Supervisors meeting could be stormy, tonight; residents object to being forced to spend to $6,000 or more to connect to system
By Jamie Richard, Staff Writer, The Times
Residents of this quiet West Brandywine neighborhood are angry that the Township’s Board of Supervisors might force them to connect to a municipal sewer system — a decision could come at tonight’s board meeting.
WEST BRANDYWINE –Residents of the Monacy Manor neighborhood will have the opportunity tonight to discuss whether they and their neighbors should be compelled to connect to a municipal sewer system.
Based on comments last week at the township’s Municipal Authority meeting, most of the neighborhood’s residents oppose the idea. Residents came forward at that meeting to express their concern over potentially being forced to connect to public sewer lines at the municipal authority’s meeting, last week.
The board of supervisors has been discussing the possibility of requiring residents in Monacy Manor to connect to public sewers in hopes of lessening a financial shortfall that the authority is currently facing.
Authority Chairman William Webb, who is also a township supervisor, stated that the board of supervisors has directed the township manager to examine the details of establishing a new sewer district for Monacy Manor, which would allow the authority to force residents to connect.
At a board of supervisors meeting on Oct. 4, Webb made a motion to alter the township’s Act 537 Plan to require all residents within 150 ft. of a public sewer to connect; the motion failed to be seconded and did not reach a vote.
Under the township’s Act 537 Plan – a document filed with the Department of Environmental Protection regarding the maintenance of sewer systems – residents within 150 ft. of a public sewer are only required to connect if they sell their home or their private system fails.
“We don’t need a sewer,” said resident Diane McBride. “We are all very happy with what we have.”
Residents were also concerned with costs of connecting to a public sewer; the tap fee from Pennsylvania American Water is approximately $6,000 and is expected to rise.
“To be put under a debt like that unnecessarily is wrong; it’s just wrong,” said resident Sue Bauer.
Webb informed residents that any decisions regarding Monacy Manor would be made by board of supervisors, not the municipal authority. He added that the issue will be discussed at the next supervisors meeting on Nov. 15 and encouraged residents to come and voice their concerns.
