Town Meeting Set For Water Line Extension

By Steve Bigham

The Legislative Council Wednesday voted unanimously in favor of a $516,000 bonding resolution to run a water line to Newtown High School.

A town meeting has been scheduled for next Wednesday (June 26) at 7:30 pm at the Cyrenius H. Booth Library.

The water line has become essential due to problems with the existing drinking water at the school and the need for irrigation of the soon-to-be-renovated athletic fields. The school’s existing wells are apparently unfit to handle watering all the fields.

The plan is to extend United Water of Connecticut’s water line from its current termination point on Route 34 (in Sandy Hook center) to Newtown High School and several adjacent residential properties on Oakview Road to provide potable water. Project costs include engineering design fees, plans and specifications, rights of way, easements, construction costs, testing, inspection, resident representation services, site work, construction contingencies, legal fees, and other miscellaneous costs necessary for construction of the water line.

The Board of Education has lined up a low-interest loan from the state to pay for the project. The State Drinking Water Fund lends school districts money at half the prime lending rate, which school officials figure would be around 2.66 percent. The loan –– to be paid off over 20 years –– does not begin to be repaid for one year following the end of construction.

The Board of Education has considered drilling wells and in essence becoming its own water company, but soon discovered how costly such a move would be.

The United Water Company has agreed to cover $60,000 in costs.