RI Central - Council lays groundwork for sewers

Town Council takes first step toward seeing sewers installed along the Post Road Corridor

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NORTH KINGSTOWN — The North Kingstown Town Council has taken the first step in what could be a long process to install sewers along the Post Road Corridor.

Last week the council unanimously approved an act that would enable the town to issue no more than $10 million in bonds and notes to finance sewer construction in North Kingstown.

The act now goes to the town’s local legislative delegation for approval by the General Assembly.

Ultimately, a special election will be held where taxpayers will determined whether or not to install sewers in town.

The $10 million this act approves is less than 50 percent of the project’s total cost which, based on preliminary design plans, is estimated at $31 million.

For the past few years, the town has worked to improve Post Road in accordance with its proposed Post Road Corridor project which is part of the 2007 North Kingstown Comprehensive Plan. Discussion over the possibility of installing sewers along Post Road began last December.

Embury said the enabling legislation doesn’t solidify the installation of sewers.

“We need to take a look at the possibility of installing sewers using Post Road as a spine. But in order to even start detailed plans you have to have enabling legislation and then have the money approved for the installation,” Embury said.

The legislation is modeled after Portsmouth legislation that was passed in 2007.

“This document just gives the town the opportunity to move forward with the sewers. When the Department of Environmental Management is done with Portsmouth, they’ll come to North Kingstown and take a look at the areas that could benefit from the sewers,” Embury said, such as areas with failing septic systems.

In December, James Geremia, a consultant from Consulting Environmental Engineers & Scientists, said the town’s septic systems were beginning to fail and that most of the systems have been around for 30 years or more.

“To replace them would cost residents a minimum of $25,000,” he said.

With an average life of 50 to 75 years, Geremia said sewers last longer than septic systems and the pumps last between 15 and 20 years.

The substantial cost of such a project had some residents a little uneasy.

“This is a large project, starting at the town line of East Greenwich and North Kingstown and stretching south to Camp Avenue. The high school cost $32 million and to date that’s the biggest public project in town. The concern is the price to the residents and community,” Wickford resident Robin Porter said.

But resident Charles Stamm said the town’s “deteriorating” septic systems were concern and that not going forward with the project could have detrimental consequences.

The proposed sewer project would be split into two sections, Post Road South and Post Road North. The Post Road north segment would include pump stations directly across from Chadsey Road near CVS Pharmacy, one at Yorktown Road, one at Newcomb Road and one to service the Pine River Road Service area.

The first phase of the project will cover 3.9 miles and 652 acres.

The Post Road South segment would entail the installation of pump stations just south of Camp Avenue, south of Smith’s Castle and a third off Roger Williams Way in Quonset.