The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-01-17
A SEWER QUESTION.

Some Main Street Kicking Over Assess
ments 10 Get Sewerage Into the River
Statement OF the Law and Fact In the
Case
The bailiffs are to give a hearing
this evening on the appeal of some of
the Main street property owners from
the assessment for the new sewer laid
the past summer along the river
bank, into which all the sewers from
Main street are required to empty, as
also do the Green, Elliot, Frost and
Flat street and Estcyville and Mechan-
les Square sewers. The new sewer,
beginning back OF the town and run
ming down as far as the railroad arch,
is about $50 long and the cost of 1885 is
assessed upon the Main street property
to the amount of about 21a mills on
the 81. of the grand list. The cost of
the completion of the improvement,
carrying the sewerage, thus all brought
together, in II inch pipe 132 feet
out into the current of the Connecticut
is to be borne by the village. This is
to be done as soon as low water will
permit, as it is designed TO have it
low enough so that ice and logs will
not interfere with it.
OF course there is no dispute that
it is a great improvement, for the old
sewers, emptying from five to 20 feet
from the edge of the water. made IA
horrible mess in summer time and
much of the sewerage which got into
the stream was carried back into
pool by the eddy forming at the mouth
of the Milestone. DR.. Miller, as
health officer, condemned it and notified
the baiiffs and selectmen and also the
property holders, all in writing, that it
must be rcmedied.
The kick against the assessment,
however, is based first on the claim
an improvement or repairs of existing
sewers and SO TO be paid for by the
village; and, second, on the claim
that it is unjust because the assess
ment is all placed on Main street and
all the rest of the village empties into
it free. The baiiifs in reply say that
when DR.. Miller ordered the work TO be
done. there were Just two ways of do
ing il. one Of constructing this sewer
for sewers on the bank as they did. the
other running it down Main street
itself. IL they had done the latter,
which would nave cost nve tlmeG as
much, there would have been no doubt
but that Main street would have to
pay ii. The assessment was all placed
on Main street because it is the only
in the village that has not
paid sewer assessments. True, the
owners have all built private sewers,
but the least that could have been
done, under DR.. Miller's orders, was
to compel each one to extend out to
the current, which would have had to
be done every spring after ice and log |
time and been far more expensive ult
mately, than the plan adopted.
As to the law, Act ITO of the last |
legislature amending our charter |
provided that Every person whose
particular drain or sewer pipe shall |
enter any common sewer or
main drain previously built shall be
iable''for his share of the cost. This
would seem to cover it.
One suggestion about the matter is
% carry the whole thing over until
lext year, and then run the sewer fur
her along the bank so as to clear up
he sewerage of the whole of the north
art of the village. But that would
make the expense TO the Main street
still heavier than is proposed
low.