Earlier this month U.S Senator Bernie Sanders recommended that Waitsfield’s work to develop and construct a wastewater system for Waitsfield Village and Irasville receive $10.4 million in congressionally directed spending. A very preliminary estimate of the project being considered for the town is $21.9 million for capital costs of engineering and construction.
That represents a significant drop in the bucket towards the costs of a municipal system and although the money is not guaranteed, the recommendation is the first of multiple steps.
Haley Pero in Sanders’ office, in a May 3, 2023, email to Waitsfield planning and zoning administrator JB Weir, said the Waitsfield project was a good fit under the Senate Interior Subcommittee which offers funding for water infrastructure.
Pero provided a link to all of Sanders’ recommendations and the $10.4 million for Waitsfield is the largest recommendation, representing almost half of the senator’s total $22,873,000 in suggested spending allocations.
The news comes as the town awaits a preliminary engineering review (PER) from its engineers at Dubois and King. The PER as well as an early water and wastewater feasibility study (also conducted by Dubois and King) have been funded by forgivable state grants. The congressionally directed spending (CDS) has a 20% percent non-federal match.
The feasibility study was conducted by the town’s water and wastewater study committee and identified existing wastewater capacity in Irasville and Waitsfield Village as well as potential locations for expanding capacity within those areas and outside of those areas.
The proposed service area is from the intersection of Route 17 to the southern edge of Waitsfield Telecom. That work was presented to the select board last winter and authorization to have the engineers conduct the PER focused on two options developed by the task force.
Those options include Scenario 5B which identifies developing wastewater capacity at the Munn site as well as an unidentified site north of the village. A site at the former Spaulding farm property near Center Fayston Road had been discussed per engineer Jon Ashleyy. Selected for engineering with Scenario 5B was Scenario 2 which would prioritize connecting properties with private wells in Irasville and the village to the town’s water system, removing well shields and potentially freeing up suitable soils for in-ground wastewater systems.
While the PER will provide better estimates of costs, when the feasibility study was presented, cost of those options was estimated at $21.9 million. If the project continues at its expected pace, town voters will be asked to approve a bond for the town’s share of system costs at Town Meeting 2024 with the project coming on line in 2026.
