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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
VOL. 24, NO. 65
P: 250.585.1648 3392 Norwell Drive
Residents pushing for sewer hookup Homeowners in one of city’s oldest subdivisions asking for connection to services but officials say cost is prohibitive BY TOBY GORMAN THE NEWS BULLETIN
RACHEL STERN/THE NEWS BULLETIN
Walking for life Claudio Aguilera and his son Mathyas, 3, march along the Harbourfront Walkway Saturday morning during the Nanaimo AIDS Walk for Life event. The walk helped raise money and awareness about the disease and its impact on people and families.
Requests to hook up to city sewers are beginning to back up. In 2011, city council voted to cover the entire $3.2-million cost to install sewers for 107 property owners at Green Lake. Three months ago, residents on Stamp Way also received their long-awaited sewer hookups. Now, residents of one of Nanaimo’s oldest subdivisions say it’s their turn to have city sewer services as promised more than 35 years ago when Harewood was amalgamated. Darlene Budd, a 40-year resident of Western Acres, has created a petition with 35 signatures on it asking city hall to install sewers. She said residents in the subdivision are forced to pay thousands of dollars to have septic tanks installed despite paying city taxes, and that when the Nanaimo Parkway was built in the mid-1990s, a sewer sleeve was installed suggesting there was intent to connect the neighbourhood to the city system. “That sleeve came within 100 yards of our property so we relaxed about it thinking ‘OK, when we want to sell we’ll be able to pay and have it brought to our property.’ Then we find out the sleeve was installed at the wrong elevation and isn’t usable and we’re told we’re out of luck.” Budd said she is ready to sell her fourhectare property but without sewer, it’s difficult. “I’ve been accused of self-interest and I have to say, yes, of course, we want the sewer there,” she said. “But we no longer wish to own 10 city acres. Who wants to pay taxes on
“
We all want sewers there, but we just don’t have that money sitting around.
that? We’ve raised our family and it’s time to move on and we’d like sewer there.” Residents at Western Acres do not pay city sewer user fees. In June 2011, city council voted to cover the entire cost of the sewer installation for Green Lake residents instead of a proposed 80/20 split that would have seen residents cover $640,000 for the project. Nanaimo Mayor John Ruttan said that vote paved the way for residents of other areas to request similar treatment. “The Green Lake issue was kind of a health issue, largely through failed septic fields that were leaching into the lake,” he said, adding that repeated attempts to have the project serviced through infrastructure grants were denied because the residential density was too low. “The fear at the time was be aware of what you grant one because you can’t grant it to one without granting it to all. Now the fruits of the deed are coming home to roost.” ◆ See ‘UNLIKELY’ /6
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