Q&A / 2012 Waitsfield Community Wastewater Loan Program

• What is the 2012 Waitsfield Community Wastewater Loan program?

It is a voluntary program for local property owners that will provide 20-year fixed-rate low-interest loans for repair, expansion or construction of privately-owned wastewater systems. Property owners receiving these loan funds must meet specific Town and State standards, to ensure the systems are designed, built, and operated properly.

It is extremely important to note that the program is purely voluntary, and would simply provide an alternative funding option for those with specific wastewater needs in the town center.

It’s also important to know that the program is designed to be a revenue generator, and will pay down more than $672,000 in Town debt from engineering the failed “big pipe” system which was voted down in 2008. By creating a community loan fund, the Town will be able to make use of Federal grant funds and property owner loan repayments to provide wastewater capacity, and to repay its debt for the “big pipe” system.

• Will it cost the Town or local taxpayers any money?

No. It is a loan program with funds provided by the State Revolving Fund (SRF) and the EPA STAG grant, and all funds loaned out will be repaid to the Town, plus interest.

To initiate the program and enable the Town to access available State and Federal funds, Waitsfield voters will be asked to approve a bond of $250k on the Town Meeting Day ballot. The bond is needed to secure the State Revolving Fund (SRF) financing, but the financing will be paid back with property owner loan repayments and EPA STAG grant reimbursements, not by Town taxpayers.

• How is this different from the wastewater system that was proposed and voted down in 2008?

The 2008 program was a “big pipe” program, in which large volumes of wastewater would be piped to a central treatment facility, which would have been owned by the Town.

The 2012 program is a decentralized or on-site wastewater loan program, in which the Town provides low-interest loans for improving shared, privately owned wastewater systems. Instead of trying to provide and manage the wastewater system itself, the Town is providing a funding solution that is mutually beneficial to both the owners and local taxpayers.

• Why does the Town want any wastewater system at all?

Although the “big pipe” sewer program was voted down in 2008, many businesses and properties within Waitsfield Village and Irasville still have problems with septic systems and wastewater capacity.

The Town has access to grant and loan funds to help property owners in Waitsfield Village and Irasville fix their wastewater problems, but these funds will revert to the state and federal government unless the Town takes action. If no wastewater progress is made, the US EPA will rescind the Town’s $906,100 in State & Tribal Assistance Grant (STAG) funds.

In addition, if the Town makes no effort to implement a wastewater program, Waitsfield taxpayers will be required to start paying back the $672,000 from the “2008 big pipe” engineering loan beginning in May 2013. That loan repayment would come from Waitsfield taxpayers at the rate of $36,484 per year for 15 years.

Faced with this situation and with ongoing property owner input that sewer capacity help – in some form – still was needed, the wastewater committee decided to re-assess options other than the “big pipe” system.

• Why is the big pipe idea no longer viable?

It was voted down by the community in 2008, and there is little local support for a return to the idea.

Additionally, that 2008 concept provided minimal bang for the buck…only 18,000 gallons per day of capacity for a Phase 1 construction cost of $5.7 million. With the Waitsfield Municipal Water Project coming on line, there is a greater opportunity to renovate or expand existing septic systems to fix problems or provide additional wastewater capacity.

• Will the 2012 Waitsfield Community Wastewater Loan allow the town to generate enough funds to actually repay the ‘big pipe’ debt without burdening taxpayers?


That’s the whole goal of this approach. By authorizing the bond and this loan program on Town Meeting Day, Town voters will solve two standing problems in the community. First, they will enable property owners to access long-term financing for fixing and expanding existing or new wastewater systems. Second, they will create an income stream that can help the Town pay back its $672,000 of outstanding debt.

• What about people who fixed or replaced systems recently? How will this help them?

Property owners in Irasville and Waitsfield Village will be able to apply for funds to construct repairs, enhancements, or expansions of their systems regardless of the age of the system or how recently it was replaced.

In some cases, property owners who did a “best fix” due to site or financial constraints could use the loan fund to finance installing a treatment unit or improving a leach field to gain more capacity and flexibility for changing or expanding the property’s use.

Others might be able to connect to a nearby system that is being replaced or expanded, reducing their exposure to future costs.

• Is this loan program model being used in any other Vermont towns?

Yes. The Town of Colchester has administered a loan program for several years using the same concept of a bond vote to authorize loan funds, and a long-term repayment schedule at very low interest rates.

As “big pipe” projects for small communities become less and less affordable and practical, the US EPA is trying to encourage more states and communities to use this less expensive, incremental approach to improving wastewater capacity.

• Is this what Warren Village has?

This approach is a bit different from Warren Village. This program is a funding mechanism for improving privately owned systems in Waitsfield Village and Irasville.

Warren Village is served by Town-managed decentralized wastewater systems, including several individual septic systems, a small shared system for 5-6 houses, and a 20,000 gallon-per-day shared system that serves about 45 properties, including the Pitcher Inn and the Warren Store. The Town owns and operates the shared system, whereas in the proposed loan program, the Town of Waitsfield would not own or operate any of the systems.

• Do Waitsfield Village and Irasville need help with wastewater?

When you look at the huge variety of soil types and capacities in this area (sand, clay, ledge, wetlands, etc), as well as the increased Vermont regulations for siting of wastewater systems, it becomes quite clear that we are already quite challenged in our village area on the wastewater front.

Failing, malfunctioning or aging septic systems in Waitsfield’s town center are an environmental health concern and potential contributing factor in the Mad River’s status on Vermont’s List of Impaired Waters. This concern has been part of the impetus for Waitsfield’s dedication to developing a wastewater solution.

This information and more is available in the 2011 Assessment of Decentralized Wastewater Options, which is available on the Town website (http://www.waitsfieldvt.us/docs/Assessment_of_Wastewater_Options_Waitsfield_SEI_Report_01-25-2011.pdf).

During the creation of that report, a property owner survey clearly showed that a vast majority of respondents (90%+) are dissatisfied with their current wastewater options. They indicated that they are struggling with providing wastewater capacity, that high costs and challenging options for financing are major barriers, and that lack of wastewater treatment capacity was limiting their ability to make a sustainable living in the valley.


• Can you give an example of a place where one might be needed and how it might work?


There are two primary situations that would be good fits for this program. The first is a failing system that needs immediate support; the second is the replacement of system in a way that provides extra capacity for those who may need help in the future.

In either case, a group of landowners would create an “association”, then apply to the Town for a loan. To receive the loan, they would be required to meet a list of specific criteria, such as clear regulations for default, and providing the town with updates of system maintenance.

Once approved, the 2012 Waitsfield Community Wastewater Loan Fund will be established with a list of criteria to help prioritize applications, such as being listed by the Vermont board of health as a potential risk area, or providing extra capacity for nearby homeowners and landowners.

• Why should voters approve this loan program at Town Meeting?

The 2012 Waitsfield Community Wastewater Loan Fund represents an opportunity to turn the “big stick” of the impending SRF loan repayments into a “big carrot”, using the STAG grant funds and program precedents from other Vermont towns to provide long-term, low-interest funding for decentralized wastewater improvements in Waitsfield Village and Irasville.

Cost comparisons & Funding sources: Waitsfield Community Wastewater Loan Program

Click on the item to enlarge.

Public meeting on Waitsfield Community Wastewater Loan Program scheduled for Feb. 29

On February 29 at 7 pm in the Big Picture Theater, a public meeting will be held to discuss the first phase of a decentralized wastewater loan program and a supporting Town Meeting Day ballot article.

The process started nearly two years ago, as the Waitsfield Planning Commission's "wastewater committee" began evaluating both the needs and the options for decentralized wastewater systems in our community, with the goal of addressing emerging environmental issues, land-use restrictions, and aging septic systems within Waitsfield Village and Irasville.

This process started more than 18 months after voters turned down a centralized wastewater proposal in the spring of 2008, but a few of the realities from that project have carried over into the current conversation.

Specifically, the Town remains burdened with significant debt from the work done on the failed centralized wastewater project ($672,000) which must be repaid starting in 2013; there are still pockets of critical wastewater needs throughout the area; and a vast majority of surveyed residents and landowners (90%+) are dissatisfied with current wastewater options.

To directly address these issues, the wastewater committee has worked with local, state and federal officials to craft a creative financing program, the first phase of which will be on the Town Meeting Day ballot.

To be known as the Waitsfield Community Wastewater Loan Program, this voluntary program for local property owners would provide 20-year fixed-rate low-interest loans for wastewater projects that meet specific Town criteria. The program would use the resulting loan payments to leverage existing State and Federal monies to pay down the debt from the Town’s failed centralized project.

The Waitsfield Community Wastewater Loan Program would be purely voluntary, and would simply provide an alternative funding option for those with specific wastewater needs in the town center. At the same time, loan repayments coupled with available State and Federal funding would provide funds to pay off existing wastewater debt without burdening local taxpayers.

The plan and the Town Meeting Day ballot article will be discussed during a public meeting on February 29 at 7 pm in the Big Picture Theater.

Additional information regarding the plan and the meeting will be posted on this site as we get closer to the meeting date.

Assessment of Decentralized Wastewater Options: A survey of needs, capacity and solutions for historic Waitsfield Village and Irasville, Vermont

Open publication - Free publishing - More wastewater

Pro-wind: Letter in our in-box

The following letter was received by the PC regarding recent discussions on wind farms.

"In regard to the article in the recent Valley Reporter regarding ways to minimize the visual impacts of wind farms, I wanted to direct your attention to a new technology that will reduce the visual impact of wind farms. Wind farm siting and permitting officials can help lower the visual impact of wind farms by recommending the deployment of new AVWS technologies on wind turbines.

While large wind farms generate clean energy, their constantly flashing red strobe lights cause great public annoyance and is usually not noticed until after the wind farm is sited and constructed. The wind farm’s legacy can include this “light pollution” and have a tremendous negative impact on the community. The effects of these flashing lights on the nearby community should be considered during the wind farm permitting and development process.

Recently approved by the FAA, the new generation of “on-demand” lighting systems solves this problem by keeping all wind turbine obstruction lights OFF at all times - unless an aircraft is detected flying on an unsafe heading towards the wind farm. Only then does the turbine-based radar system turn the lights on for aircraft safety, and turn the lights off when the aircraft exits the airspace. An Audio Visual Warning System (AVWS) is an on-demand lighting solution. Wind siting and permitting officials can request wind power developers to implement an AVWS into their wind farms to reduce these adverse visual impacts in your communities.

An AVWS will benefit your community by:

· Lowering the overall environmental and visual impact of wind farms by reducing “light pollution” and increasing public acceptance in wind energy-producing communities.
· Allow for camouflage paint schemes on turbine towers with no FAA-required 24-hour lights on
· Reducing bird death rates in some areas since migratory birds are less likely to be attracted to wind farm lights and lured toward the operating turbines.
· Fostering more responsible siting practices and therefore overall positive and growth in the wind industry.

PS: If you are interested in learning more about this new technology, please see: http://ocasinc.com/turbine-avoidance-solutions.cfm"

Anti-wind: Images in our in-box

The following images were received by the PC from an opponent to the proposed Northfield Ridge Wind Project.

Wind on the Northfield Ridge .... part 2

With the recent interest of Citizens' Energy in the Mad River Valley ... and their open request for the community to "consider" a 24 wind tower project on the Northfield Range ... I've never seen people screwing themselves into the ground quite as hard. It's the dream that energy geeks have been waiting for! It's the nightmare of opening a pristine ridgeline to development! It's a floor wax! It's a dessert topping!

There are undoubtedly numerous pros to the issue. Top of the list is that it will allow locals to put their money where their mouth is on environmentalism. It will offset some of the helplessness we all feel about the BP oil spill. It will help the region take a step toward a renewable energy future. And it will defray local property taxes, possibly by as much as 10%.

But of course there are cons to the issue as well. In a state with only 10% public land, the undeveloped Northfield Ridgeline is a treasure. It's a critical wildlife corridor for large animals, a critical migratory corridor for birds, and the primary must-be-defended-at-all-costs resource of the Town of Waitsfield's comprehensive plan. A commercial wind farm will mean placing a service road on the entire length of the ridge. There'll be cement. There'll be fences. A commercial wind farm will also mean noise to some neighbors, and an illuminated ridgeline at night with all the safety lights they'll be required to put up.

The scenic impact? We don't know for sure as some people hate the idea yet others love it, but the question of where you'll see the farm is still worth considering. According to a "viewshed analysis" that a friend of mine just did (admittedly unofficial and impefect), you'll be able to see a wind farm on the ridge from just about everywhere .... in Waitsfield as well as far away Waterbury and even Stowe. The pink areas on this map are the places that would catch a glimpse of the spinning towers.

As a town planning commish -- part of the group tasked with writing a town plan that either supports or prohibits such a wind farm -- I've talked to a few dozen people about the idea of a wind farm over the last few weeks. In those travels I've met numerous people that are wholly against the idea, a great deal of folks who are undecided, and a sparse number of eager proponents. It's hardly indicative of a legitimate sample, but it's still food for thought.

Speaking as one member of the PC and not reflecting the opinions of the group or the Town, my instinct at the moment is to preserve the language of the current town plan: that ridgeline preservation is paramount, and that a commercial wind farm on the Northfield Range is prohibited. I feel that since we're in the 11th hour of completing the new plan, that to make such a substantial change to this fundamental building block would be potentially unwise, hasty, and reactionary.

However, I would encourage proponents of wind on the Northfield Range to petition the planning commission. If you're that supportive of a wind project, put it on paper. Let us know that as a community member, you want us to change the language of the Town Plan to allow for a commercial wind farm on the ridgeline. Make it as specific as possible (ie, a vague comment like "do you support wind in Vermont" will get us nowhere) regarding the number of towers you'd want to see.

By doing so, the idea of wind on the Northfield Range will take a very public, yet very specific course. It won't get tied into the approval of the entire Town Plan draft, and as such it will provide very specific input to the PC and the Selectboard. It'll also provide an opportunity for serious public discussion -- with plenty of breathing room so that all the pros and cons can be considered by all the citizens of the community.

Thanks for listening.

Wind power in our backyard?

Big headlines. Front page news. Editorials.

For the last three weeks, our local newspaper has been making a valiant effort to stir it up. And for the last three weeks, they've received one of the strangest things I've ever seen reflected in a community paper.

Public support.

The short story is that a group called Citizen's Energy is eyeballing the Northfield Ridge for a commercial wind farm. That's the eastern border of the Mad River Valley, for those of you scoring at home, and it's currently undeveloped and prohibited from development on the top 1000 feet or so. It's the sunrise ridge of the valley, and from my house it looks like a spectacular, verdant wilderness.

There've been no official plans released. No schematics or vision statements. Just an official comment that it seems unofficially like a good spot for a farm between 12 and 18 turbines. Maybe 1 megawatt per tower, maybe 3. Maybe 150 feet tall. Maybe 450. We'll know more on May 18 when program spokesperson Randy Male (great name, or greatest name ever?) attends the next local Planning Commission meeting ... a board that I'm currently sitting on.

Speaking as a former newspaper hack, I can vouch for the fact that this is exactly the type of story that brings out the pitchforks and torches from the locals. It moves papers off the rack. It's the mother lode of letters to the editor. And it gets people talking.

But something different is happening right now. Part of it has to do with the international story of the foreseeable Gulf oil spill tragedy. And part of it has to do with the local story of a recent eruption of 25 foot-high solar trackers right next to a scenic highway .... just yards away from a living memorial to the casualties of the War in Iraq.

>It was news to me that Vermont Towns, ironically, have extremely limited power when it comes to regulating power. If it's going to the grid, then it's the State's Public Service Board (PSB) that makes the call. They don't have to warn you, they don't have to solicit public comment, they just have to read the local Town Plan and "take it under advisement."

Coincidence of coincidences? We're finishing up the new Town Plan right now, as it expires on June 27, 2010. And one of the last chapters to be done is the one on Energy.

And while our contracted planning consultant told me a few weeks ago that she thought our current Town Plan is "anti-wind," a quick survey of friends and neighbors is that the strongest opinions I've heard so far are for a wind project, not against it.

A few quotes from a local email chain drive it home better than I ever could:

... "The notion that pristine, shiny, new solar panels and wind turbines mar the elegant vista of our landscape is a funny concept. Somehow, the dilapidated structures, auto salvage yards, and miscellaneous crap laying around various properties in the Valley are not an aesthetic issue. No one seems to be concerned that the Skatium, right next door to my business location, has left (for dead) a giant heap of dead refrigerating tubes on the marshland in plain view. And how about the ski trails? We can define them as “beautiful” because we want them, but they are in no way natural or original to our landscape. They present as an almost volcanic flow of whiteness."

... "Why are (renewable energy sources) not just as much a part of a working farm as a tractor or a barn? They’re just another part of the “plant”. What separates the panels from any other part of the operation? A shiny orange Kubota tractor doesn’t exactly scream old-world Vermont, but we embrace it. What makes (renewable energy sources) different than a chimney billowing wood smoke in winter? Nostalgia is not a valid answer."

.... "I fully agree that if we want to get off fossil fuels and nuclear power we should share the impact and if that is visual so be it. Personally I would love to see wind turbines cranking out the juice and knowing where my electricity comes from. Imagine if the current oil spill were a nuclear accident."

..."There is a fine line between being viewed as anti-wind/solar versus being thoughtful in the process of implementing wind/solar. I don’t see the Valley as anti-wind/solar. I think people are saying, let’s be thoughtful planners and intentional good stewards when we contemplate their placement. (But let’s not drag our feet in the process….)"

And the kicker:

... "For projects like this one, it is standard practice for the developer to make an annual Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) to the town(s) where the project is sited. In the case of [a recent project in Lowell, VT], the amount will be $400,000 to $500,000 - substantial when the town’s annual budget (not including the school) is $420,000. To put that into local perspective, Waitsfield total tax revenue in 2009 (i.e. Town income from taxes) was $1,164,850."


The wind project as well as other local issues relating to Energy will be discussed at the May 18 Waitsfield Planning Commission meeting. We're expecting a decent crowd, so we're looking for a larger venue and will publicize that as soon as we pin it down.

Bring a snack. It could be a long one.

Tuesday, May 4 .... Waitsfield Planning Commission Agenda

WAITSFIELD PLANNING COMMISSION AGENDA
Tuesday, May 4, 2010, 7:00 p.m.

All meetings are hosted at the Town Office (9 Bridge Street) and are open to the public.


AGENDA

1. CALL TO ORDER / ROLL CALL

2. TOWN PLAN UPDATE—Brandy Saxton will meet with the board for a discussion of the latest draft of the 2010 Town Plan.

3. UPDATES ON OTHER BOARD MEETINGS

4. OTHER BUSINESS

5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES—April 20th, 2010.

7. ADJOURNMENT

Monday, May 3 .... Waitsfield Selectboard Agenda

Selectboard Meeting Agenda for Monday, May 3, 2010, 7:00 P.M.

All meetings are open to the public and hosted at the Waitsfield Town Office


AGENDA

I. Call to Order: 7:00 P.M.

II. Regular Business.
1. Public forum. (5 min.)

2. Ratification of Municipal Planning Grant Resolution. (5 min.) ACTION: Vote on Resolution.

3. Festival Permit Application: Waitsfield Farmers' Market, May - October 2010, Mad River Green, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. (5 min.) ACTION: Vote on application.

4. Consideration of Town Treasurer's request to appoint a monthly bank statement reconciler. (5 min.) ACTION: Vote on request.

5. Wait House improvements: consideration of loan options. (10 min.) ACTION: Vote on loan option.

6. Continued Annual Appointment of Town Officers: Town Service Officer, Scenic Roads Committee. (10 min.) ACTION: Consider candidate(s); vote on appointment(s).

7. Request for improvements to Waitsfield's Lareau Park. (15 min.) ACTION: Vote on request, next steps.

8. Continued consideration of infrastructure summit and project details. (30 min.) ACTION: Discuss details; determine next steps.

9. Bills payable & Treasurer's warrants.

10. Selectboard roundtable. (15 min.)

11. Town Administrator's report (4 pgs, 262 KB) . (5 min.)

III. Other Business.
1. Correspondence/reports received.

IV. Executive Session re. water project litigation and real estate negotiations.

V. Adjourn.