Chester residents won’t commit to municipal water until they see better numbers.
A meeting was held at Chester Area Middle School last night to answer questions about a proposed central water system for the Village of Chester.
The area has struggled for decades with water issues ranging from dry wells to high bacterial counts.
Councillor Danielle Barkhouse acknowledges council doesn’t have all the specifics for the project at the moment.
“I think the real point here is to get the pre-design, get the source [ground water or surface], and find out how much it’s really going to cost because you can’t just shoot in a bucket and hope for the best.”
Some projections on proposed @chestermun water supply system pic.twitter.com/6RsRdFPcoL
— Ed Halverson (@edwardhalverson) December 11, 2018
The project is estimated to cost in the neighbourhood of $45 million dollars.
The municipality says that could leave homeowners on the hook for six to eight hundred dollars a year for the next 25 years.
Some in the audience were concerned about the affordability of the project for low income families.
Councillor Danielle Barkhouse was among those.
“And I question that, can I afford it? What are we going to do? I don’t know, but I’m sure we’re going to have to figure something out because we don’t want people packing up and moving out.”
Barkhouse says council is looking to hear from residents before voting begins on January 18.
She says they can leave questions with the municipal office or contact their councillors.
Another information session will be held January 15.
Reported by: Ed Halverson
Twitter: @edwardhalverson
E-mail: halverson.ed@radioabl.ca
