelton is 225, Case Inlet (Allyn) is 219 and Silverdale is 199 gallons per day. Belfair residents bath daily, wear clean clothes and use indoor plumbing no different than Shelton or Silverdale.
Mason County projects Belfair growth at 5% yearly through 2019 and 6% thereafter. The City of Shelton originally projected 2% yearly growth and Kitsap County used 1 to 2.5%. These sewer systems were built in better economic times and not in the deep recession that could evolve into a depression .
I believe this sewer system is a TRAIN WRECK waiting to happen. The next Phases have smaller populations mostly single residential ERUs while Phase 1 is about 75% commercial with multiple ERUs. In Phase 1, QFC will be forced pay $400,000 hooking up to this TRAIN WRECK. The laundromat has 22 ERUs (22 x $3000 or $66,000 to hook up and 22 x $96 or $2112 per month). How much more will the next Phases cost everyone countywide?
This is an UNACCEPTABLE and UNFORGIVABLE sewer system that instead of being a magnet for growth will likely make Belfair look more like a ghost town with even more empty buildings, higher unemployment and less revenue for Federal, State and County coffers. Everyone in Mason County will likely chip in to resolve this dilemma.
Even though the sewer system will help improve long term Hood Canal water quality, it could devastate Belfair and definitely effect everyone in Mason and even Kitsap County. Will population growth outside the Belfair UGA be encouraged when the Washington State Growth Management Act established UGAs as centers of concentrated growth to discourage sprawl?
Why did Emmett Dobey abruptly resign as Mason County Director of Utilities & Waste Management early December 2011 without finishing the Belfair Sewer?
Would the last person to leave Belfair please flush all the toilets.
Sincerely,
Bob Harris
UNACCEPTABLE and UNFORGIVABLE
Wednesday, 15 February 2012 09:43
Mason County admits an initial hook up fee of $3000 per ERU but that was only good for existing businesses and homes until January 31, 2012. Now new and existing structures will pay $6000 per ERU until January 1, 2013, then $7900 per ERU before January 1, 2014 and $10,200 per ERU until January 1, 2015. Worst of all sewer hook ups will steadily increase until 2025 when Mason County projects $20,600 per ERU. Many Belfair structures have 3 to 10 ERUs.
Mason County admits initial $96 monthly sewer rates per ERU but steadily increasing to cover excessive cost over runs and operating costs. National sewer rates are commonly between $40 to $60 a month. Sewer rates do increase over time but our rates are excessive now and could soon nearly double simply because we may lose more sewer customers than gained. Everyone in Mason County may have to make up the difference.
Mason County believes Belfair has a 155 gallon per day ERU. ERU is Equivalent Rural Use of water per day per structure. Always remember less gallons per ERU means more ERUs per hook up with higher monthly sewer rates and higher hook up costs. A 10 ERU structure now pays 10 x $6000 or $60,000 to hook up now and would pay $206,000 in 2025. Monthly rates are 10 x $96 or $960 now and much more over time.
Why all the doom and gloom? Sewer shock is expected but we'll be the laughing stock of the state with an inaccurate ERU rate and abnormally high sewer construction and debt service. Bremerton's ERU is 250 gallons per day, City of Shelton is 225, Case Inlet (Allyn) is 219 and Silverdale is 199 gallons per day. Belfair residents bath daily, wear clean clothes and use indoor plumbing no different than Shelton or Silverdale.
Mason County projects Belfair growth at 5% yearly through 2019 and 6% thereafter. The City of Shelton originally projected 2% yearly growth and Kitsap County used 1 to 2.5%. These sewer systems were built in better economic times and not in the deep recession that could evolve into a depression .
I believe this sewer system is a TRAIN WRECK waiting to happen. The next Phases have smaller populations mostly single residential ERUs while Phase 1 is about 75% commercial with multiple ERUs. In Phase 1, QFC will be forced pay $400,000 hooking up to this TRAIN WRECK. The laundromat has 22 ERUs (22 x $3000 or $66,000 to hook up and 22 x $96 or $2112 per month). How much more will the next Phases cost everyone countywide?
This is an UNACCEPTABLE and UNFORGIVABLE sewer system that instead of being a magnet for growth will likely make Belfair look more like a ghost town with even more empty buildings, higher unemployment and less revenue for Federal, State and County coffers. Everyone in Mason County will likely chip in to resolve this dilemma.
Even though the sewer system will help improve long term Hood Canal water quality, it could devastate Belfair and definitely effect everyone in Mason and even Kitsap County. Will population growth outside the Belfair UGA be encouraged when the Washington State Growth Management Act established UGAs as centers of concentrated growth to discourage sprawl?
Why did Emmett Dobey abruptly resign as Mason County Director of Utilities & Waste Management early December 2011 without finishing the Belfair Sewer?
Would the last person to leave Belfair please flush all the toilets.
Sincerely,
Bob Harris
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