Your Opinions Wanted

[Biskit]

Hypothetical situation:

You live in a town that is over a hundred years old. An upcoming vote asks you to decide between the following:

1) New water and sewer mains to replace antiques already in the ground
2) Renovate parking lots downtown to give a facelift to an area which is no longer the business center of town.
3) Repair an old dam which pools water for the benefit of a few rich folks.

Mind you that each of the projects will add special assessments to your property taxes. Maybe $100/year for quite a few years.

[TexasGirl]

If my taxes go up, it's gonna be new water and sewer lines! I'm not paying for BS!!

[chowhound]

Hmmm...
I live in a town that's a lot older than just over 100 years old and here's my take.

We renovated downtown with new parking areas, wider street, trees. Business still left the downtown area, but it is nicer to drive through in a superficial kind of way.

Sewer and water is very invasive. Traffic problems, destroyed property.... nobody likes construction. I'm a big believer in replace it when it breaks.

I'm not sure I understand 3... so there's a dam that creates a scenic view that only those that live there (the rich folks) can enjoy? No public access, no fishing or anything? Yet everyone's property value would go up? That doesn't sound good either.

I'd move.
lol

[Biskit]

There is a little bit of public access via an alley that ends at water's edge. It's all private property otherwise, so public access is very limited.

Your take on the water and sewer lines is interesting, Chowhound.
If they'd just repaved the street by your house and two months later, had to dig up part of it to repair a broken main, would you like to be paying specials on the repaving job with a big ugly patch job where the main was fixed??

That happens all the time here. :whistle:

[suziquzie]

I've suddenly just remembered why I love my well water and septic tank.
:)

That said, if I HAD to choose?
Sewers.

[buzzard767]

My little summer town dates back to the mid 1800's when logging was king. 30 years ago the downtown area started to deteriorate as businesses moved a few miles to be near the Interstate highway. Through a determined effort by the city to revitalize the heart of town, now known as the river district, it is once again active and beautiful and is where I choose to live.

The people of Wausau did what they had to do to fix a broken downtown area. In the case of Jamestown (I assume what this is all about), if the water and sewer mains all will need replacing before too long than I would vote to do it now and get it over with.

[chowhound]

If they dug up the road I would not be paying anyone to resurface it. That happens all the time here, too. The road crew resurfaces it with our tax money. They are also supposed to adequately repair anything they disturb within their eavesment, so if they tore up the end of my driveway they would have to fix that, too. So given the choice to tear it up now and replace something before it breaks, or tear it up when it breaks, I'll go for the latter. There's going to be down time either way.
And I live by Erie. Road patches are a way of life (lol).

[pugger]

I am going to vote for number 3 :moon::pee_smilie::tongue:


Sorry, just wanted to venture over to the dark side for a moment :sorry:

[buzzard767]

I am going to vote for number 3 :moon::pee_smilie::tongue:


Sorry, just wanted to venture over to the dark side for a moment :sorry:

You rich people are all alike. :yum:

[RobsanX]

Water and sewer makes the most sense. If one doesn't get a majority, will they have a runoff vote?

[joec]

It would be sewer and water lines hands down.

[Miniman]

I would go for water & sewage as well.

[chowhound]

Hey wait a minute..... do our votes count?
:bonk:

[Fisher's Mom]

Hey wait a minute..... do our votes count?
:bonk:Everyones but yours, Fred.:tongue:

[lilylove]

#1

Seems like that would benefit the most peoples...

[Biskit]

If they dug up the road I would not be paying anyone to resurface it. That happens all the time here, too. The road crew resurfaces it with our tax money. They are also supposed to adequately repair anything they disturb within their eavesment, so if they tore up the end of my driveway they would have to fix that, too. So given the choice to tear it up now and replace something before it breaks, or tear it up when it breaks, I'll go for the latter. There's going to be down time either way.
And I live by Erie. Road patches are a way of life (lol).

I see what you're saying, Chow, and you're right in that aspect. However, if the water or sewer main in question is ancient and we repair a break, how long before it breaks somewhere else?
We have one section of water main in town here that has repair bands almost next to each other for an entire block! How many times will it be dug and fixed before the costs of the many repairs equals or exceeds replacing the entire main?
As for you not having to pay????? Guess again, Buddy. You pay one way or another.
As for a vote........it's not up for a vote. Studies and all that are in order, so any serious repairs will be a year or better away.
We may damned well be in the same predicament next spring as we are now.
And, Buzz, you're right, it is Jamestown.

[Mama]

I would definitely vote for the water and sewer. The infrastructure here in Atlanta is crumbling and it seems like every time you turn around there is yet another water main break, the street is flooded and the road closed until it's fixed. I say just fix it all now and get it over with.

[Lefty]

+1 S&W

[Biskit]

Okay, now, everybody do us a huge favor and come to Jamestown, North Dakota, the first monday night of next month and tell the damned city council what you think. Hell! They might listen to you, they don't listen to the locals, that's for damned sure.

[chowhound]

Jamestown? I was just in Jamestown today.
(New York) ;^)

This sewer thing is kinda close to my heart, so to speak... They are going to be putting sewer down my road maybe next year, maybe five years from now. They won't tell us. I AM NOT looking forward to it, not only for tearing things up, but I know I'll have to pay an arm and a leg for the mandatory hookup. More than anyone else because my business is also on my property and I have the most frontage, but I've been told sometimes the cost is divided evenly in that respect. Still, not looking forward to having to spend all that money hooking up, probably twice, then having the monthly or quarterly bills. And I wouldn't doubt if they don't make me hook up to the water at the same time, even though I never have a problem with my well. I'm the only one on the road not hooked up to the water line. Come to think of it, I bet my well gets funky with them disturbing the water table to put in that sewer line. It's a shallow well. Nope, not looking forward to it.

Anyway, long range plans I guess it's the way to go, but I don't look further than my plate (lol).

[dandiamond]

#1- Water & Sewer.
If # 3 Passes-
:pee_smilie:

[Fisher's Mom]

Water and sewer gets my vote.

[Love2"Q"]

#1 .. we had it done about 5 years ago ...
6 months of pure hell ....
but it was worth it ..