By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer
Chapel Hill — The Chapel Hill Town Council asked officials from the Orange Water and Sewer Authority for a solid commitment on when the final phase of a project to eliminate odors from the utility’s wastewater-treatment plant will be completed.
The discussion came Monday night at Town Hall as the council reviewed OWASA’s plans and heard from neighbors of the plant who are demanding to know when the work will be done.
Odors from the plant on Mason Farm Road near Finley Golf Course have been a long-running issue for residents. At their urging, the council sought a firm commitment for the project when it approved an expansion of the plant in 2004.
OWASA has already spent roughly $4 million on the problem, but wants to delay the third phase of the plan for another year because of slowing revenues.
At Monday’s meeting, several residents told the council that they’re concerned the work might not be accomplished soon and that if left undone a future council or OWASA board may decide not to finish the project.
Highland Woods resident Frank Rexford said neighbors of the plant have tried to get the problem fixed since the 1950s. Rexford, who moved to the neighborhood in 2004, said he understood that the project would be completed fairly soon. He said at the time, he did not expect to be urging its completion at a meeting in 2009.
Rex Butler, also a Highland Woods resident, said coming to the council about the plant has become an annual exercise for him and his neighbors.
“We’re just looking for a commitment and a date to fix this,†he said.
Council member Jim Ward said he was particularly concerned about comments from the OWASA finance board that he said indicate a less than solid commitment to the project.
Ward said the utility firmly committed to the project when the council agreed on the plant’s expansion.
OWASA board members told the council that OWASA remains committed to the project, but that in light of the current economic situation the board did not think it was prudent to commit to a specific date.
Braxton Foushee, who represents Carrboro on the OWASA board, said he was responsible for the comments Ward cited and reiterated his personal view that he could not vote for a project while the utility was raising rates. Many OWASA customers cannot afford their water bills now, he said.
Council member Laurin Easthom said her reading of the town’s permit for the construction of the plant would require that work be completed on the project, including the final phase of the odor elimination, by 2013.
Mayor Kevin Foy suggested that OWASA consider dedicating a portion of the rate increases to the project and include at least some money for it in this year’s budget to help assure residents that they remain committed.
“The best guarantee,†he said, “is cash.â€
The council, OWASA officials and representatives of the plant’s neighbors agreed to try to hammer out an agreement on the schedule.