Not all sewer districts got deluxe model

I have lived in North Smithfield for over 65 years. My residence is on the eastern side of town, which borders Blackstone.

Late last decade, I became part of a development that came to fruition because of a bond vote. The bond put before the voters was in the amount of $21 million, the largest in town history. It set up a fund out of which it was anticipated three new sewer districts would be created. These sewer districts would be designated 1A and 1B, 2 and 3.

This vote was taken in late 2008. I voted in favor of this project and waited as construction began the following year. At this time, I envisioned a traditional type of system. In other words, I expected to see the town dig deep trenches into which it would lay large pipes.

I’ll never forget my reaction when trenches were dug and piping was laid in front of my house. I was awestruck at the size of the piping; it was maybe 2 inches in diameter, made of PVC it seemed, and probably couldn’t carry a golf ball.

My first reaction, honest to God, was this piping was there to carry the rainfall runoff from the road. But, low and behold, this was not the case. No, these pipes were for sewage transmission; they were the conduits of our new low-pressure so-called sanitary sewer system.

In other words, we didn’t get the Cadillac of sewers, which is the gravity-fed model. We got the Chevrolet model, which comes complete with a grinder pump and your own individual pumping station. When this unit breaks, you either repair it at a cost of several hundred dollars, or replace it at a cost of maybe five or six thousand dollars.

These weren’t the only devils in the details surrounding the developments in our neighborhoods. When the three-section sewer system was put to a vote, every eligible voter had a say in its outcome. Little did I know that not every eligible voter and taxpayer in town would share in some of its expenses. The roads, which of course were part of this project, would see their asphalt and paving costs shifted entirely onto the backs of the homeowners affected by this sewer expansion. This happened despite the assurances of the politicians in charge that it wouldn’t take place.

But that was then, and a new day seems to have dawned in my town. It came to light three years ago when the matter of repaving roads in the Slatersville section of town surfaced. The town decided it was in its best interest to sewer at the same time roads were being resurfaced.

So, formal discussions amongst town officials about these subjects started early in 2016. The town’s Sewer Commission, at one of its monthly winter meetings, passed a motion to further investigate the prospect of a new sewer project in Slatersville. Then, in the spring of that year, an informational workshop was convened to answer questions and discuss pros and cons of the new sewer system.

Eventually, this new project was recommended by the Sewer Commission to the Town Council for a vote. The council proceeded, in April of last year, to take this matter up, and voted 4-0 in favor of it. At this meeting, a comment was made and noted in the minutes from the meeting. It came from councilor Paul Zwolenski, who is a holdover from the council that approved our sewer system. He said he is “pleased there would be no need for grinder pumps.”

Now I know almost a decade has passed since we installed our grinder pump. I also know a new day has dawned in town and we must make progress going forward. But I sure wish Mr. Zwolenski had felt the same way when we were having our sewers installed. Maybe if he had, we might have wound up with the Cadillac, not the Chevrolet model, of sewer designs. We might have had our roads paved on the town’s dime.

We might have had four to five thousand dollars shaved off our sewer assessment fee, which totals over $20,000.

Anyway, construction of the new Slatersville sewers will start this spring. They will be gravity-fed and take about three months to complete. Once the sewer line is laid down, the roads will be temporarily patched, and 90 days will pass so that the patch settles before the roads can be repaved. Then, according to a town document dated May 16, 2017, “the patching will be an expense of the sewer project but the final roadway repaving will be completed by the town.”

So, the people in the Parkview Drive/ Edward Avenue sewer project will be getting their roads covered at town expense after receiving a gravity-fed system. This is like reaching the promised land, a place where we in sewer districts 1A and 1B haven’t been allowed to go. It may be too late for us now, but if this town expects to reach other areas with sewers, it should offer the updated model. I always say it feels better to ride in a Cadillac rather than a Chevy.