"This has been in the planning stages for 12 years, and I can't believe how the stars and planets have aligned to make it possible to do this at such a low price with so many funds available," said Mayor Patricia Murphy, who praised former and current members of the Sewer Commission for their efforts after the project was approved at referendum Tuesday by 772 to 244 votes.
"In about a year and a half, we went from about 40th on the state's list for funds to the top few," she said regarding state funds and loans, some of which will be from the $787 billion federal stimulus package that President Barack Obama signed in February, that are going to be used to help finance the renovations.
"The timing on this was golden," Town Council member Walter Bayer said, noting that, due to the sluggish economy, contractors were actively seeking work and the construction bids were about $8 million less than anticipated.
The low bid for construction from Carlin Contracting in Waterford came in this spring at $21,780,000, nearly $8 million lower than the anticipated price tag of $29,700,000 that was presented by the Sewer Commission to the Town Council during its progress report April 27.
Sewer Commission alternate Anne Cutter said last week that a project that just this spring had been projected at nearly $38 million now has a price tag of $30 million.
Municipal officials, including former Sewer Commission chairman John Heaton, have said that the project would probably be revenue-neutral as a result of state funding and loans and the utilization of user fees to pay for the renovations.
Ms. Cutter has said that the state Clean Water Fund would provide $6.6 million for the project, with the remaining $23.4 million coming in a loan with an interest rate of just two percent.
Ms. Cutter has said that the town's Water Pollution Control Authority has about $1.8 million currently available to pay off the loans and that "the rest of the loan will be paid by future connection and septage fees."
Ms. Murphy said she anticipates that the renovations will start this fall and be completed in about two-and-a-half years.
Ms. Cutter said that the first payment would not be due until a year after that, probably around 2013 or 2014.
"It's disappointing that there was such a small turnout, but I think the people that supported this knew that it's something that we've discussed for three or four years and the town wasn't going to have a better time to do this after we got funding for it and the bids were so low," Town Council Vice Chairman Roger Szendy said.
"This was never controversial for most people," he said regarding the renovations.
Ms. Murphy has said for many months that the project was needed to protect the environment and address changes in regulations since the 51-year-old facility was last upgraded in 1987.
"You need to make an investment in your capital structures, and we're able to do that now," she said.
"We need the sewer plant upgrade and expansion pri­marily because our present plant is old, undersized, out­dated, overworked and just plain tired," Ms. Cutter said during her presentation on the project during the special town meeting last week at the John Pettibone School.
"It will allow that plant to operate more effectively, and it will give us the chance to increase commercial development in town because we're going to have more capacity," Sewer Commission Chairman Frank Bidetti said of the project.
'If we don't provide the basic services, they're not coming," Economic Development Commission Chairman Frank Wargo said during last week's special town meeting on the project, making reference to businesses that might locate in New Milford.
"That 70-30 split might become 80-20," he said referring to the percentage of taxes from residential versus commercial enterprises.
Mr. Szendy said he believes that once the economy recovers from the recession that reportedly began in December 2007 major commercial businesses will be interested in establishing locations on Route 7, which has undergone extensive widening and improvements since September 2002.
He said the sewer pipes were installed some years ago so that the revitalized Route 7 "wouldn't have to be torn up" to put them in place after the paving was done.
"Having more sewer capacity is something that we've talked about for years," Mr. Szendy said, noting that former U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-New Britain) helped secure federal funds to install more sewer capacity on Route 7.
Municipal consultant Steve Siegel of Camp Dresser & McKee Inc., which has an office in Wethersfield, has told the Town Council that the current flow of 729,000 gallons a day, which increases to 867,000 gallons per day during the wet weather periods, would go up to an estimated 1,930,000 gallons per day at the West Street facility within 20 years, partly because of anticipated commercial development in New Milford.
"I think a lot of people that voted for this are people who already use the sewer lines," Mr. Bidetti said.
Mr. Szendy said that because the bids are set to expire Sept. 2 and other paper work with state agencies needs to be completed expeditiously, the Town Council had to schedule the vote in mid-August, during the final stages of the summer vacation season, instead of waiting until after the schools had started their new academic year when more people might have turned out.