The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1941-02-20
COUNCIL may BUY
Land FOR SEWAGE
DISPOSAL PLANT
Sentiment at Meeting Monday
Night is Favorable to
This Move
Town Has Option on Five Acre
Tract from Utility
Company

| preparing Tor the Likelihood tnat
a municipal sewage disposal system
eventually will be constructed here,
strong sentiment for the purchase of
site for the location of the plant
developed at the meeting of the
town council Monday night.
An option on a five acre tract of
land at the north edge of town was
granted to the town last April by the
Central Ohio Light and Power Co.
for the cost of 81.
The option secured covers two
year period and should the munich
pality buy the land the cost is stipu-
lated at $4,000. Site on which the
option is held is at the western end
of the Buckeye lake, bounded by the
Bigler road, the A. c. d Y. railroad
and the western extremity of the
quarry. 1t is the triangular strip on
which the old dynamite house" is
located.
DEFENDS ON FUNDS
Purchase of the site by the coun-
ell is dependent on the availability of
funds, the councilmen expressing
sentiment that action now is advis-
able due to the limited number of
sites available.
Further reason for taking action
while sufficient time remains before
the expiration of the option date, is
seen in the legal difficulties that
may be encountered in releasing the
land which is included in collateral
for bonds issued by the power COM
pany.
The land on which the Central
Ohio Power Co. plant is located has
been used as lien against the out
standing issue of the company's
derlying issue of the company's
bonds Due to the fact that this real
estate is part of the property pledged
to secure these bonds, it would be
necessary to undergo certain legal
processes to make the site available
to the town.
TIME REQUIRED
Had the power company known of
this possible development in time,
considerable difficulties could have
been saved by simply not including
the proposed site in the collateral, it
was stated at the meeting. Due to
the fact that considerable time will
be required before the land could
come into the towns possession, it
was felt at the council meeting that
action be taken on the matter in the
near future.
Further in line with the probabil-
ity of the revival of the sewage dis
posal issue, was the action of the
council recently when they approved
plan to keep the opportunity open
for federal assistance.
Much preliminary engineering work
has been done in previous years pre-
paratory to the presentation of the
sewer issue at the polls. A letter
received recently by Mayor w. A.
Howe from w. B. Schmuhl, district
manager of the Works Progress Ad-
ministration at Toledo asked what
disposition the council wished to
make of the plans, drawings and spe-
cifications.
FEDERAL FUNDS
The letter also pointed out that
federal assistance would be available
: should the council decide to bring the
matter again to vote. Members of
the council indicated that it would
not now be feasible to present the
issue to the voters again but that
it would be wise to keep the situa-
tion open for a more opportune time.
Bluffton voters have turned down
proposals to construct sewer systems
five different time during 13 year
period. The most recent instance
was in November 1889 when a pro-
posed $4,000 bond issue for the con-
struction of a municipal sewer sys-
tenn was defeated by margin OF
three per cent of the required Sc
per cent minimum prescribed by law
The district w. p. A. office indi.
Gated a willingness to give an ad
vance approval to a plan for con
9 struction of sewer system here
1 With this pre-approval the council
indicated that they would be less re
luctant to place the issue at som,
future date before the voters.