THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 28, 1995 TAG: 9509270188
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
After being warned to stay conservative, place more money in their general fund, and develop enough money to pay for a new source of water, the City Council last weekend tentatively agreed to cut drastically a connection fee that longtime residents pay to get city water.
The unexpected agreement came Saturday during a two-day retreat at Tidewater Community College's Portsmouth campus. The meeting was held to discuss future capital and utility issues as Suffolk faces as much as $300 million in capital and utility projects over the next 10 years.
The water fee, formerly known as the water resource recovery fee, is currently charged to both new and existing homeowners to get city water.
The council tentatively decided to cut the fee in half for longtime residents, arguing that new homeowners should help pay the cost of getting water to longtime Suffolk residents, many of whom have been waiting years to get on-line.
``If I've been paying for 35 years,'' said Councilman Richard R. Harris, ``why should I pay more?''
While cutting the fee for existing residents, the council also tentatively agreed to increase the sewer and water connection fees for new residents.
The compromise could be voted on at the council's Oct. 4 meeting.
The seven-member council was warned that cutting the water resource recovery fee would mean that the money would have to come from somewhere else.
The fee is charged to pay for the cost of bringing water lines to new homes. And according to City Manager Myles E. Standish, the fee covers the cost of the water lines only.
The day before deciding to halve the fee, the council had been told to approach the city's next 10 years carefully.
Water is one of the city's main concerns. If the city were to suffer from a prolonged drought, Suffolk now has the ability to pump 3.9 million gallons per day. But if a new industry should decide to come to Suffolk soon, the demand for water will soon deplete that yield.
According to Al Moore, director of public utilities, the city should consider spending as much as $40 million in water projects over the next five years.
Included in that figure is $3.4 million for a new well near Reid's Ferry. This well would raise the city's safe yield to 7.5 million gallons per day in northeast Suffolk until the year 2001.
Over the next 10 years, the city could spend as much as $60 million on upgrading the local water system, $40.2 million on sanitary sewer projects and $35 million on various neighborhood water and sewer projects.
Those figures prompted Councilman Thomas G. Underwood to ask, ``What are we going to charge for water? Ten dollars a gallon?''
From the Department of Parks and Recreation came news that there are tentative plans to spend $1.11 million over the next 10 years to renovate city hall. There are also tentative plans for a $3.8 million public safety building. The city has discussed locating the building across from the current police headquarters.
City officials are cautious about these proposed projects, calling them a Christmas list for the city.
Other items mentioned at the council's retreat included:
Spending $750,000 to upgrade the city's communications system. The current system is overburdened and needs more channels as the city grows, according to Fire Chief Mark Outlaw.
The city spent $3.75 million on a new communications system five years ago.
Plans to develop Constant's Wharf into a city park. Replacing the bulkhead and re-engineering the land to prevent flooding could cost the city as much as $2.1 million.
Building a new city pool. The current city pool in Cypress Park is 35 years old and, according to city officials, on its last legs. ``We're not sure we're going to be able to open that pool next year,'' said Dinesh Tiwari, head of Parks and Recreation. ``It's basically a huge bathtub that has the potential to explode.''
The pool's filtration system is shot and the concrete has seriously deteriorated.
Spending about $1.15 million to create a jogging and biking trail along 16 miles of old CSX railroad tracks in Suffolk. The trail would be able to connect with other regional trails. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
``If I've been paying for 35 years, why should I pay more?'' said
Councilman Richard R. Harris about the city's water resource
recovery fee.
According to City Manager Myles E. Standish, the water resource
recovery fee covers the cost of the water lines only that connect to
new homes.
by CNB