Yesterday, I wrote about the Town’s efforts to revise zoning in the Industrial Park zone to encourage commercial development. Today, I’m focusing on the initiative that Select Board members see as the other piece of the puzzle for attracting businesses to Route 9.
The Wastewater Study Committee has been digging into cost-effective ways to provide wastewater treatment to properties in the highway corridor. Here is an update on their efforts.
The details below are mainly from recent updates made at Select Board meetings and packet materials.
Select Board member Al Hamilton has spearheaded the Select Board’s work and chairs the committee created this past winter at his urging. He has pointed to lack of wastewater access as a major hurdle for attracting businesses to Southborough.
Financial Update
Last month, the Town applied for a $400,000 state grant to for engineering services to help assess potential sites for wastewater treatment and disposal. Town officials sounded optimistic about the funding chances. Applications stressed that Southborough is the only community on Route 9 between Goshen and Boston that lacks access to municipal wastewater.
According to the state’s website, the pending round of One Stop Grant awards will be announced by the end of September.
If the grant comes through, the state would expect Southborough to pitch in to cover 25% of costs. While that’s potentially $100K from taxpayers, Hamilton said it can be partially be covered by in-kind contributions. (Presumably, dedicated hours by Town staff contributing to the effort.)
If the funding comes through, expect the Select Board to bring an Article to the Fall Special Town Meeting to approve covering Southborough’s costs.
The study is just a small aspect of the financial commitment for creating a Wastewater system. In his July 1st update, Hamilton said that for the next few months the committee will focus on figuring out how Southborough would pay for a project. Grants are one possibility.
They are also studying creation of a DIF (District Improvement Financing) Overlay where a portion of new growth tax revenue could be collected for a special fund for financing a project. He posited the Town could created that within this year to get started.
Select Board member Kathy Cook worried that the concept of using new growth to fund a project to stimulate new growth would be a “chicken and the egg” problem. Hamilton explained that if the Town created an overlay zone (for example 1,000 feet on either side of Route 9), that there would be some activity in that area over the next five years. A portion of that new growth tax would be a start. He pointed out that work done in the EMC parcel would be part of that.
The committee will be having conversations with MWRA (Massachusetts Water
Resources Authority) and the Clean Water Trust to help them better understand the financing options.
Potential, but unlikely, pipeline connection
Speaking of the MWRA. . . In January, Hamilton told the Select Board that the working group had reached out about the possibility of connecting to MWRA’s wastewater pipeline that leads to the Deer Island Treatment Plant.1 He said that was unlikely. Since many of the systems connected include stormwater, they are already dealing with “peak loading” issues.
But in the July 1st update, Hamilton said the the committee hasn’t completely given up on the possibility. They are meeting with State Senator James Eldridge who they hope can help “open the door”. He didn’t mention the possibility of connecting to the Westborough system, but that had also been previously mentioned as unlikely.
Potential sites
Since the more likely scenario is that the Town is on its own, the committee has spent a lot of time looking at potential locations for a treatment plant and disposal site in town. A plant, expected to treat about half a million gallons per day, would require 1.5 to 3 acres. Another 5 to 15 acres is required for disposal of the treated discharge, which doesn’t have to be located on the same site.
One area being considered is the Dept of Public Works property on Cordaville Road. According to DPW Chief Bill Cundiff, there is some room between the Transfer Station hopper and the recycling area to fit a treatment plant. Hamilton said fitting it in “would be cozy”. He believed that if the property is used, the Transfer Station would require “substantial refiguration.
The treatment plant would have some odor (especially on warm days), though Hamilton wasn’t sure how far away the impact would be. But that is why they are seeking an area that isn’t too close to residences.
Early on the committee honed in on a potential location between the lanes of 495 that is large enough to handle treatment and disposal. They see the location as ideal, given the buffer between the highway and homes. He described it as ideal, since the highway creates a buffer from residences. But it would come with an additional cost for pumping wastewater uphill to the site. A few weeks ago, Hamilton updated that they have discussed the site with MassDOT and it is under consideration.
Once treated, the “effluent” water that needs to be discharged shouldn’t smell (or be toxic).
The committee had been pursuing the concept of using the water to irrigate the Southborough Golf Club. The idea was that during the time of year when the course doesn’t need watering (or needs less) the excess would be discharged into infrastructure buried under the golf course.
That idea was just shot down by the Sudbury Valley Trustees (SVT), which hold the golf course’s Conservation Restriction (CR).
In May, the committee previewed the concept to the Conservation Commission and SVT. In late June, SVT issued a memo opposing the plan. The problems extend beyond needing to be convinced the effluent is safe for the use.
The CR Manager analyzed the legal agreement and found language they interpret as prohibiting many details (and potentially all aspects if the golf course ever ceased to operate in the future). The memo sums up:
Given that the proposed work includes a large sub-surface infrastructure (leach field) that would be receiving effluent from locations not approved in II1.C.(S), it would not entirely fit within [the area designated for allowed septic], the CR prohibits underground structures. . . , and is not incidental to the operation of the golf course or public enjoyment
Based on the analysis above, we cannot approve this project.
IF the proposal was simply to change the irrigation water source then I think we could approve that once we have a better understanding of the safeguards to ensure the effluent won’t harm the environment or people. However, if the course becomes inactive at some point in the future. . . the effluent would need to be discharged elsewhere
In his update to the Select Board this week, Hamilton lamented the “draconian prohibitions” in the CR. He said it served as “a cautionary tale about writing these sorts of instruments”.
It appeared that he was referring to any permanent use restrictions for Town properties (both conservation and preservation), since he followed “As a personal aside, I think it’s arrogant to try for one generation to try and impose its views on another.”
Hamilton didn’t specify other parcels the committee is considering. But he said that they have been discussing privately owned parcels as possibilities. Those conversations have been in closed Executive Sessions. (State law allows the public meeting exemptions to avoid a “detrimental effect on the Town’s negotiating position”.)
Waste Water (Known as sewerage) is a waste of money for this town. We need to attract development (such as the dell retail project) that can build and supply their own waste solutions. This Town has a spending/build/consultant problem. I can’t quite figure out why that is????
Close…. Sewage is human waste. Waste water is any water that has been tainted – in any way (three kinds: sewage, greywater, blackwater). Sewerage, as you write, is the infrastructure needed to convey wastewater. I disagree that it is a waste (nice pun) of money. Yes, it’s ideal for larger-scale developments to build and supply their own waste solutions. Many small businesses can’t foot the bill for private waste water solutions. So they look elsewhere than Southborough. Look at Route 9 to the east and west of Southborough: do you see budding commercial and retail development? Of course you do. We don’t have a lot of that because we are missing a key infrastructure component. Your argument is akin to not providing water for businesses along Route 9 and saying every business should drill their own well. What should have happened is that in the 70s when we had the opportunity to do what our neighbors did with respect to waste water – we should have followed suit. But here we are. It is indeed expensive. And that’s why we are trying to find options (disclosure: I am on said committee). Not sure where “consultant problem” factors into this.
Jack
If you travel west on Rt 9 starting in Boston the first community you come to without a municipal waste water treatment facility is Southborough. Keep traveling west on Rt 9 and the next community without access to a waste water facility is about 110 miles west of Boston, across the Connecticut River, Goshen (Pop 960).
Ever wonder why we don’t have more restaurants in town? A restaurant needs about 8 times more septic capacity vs an office building. There are other types of commercial and industrial enterprises that require greater waste water capacity than office buildings. Add to that the fact that some properties along Rt 9 that would otherwise be prime for development are located on soils that have poor septic capacities the need for waste water treatment facility becomes more apparent.
The entire reason for exploring building a waste water system along Rt 9 is to open up Rt 9 to more commercial and industrial uses. The focus is to begin to reverse shift in tax burden to residential properties.
Lack of wastewater services is one of several factors that have limited the commercial and industrial along Rt 9. Rt 9 and the Dell properties are the only places where sufficient industrial and commercial development can occur to reverse this tax trend.
This effort may not bear fruit. Wastewater facilities are expensive. Many of the systems that were built in the Commonwealth were heavily subsidized by the Federal Government in the 1970’s and 80’s. That source of funding is probably not available now. The committee will be spending the next few months focusing on how to pay for such a system. It may prove difficult but if we are to reverse this shift in tax burden we have to try.
Jack is absolutely correct. If they develop the area for multiple business it is on them to foot the bill for construction and maintenance not the taxpayers .
Mike
My understanding of the currently proposed Atlantic development is that they have their own waster water solution.
We need to look at the rest of Rt 9.
First, we need to face the fact that the Office Park model is not working too well. Vacancy rates are high. This leads to reduced assessments and lower tax revenues from this source. It is unlikely that this source of tax revenue will turn the corner in the next few years. That puts more of the burden of funding local government on the residential tax base.
Office parks have fairly modest septic requirements. Other types of businesses are more demanding including restaurants, grocery stores, and manufacturing facilities like Bio Tech. Many of the parcels along Rt 9 may not be able to support this sort of development due to poor soils, ledge, or proximity to wetlands or public water supplies.
Building a Rt 9 waste water system would open up sections of Rt 9 for higher valued businesses which in turn would bolster our tax base. Along Rt 9, not including Park Central or the Dell/EMC properties there is about 165 Acres of undeveloped or under developed land. Converting a significant portion of this property to higher value uses would take a lot of pressure off our residential tax base.
Speaking only for myself, if we build this system it should be self financing. Like our public water supply where the users fund both capital and operating costs this system should pay for itself. It may be necessary to provide some seed money to develop our options but if we build it the users should be the ultimate source of funding.
Mr. Hamilton may I suggest you acquaint yourself with the 2030 plan to cut sewerage and wastewater by 50% that English environmental Secretary Reed has gotten passed a 100-billion-pound commitment to revolutionize wastewater, pipes, and bring a modernization to sewers and how we dispose of waste waters for all of England and hopefully Wales.
This is an area where old fashioned systems like you are suggesting are just that, old fashion and not healthy for our rivers, lakes and open waters.
Thank you-Jack Barron
Before we charge off in a Don Quixote-style pursuit of lower residential tax rates, it would be wise to pause and consider the impact that commercial and industrial (CIP) development has had on other communities. A closer look reveals that communities with high percentages of CIP assessments often have average residential property values lower than Southborough’s—a trend that can actually result in higher, not lower, residential tax rates. These communities frequently adopt split tax rates, placing a heavier tax burden on CIP properties to compensate for the weakened residential tax base. While this may seem like a benefit to residents at first glance, it can discourage future investment and growth, ultimately undermining long-term financial stability.
Carl you are right on the MONEY–Dover, Weston, Sherborn, Harvard, Lincoln, Winchester, Manchester by the sea, the Towns that command the top dollar for housing in and around Boston all have limited commercial real estate. Route 9 is well situated for commercial real estate in Southborough BUT it should be friendly to the character of the Town. If we wish to see home values drop then by all means bring in a sewer treatment plant. A medical waste project is always a great selling point for a town. we may already have sports fields using artificial sod loaded with PFAS which the state is looking to ban and force towns to replace. Thank you, Carl, for your wide-open eyes. A more nature-based Town is an important selling point to today’s home buyers. They want good schools, a good clean environment and a tax rate that doesn’t drive them out of their homes that they are ready to put down a big chunk of money ,very often attached to a long commitment to a lender. Jack Barron
I want to thank everyone who is contributing to this discussion publicly. I have not thought about this topic until recently, and I appreciate the thoughtful comments and information being provided.
Both sides have valid points: something needs to be done, but whatever it is should be more scientifically based and include cutting-edge technological solutions.
Although it’s complicated, caring and thoughtful individuals like yourselves will enable the Town to make sound and well-informed decisions
Jack, you mentioned several of my “favorite” Towns as models, and I appreciate that perspective. But would you identify the PFA-ridden sports field here in Town? Is it the 911 Field? And, Carl, your point about commercial development is well taken.
Ok Carl… As I understand it you were the one who first made a big stink about the scary roofing tiles on town land that cost us $2M+ this year. Then you drummed up a whole bunch of opposition to the Neary site because of the scary chemicals beneath the soil there that somehow didn’t show up in testing, so now the town has to either overcome that perception or acquire new land if they want to build. Now you’re saying that having businesses in town paying taxes will be scary too? Really? This is starting to get expensive.
If you honestly think that a second-order effect like that is going to overwhelm the direct additional tax revenue, I have a calculus book to sell you.
I’ve been critical of Al in this space in the past but he clearly knows the town’s finances well and has an actual plan that he’s spending his own time putting into action. As far as I can tell he’s the only one doing that, so if anyone has a better long-term plan for the town’s finances that keeps its services at the same level, by all means write it out.
Michael
The cost of cleaning up the illegal dump located on land managed by the town’s Conservation Commission, within the MWRA watershed, was four million dollars.
My mistake. I assume we all agree to keep quiet and plant some green grass over it next time!
The History of why Southborough isn’t connected to any sewer system is that the previous boards didn’t want the town to be a “Bedroom Community” and ruin its rural character.
The idea of future office buildings on Route Nine seems like a nonstarter as more people work from home .
If anything, future developments would be either commercial/retail or 40b.
Why should the townspeople be expected to foot the bill for improvements that will benefit corporations ? What’s in it for us? That we get five dollars off our taxes to say we have one hundred percent occupancy?
The MWRA connection to Hopkinton is supposedly a boon for Southborough also but where are the details?
I would be against having the wastewater treatment plant at transfer station due to its proximity to office buildings, Town Center, and Adrmiral’s Glenn along with our properties.
You should put it in the woods of Pine Hill road where no one lives rather than Town center. Or if this goes through, rename Town center as “Town stink hole.”
A treatment plant will smell all the time, just drive by the one in Westboro at night,take a deep breath it doesn’t smell like roses.
Where do you people come up with these ideas?
You may have forgotten the fact MWRA wanted to build a water treatment plant in Southborough, at end of Valley Road. It would of brought revenue to town of Southborough but neighbors complained and town lost the money to Marlborough.This was zero emissions.
May I remind everyone; The town spent over a million dollars gave a way prime land and then paid for Saint Marks to utilize it. This is what we know about . What about what’s next? A Park Central that the town pays for because we need 40b or Walmart?
Fiscal sense of Southborough select board is not in our best interest. Past examples prove my point. I don’t need a committee to see it or remember it.
Instead of Pine Hill Road, how about the end of the cul-de-sac of Deerfoot? No traffic over there.
John
My understanding is that in the 1970’s the town put forward a plan to connect to what is now the MWRA but it was killed by the voters. Had we done so, the Federal Govt would have picked up a big portion of the bill. That is water under the bridge. (Or sewage flushed down the drain).
The contemplated system would be much smaller than the Westborough System. Westborough has a capacity of about 7 million gallons per day (GPD). The contemplated system would have less than 10% of this capacity. We should note that there are already 4 similar systems operating in town with a total capacity of about 100,000 GPD. This issue of potential smells is one that needs to be effectively addressed.
The desirability of using the DPW site is quickly declining. It appears that using treated effluent for irrigating the Golf Course and using the course for ground disposal of the balance is becoming a very remote possibility. The golf course is subject to a conservation restriction and that restriction is held by the Sudbury Valley Trustees who appear to have taken a dim view of this idea. The DPW site was the one closest to the golf course.
As for Pine Hill Road (where I live) that would require running about 2.5 miles of pipe including through a neighboring town to reach the undeveloped area. At about $1.5 million per mile this is probably a non starter. (It should be noted that the Pine Hill neighborhood does not even have access to municipal water). There are other potential areas that could be used but their distance from Rt 9 make them impractical.
The entire reason for examining this program is the need to increase our commercial and industrial tax base. Today, every parcel that touches Rt 9 only generates a total $3.6 million in tax revenue. That is about 5% of our municipal budget. There are other things we can do, like zoning reform, but lack of waste water services is frequently cited as a barrier to commercial and industrial growth in town. Rt 9 and the EMC/Dell properties are the only locations in town that can support substantial new commercial and industrial development.
Finally, developing a waste water treatment facility is far from a slam dunk. It appears as though it is probably technically feasible. However, it’s financial feasibility is far from clear. That will be the focus over the next few months. I am personally focused on solutions that minimize the claims on the General Fund. In the end the users or potential users of the system should be the source of funding.