There is a very large contingent of homes that should not be included in the Lakeland Regional Sewer District. I will use the same outline that Mr. Beeching used and point out "facts" that prove my point.
1) Lot Size - My lot and I believe all lots at Stanton Lake Estates are larger than 20,000 square feet. This would cover about 100 homes or lots in this neighborhood. We more than fulfill the legal requirements for lot size as outlined in his letter.
2) Soil Types - Stanton Lake Estates has an overwhelming base of sand under a thin to moderate topsoil cover. I have lived in two homes in Stanton Lake and I know personally that the septic systems have worked beautifully for over 28 years. Living at Stanton Lake as long as I have (second-longest resident), I have personally watched over 60 homes being built. When the excavators break ground for a basement, many layers of sand and stone are exposed insuring great septic field success.
3) Stanton Lake Estates is not in a flood plain. We have a mean elevation well above the Tippecanoe Lake.
4) Again, our septic systems work due to the sandy nature of our soils and the size of the leech fields we built. But, an even bigger reason for our success is that our homes are not oversized for our lots. We have not torn down small weekend cottages and built tremendously large four, five or six bathroom homes on small lots. It was sheer madness to think that even if the county approved the "new" home, that all of the waste water could be controlled. Consider that over the last 28 years of living here, maybe three or four homes have had to work on their systems. Out of 90 occupied homes over the years, this is an insignificant percentage. So don't say our systems are failing.
5) The data on Stanton Lake Estates homes as presented clearly shows that our inclusion is simply a money grab. By including Stanton Lake Estates, the sewer district can add about 90 homes to their general revenue stream. This grab of our money does nothing for us. It won't give us (new or expanded) access to Tippecanoe Lake, nor does it increase our homes values. However, it will clearly improver the values of current Tippecanoe lakefront owners property at a substantial cost to me and the other residents of Stanton Lake Estates.
I insist that Stanton Lake Estate property be omitted from this Lakeland Regional Sewer District.
Over 30 years ago I moved into this same sewer scenario in Wisconsin and the costs to non-lake-front owners were absurd. At the time the increase in all fees and taxes (like general building bonds, monthly sewer charges, special assessments for upgrades to the sewer plant, and don't forget the mandatory sewer tap-on fee, as well as your personal cost to hook into the system) cost nearly $5,000.
Leave Stanton Lake Estates out of this financially one-sided deal.
