One-third of Easement Letters Not Returned to Lakeland Sewer
Posted
Jordan Fouts-
NORTH WEBSTER – About 600 lake chain residents haven’t returned easement letters two months past the deadline set by the Lakeland Regional Sewer District.
That’s a third of easement requests sent out, district board members learned during their meeting Thursday.
The easements are needed for installation of lateral lines and grinders for the sewer system. The district needs 80 percent of easement letters signed in order for the United States Department of Agriculture – Rural Development to close on the loan for project funding, board members said during their July meeting.
In addition, a landowner who was in talks to sell one-tenth of an acre for what engineers with DLZ Indiana LLC describe as an ideal location for a pumping station has cut off contact, engineers told the board Thursday.
Invoking eminent domain may be necessary in both the truant easements and the land purchase, engineers confirmed to the board.
For now, board members agreed to continue following up on the requests and reminder letters they have been sending for months.
Easements are still the “safest, best, and least expensive” way forward, remarked Board President Dave Doctor.
“We’re really not taking any land, we’re just running a sewer line underground,” he said, adding that before and after pictures will be taken.
A rate ordinance and connection fees are also in the works, board members said, as well as a design schedule and procurement of a grinder station provider.
The board won’t be in a position to send out bids until easements are in. They expressed uncertainty on a timeline at this point.
“Bid prices are still coming in under estimates, but they may go up. Every day we lose is a chance the price goes up,” Doctor observed. On the other hand, he said, taking advantage of low bids and current interest rates will result in a lower user rate in the end.
