Sewer project moves forward

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor

CHICOPEE Mayor Michael Bissonnette announced on Friday that work on the city's Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) problem is moving forward with bids now being sought for the Fairview sewer separation project and a new wastewater treatment facility at Jones Ferry.

Like many older communities, Chicopee has a sewer system that combines storm water with household waste. This system can mean that some household sewage can be swept into the Connecticut River without treatment. The Environmental Protection Agency has mandated the city install a new sewer system to address this issue.

Bissonnette said that, although there is a federal mandate, there is no federal funding for the project. He said the city recently received a $32.4 million loan from the state Department of Environmental Protection to help cover the cost of the Fairview and Jones Ferry projects.

He thanked the Legislature for increasing a previous set cap of $20 million on such loans. He said the city would be able to save about $10 million in interest on the loan because of the two percent interest rate set by the state. In the open market, the interest rate would be between four and five percent, he added.

He described the two projects as a "huge component of the fix" and that the "last ten percent [of the overall project] is the most expensive and the hardest to do."

He explained that up to 50 streets in the Fairview section of the city would be torn up so that new sewer lines can be installed. The construction will not affect the sewer lines coming from individual buildings to the street.

Bissonnette will host a community meeting for Ward Nine residents on Jan. 31 at the Castle of Knights at 6 p.m. to address particular concerns.

Fifty newly paved streets is one of the benefits of the Fairview project for the neighborhood, Bissonnette said.

He said the bids should return at the ends of the month and construction of the Fairview project is expected to be completed by the end of 2008.

Bissonnette said the Jones Ferry wastewater treatment project is to augment the city's current facility and will be built ton city-owned land. He said its construction, which is scheduled to be completed in early 2009, should not affect the surrounding neighborhood.