Property owners along Lequesne Avenue in Langford are still trying to come to terms with the in the near future and are struggling to get information on the subject.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 not happy with it,B次元官网网址� said Chuck Redman, who has lived on the road with his wife, Doreen, since May 1999. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e very fortunate, we can afford it.B次元官网网址�
But Redman said some of his neighbours cannot. With some retired and others near retirement age, he added, itB次元官网网址檚 a big bill to be hit with and one that could be more than $13,000 without taking into account the thousands of dollars it will could cost for property owners to run a connection from their home to the street.
A six-unit townhome project, proposed by Keycorp Developments Ltd. for 2822 and 2824 Knotty Pine Rd., has triggered the need for a sewage line to be run from Jacklin Road, down Lequesne Avenue to the new development. Langford bylaws require property owners along a newly completed line to connect within a year of the lineB次元官网网址檚 completion or by the end of 2019, whichever is the later date.
Redman said that during an information session on the development held a few months prior to the Nov. 7 public hearing on the rezoning application, he specifically asked what this new sewer hookup would cost him. He left the meeting with the impression that he and other Lequesne residents would only be responsible for the cost of running the connection from their homes to the street, and that the developer would pay to connect the five homes to the main sewer line.
Keycorp development manager Rohan Rupf said, B次元官网网址渨e did go through a very thorough public process explaining how it would work.B次元官网网址� During a rezoning process that included a community meeting on Sept. 8, subsequent council meetings and the public hearing, KeycorpB次元官网网址檚 responsibilities for the new sewer line were carefully laid out, he said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e basically putting the service in on behalf of West Shore Environmental. We have to put the money up up front.B次元官网网址�
West Shore Environmental Services Inc. operates and maintains the City of LangfordB次元官网网址檚 existing sewers plus any extensions of the sewage collection system, as well as handling all customer inquiries.
If Keycorp proceeds with the project, Rupf said, the company would simply create the ability for Lequesne properties to connect to the main line, but would not be responsible for paying the connection fee.
B次元官网网址淲e were all semi-happy when we thought we just had to pay to get it out there,B次元官网网址� Redman said. But now, he noted, Lequesne residents are struggling to find information on the connection and ongoing service fees. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 something strange here,B次元官网网址� he added.
Langford council addressed resident concerns regarding mandatory connection at several meetings in 2016. More information was also included in last yearB次元官网网址檚 tax notices, but a number of residents appear to have missed that. City staff have since fielded numerous inquiries on the subject, prompting council to recently approve sending another letter on the subject to residents.
That notice is scheduled to go out in the next week or so to remind residents of the mandatory connection policies. It was delayed so information on the 2017 rate increases could also be included.
A number of one-time fees, outlined in the CityB次元官网网址檚 sewage bylaw, include a sewer connection fee of $1,500 per inch of service pipe diameter, a sewer capital recovery fee of more than $9,700 for 2017 B次元官网网址� a fee that is scheduled to go up to more than $10,000 by 2019 B次元官网网址� and storage fee of $495.
In a previous meeting, council also asked that staff refer anyone with questions on sewer service or financing to West Shore Environmental. While Langford does not directly offer payment options for residents facing mandatory connection, the company has some financing available to property owners.
When asked about the connection process by the Gazette, a West Shore Environmental representative declined to comment and referred any questions about LangfordB次元官网网址檚 sewage system back to the City.
B次元官网网址淧ersonally, I donB次元官网网址檛 think we need any of this sewer system,B次元官网网址� Redman said. As for his own septic system, he noted B次元官网网址渨eB次元官网网址檝e had no troubles,B次元官网网址� and added one of his neighbours has a relatively new septic field while another put in a new system not that long ago.
