27° CLEAR, Group ready to 'go to the mat' over sewage plant
Last Modified: Monday, January 14, 2008 at 11:34 p.m.
Killen - Members of the group East Lauderdale Environmental Conscious Citizens presented the town council with 7,200 names Monday in a petition against the construction of a sewage treatment plant on Bluewater Creek in Center Star.
"If the council is ready to go forward, then we're ready to go to the mat," said Jim Akin, spokesman for the group. "We've got the resources in place to take them on."
The council has sought for more than a year to construct a sewage treatment facility to handle planned and future growth in the town that lies just outside Florence on the U.S. 72 corridor.
The original site proposed for the sewage treatment plant was never presented to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management for review. The site did not meet the criteria for a long-term sewer operation to meet the town's needs.
The proposal involves a franchise agreement between Killen and Alabama Utility Services. Although a contract has been prepared, the mayor and council decided to delay voting on it until ADEM issues its permits for the project.
Akin asked the mayor and council to sign a letter to abandon the project at the site and consider alternate options, including a 17.5-acre tract of land within the town's limits.
To a packed crowd, Mayor Jerry Mitchell said he'd heard their comments from the previous meeting in December and had been looking for other ways to make a sewage treatment plant a reality, including finding money that would allow Killen to hook its sewage to the system in Florence.
"Our sixth proposal just came back as unfeasible," he said. "We're on our seventh proposal now. Engineers from Florence and our engineers are working together on a different approach that hopefully will be less expensive."
Previous reports on the price to hook to Florence have put the cost between $4 million and $5 million.
Councilwoman Connie Parrish said she was willing to risk being re-elected to her seat if it meant Killen would benefit.
"We've gotten a lot of flack over this, and, the truth is, no one wants a sewage treatment plant in their backyard, and they're upset about property values," she said. "But it's state-of-the-art, and we wouldn't go forward with this if we didn't believe in it."
ADEM will open its public comment period today, and those who want to respond can do so via mail, e-mail or telephone.
Unanimous actions taken at Monday's meeting included:
- approving the purchase of a digital camera system for the police department.
- approving the purchase of a pitching mound for the baseball field.
- approving appointments to the Board of Adjustments, Library Board and Historical Board.
- approving a revised sign ordinance.
Michelle Rupe Eubanks can be reached at 740-5745 or michelle.eubanks@timesdaily.com.
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Comments
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January 15, 2008 8:41:49 am
RE: http://www.timesdaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20.../NEWS/801150330/1011
I was there Monday night. Unfortunately, we were not allowed in because Killen's municipal building would only hold 90 people for fire code regulation. Killen even had police officers standing at the door to prevent anyone else coming in. There were roughly 50-60 people left outside in the cold. We all signed our names stating we had came to the meeting but were not allowed in. After a while, one of the ELECs reps came out. He stated that Killen already owned the 17.5 acre tract of land inside the city of Killen. This site is one of the proposed sites and would provide enough land. Hum, wonder why the city of Killen wouldn't go for that! Maybe because they don't want it in their backyards! Go figure. No need to shove it down the residents of Center Star/Elgin then! Anyone that wants to help can log on to www.savebluewater.org, click on contact list and mail all those on the list. Make sure you ask in your letter, we want a public forum. At a facility that can hold everyone to hear everyone's voices! Keep sewage out of our local creeks!!
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January 15, 2008 9:57:44 am
We've been building sewage treatment plants for years, and technology is such that once it enters back into the streams, it is no longer a pollutant. I don't understand why everyone thinks it will not be the same with this proposed facility. If sewage treatment plants didn't do as they were supposed to, then rivers all across the U.S. would be packed full of poo. I also live in Center Star, but I can see that this is a good thing for the area. This will bring more businesses and industry toward Killen that otherwise won't come without a proper sewage system. This is progress. We can't complain about a lack of jobs or industry in this area if we aren't willing to accept the changes and additions to our infrastructure that are needed in order to entice such industry to us.
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January 15, 2008 10:09:00 am
The plant can still be physically located within Killen coporate limits. The permit requested from ADEM is requesting to discharge into Bluewater Creek. The treated water can be pumped anywhere you want to pump it.
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January 15, 2008 10:25:54 am
Bluewater creek is a perfect location because it would allow further expansion to include Elgin also.
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January 15, 2008 10:44:16 am
I encourage everyone to log onto www.savebluewater.org. The article pertaining to a south Alabama plant in Loxley, says it all. No one is against the city of Killen progressing. However, we do not want it in our local creeks. Killen should place their plant in the city limits and or hook up to Florence for their sewage needs. We have to take a stand somewhere people.
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January 16, 2008 5:56:42 pm
Really,
What's the alternative?
DF
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January 16, 2008 6:21:58 pm
ADEM will issue a permit unless there is a legit environmental issue. ADEM deals daily with folks that don't want a sewage treatment plant in their backyards and it generally ignores them UNLESS there is proof positive of an environmental reason to withhold the permit. Concerned citizens are doing the right thing by applying political pressure to the Killen City Council, but if their concerns ultimately fall on deaf ears there had better be a scientific or environmental issue to fall back on or that sewage plant will end up on Bluewater Creek. And I speak from experience, having fought in vain with the "Save Shoals Creek" group several years ago to keep Lawrenceburg, TN from placing a sewage facility on Shoals Creek.
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