The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
CAPITAL PAINS
Township building needs major repairs Lease or sale of sewer system tops list
PLYMOUTH » Residents, township officials and community stakeholders gathered at the Greater Plymouth Community Center Wednesday afternoon for the second and final pair of collaborative discussions concerning the township’s capital needs, namely, renovations to the aging township building at 700 Belvoir Road.
Township Council Chairman Martin Higgins kicked off the meeting by explaining the laundry list of repairs needed to make the building — built in 1971 — safer, more efficient, more accommodating, and code and ADA compliant.
In a powerpoint slideshow presentation, Higgins pointed out
the shortcomings of the current building, including its cramped police station and code enforcement offices, an outdated auditorium with an asbestos ceiling, an inconvenient access ramp adjacent to stairs that become slip-and-fall hazards in frigid weather, and the building’s original boiler, which he half-jokingly said is being held together with “chewing gum and duct tape.”
Higgins presented the audience of about 25 with three options:
Option A — The requisite repairs, which include changing over the building’s HVAC system from electric to a more efficient source, the abatement and remediation of asbestos in the meeting room and an interior facelift for $8 million
Option B — A slightly more comprehensive plan that adds a reconfigured entrance with a partial roof replacement and added space for the code enforcement department at an estimated price tag of $8.9 million; and,
Option C — A $16.9 million overhaul of the entire building that would involve expanding the police station and code enforcement spaces substantially, provide additional evidence and administrative storage, create a dedicated police station entrance and install an elevator to the basement, among other improvements. But how to pay for it? Higgins, other council members, and staff offered three options for raising the money to renovate the township building: raise taxes, borrow, or sell or lease the township’s sewer system — which was the favored, or at least most discussed, choice.
Higgins reminded the residents that the township has not had a tax increase in 27 years, and Council would like to keep it that way.
Borrowing, he said, would inevitably cause a tax increase down the road because of the cost of debt servicing.
And the proposed repairs can not be financed by the township general fund and would essentially bankrupt the township’s capital fund which is already laden with projected expenditures.
Attorney Matthew McHugh of the law firm Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel explained the pros and cons of each option in detail and revealed that the township had already had an appraisal done of the sewer system in 2017.
The system, which was constructed in the 1960s, consists of 60 miles of sanitary pipe, 1,416 manholes, and six pump stations.
Because of the fluctuating nature of the market price for the system, McHugh declined to reveal the “raw data” valuation included in the appraisal’s findings, but pointed out that several townships in Montgomery and Bucks County have sold their sewer systems to generate revenue and there are more area municipalities in the process of doing so now.
“Recently, West Conshohocken sold their system to the Conshohocken sewer authority (sic) for $9.5 million,” Higgins added. “West Conshohocken’s system is a whole lot smaller than ours. Ours is probably in better shape. So not being an expert, I would think we would get a lot more than that for our system.”
Resident’s feelings were mixed on the recommendations, with concerns running high about increased sewer bills and the loss of sewer revenues should the township opt to outsource the system.
Suggestions included raising the township’s wage tax, building up instead of out, installing a solar or geothermal HVAC system at the township building, or moving township offices around to handle increased capacity while incremental repairs are made.
Higgins assured those in attendance that no decision had been made yet, and the purpose behind the meetings is so Council can get feedback informing them how to proceed.
“If you ask me today, right now, ‘Marty Higgins, what do you think you would do?’ I couldn’t answer you because I don’t know. I’m still learning, I’m still trying to get input. We’ve got to talk about it. So nothing has been taken off the table. And as we go along we’re going to try to continue to keep people informed about the next steps and about the process.”