Why the rush to sewer the island?
We can imagine several reasons why the City is rushing to sewer our island despite the excellent quality of our waterways and the lack of evidence that they are likely to become polluted in the near future. Some council members may honestly believe that sewers are the only way to preserve our waters (C.A.R.E.S. disagrees), but it is apparent to anyone who attends a council meeting that our councilors are presented with only one point of view: that of the City Manager and his staff. Unlike senators and congressmen who have independent research people, EVERY City Councilor relies upon the SAME person for advice: the City Manager. Under these conditions, it is the City Manager’s responsibility to present ALL viable options to the Council for deliberation and decision. There is little evidence that this is how it works; instead, the City Manager recommends one solution, and the Council usually approves unanimously.
Why the rush to sewer the island? Some citizens think that, when we bought the utility, we bought "a pig in a poke," that the present sewer system is on the verge of failure, needs to be replaced and this is the best way to spread the pain; others think it is empire-building on the part of the City Manager and his staff; and others think it is being done to prepare for a major increase in population density which will change the character of our island forever. Take your choice.
Personally, I favor the "pig-in-the-poke/verge-of-failure" possibility. I was told by City Finance Director, Bill Harrison, that we bought the water/sewer utility with only 3 days of inspection by our engineers. From a technical standpoint, that’s not adequate "due diligence." Furthermore, many smart number crunchers have made powerful arguments that we vastly overpaid for it. How well has it been operated? Well, the plant's operating permit expired in June, and it has been operated without a permit ever since. This is possible through a quirk in the law that allows a plant to be operated pending correction of the noted “deficiencies” if a permit has been applied for in a timely manner. You can’t stop the poop from flowing so there’s no option other than to continue to operate as best you can.
Expansion? The staff has applied for a permit to "improve" the present plant "without request for increase in capacity." The application was returned with two pages of deficiencies. The Fort Myers DEP office seemed perplexed that the City didn’t request a permit to increase capacity because the present plant cannot handle more sewage and the City already has construction permits to lay pipe in the Tigertail and North Barfield districts. The reason the permit application did not include a request for increase in capacity is quite simple: the changes have yet to be designed!
On November 1, Council approved a contract for $624,976 to design the changes needed to increase capacity. A 6-person panel (unidentified) rejected the low bid and chose CDM. Some have raised an eyebrow because Rony Joel (the City’s Public Works Director) was Senior VP of CDM before coming to Marco, but nothing nefarious need be implied. The low bid is not necessarily the "best" bid, and Mr. Joel’s past employer should not be ruled out simply because they had employed him in the past. CDM recently received other City contracts and may be more familiar with City plans than their competitors. In any event, until the design to increase plant capacity is complete, a permit issued, and the required changes made – most likely several years in the future - people in the Tigertail and North Barfield Districts cannot be hooked up. The pipeline, for which the City has a construction permit, is a pipeline to nowhere!
At minimum, staff has mismanaged this entire project. Plant capacity should be the first item on the agenda, not the last. Sewer lines should not be laid until the plant can accept more sewage. The cart has been put before the horse.
The sewer project has taken on a life of its own and is proceeding without any serious research to justify it. Why? Because the wrong question was asked. Instead of focusing on the real objective – clean water – the staff concentrated on the best way "to sewer" the island and presented only one point of view to the Council. C.A.R.E.S. knows that there are alternatives to "big pipe" gravity sewers that are environmentally sound (preferable in many respects), permanent solutions to wastewater management. The U.S. EPA agrees. So does the Florida Department of Health and Department of Environmental Protection in Tallahassee. The staff never investigated these alternatives so no options were presented to the Council.
At a recent council meeting, C.A.R.E.S. suggested a workshop at which both sides of this issue could be discussed by experts. Council members finally agreed but wanted it to be in the context of a Council meeting with its strict structure, limited timeframe, and biased nature. (Council is on record as favoring sewers.) C.A.R.E.S. asked MICA (the Marco Island Civic Association) to host the meeting and they have agreed. The workshop probably will be held in January. C.A.R.E.S. will suggest experts to present the case for onsite wastewater management; the City will present experts to present the case for sewers, and the people can decide.
C.A.R.E.S. is the only organization that stands between you and the possibility of an overflowing lift station in front of your house. C.A.R.E.S. is the only organization that stands between you and TWO 8-foot concrete pads – a round silo cover and a square metal hatch – complete with a shiny new 12-foot high/4-foot wide electrical control panel … in your front yard! C.A.R.E.S. is the only organization that stands between you and construction debris and traffic congestion for the next 7 to 10 years. C.A.R.E.S. knows there is a better way to preserve our waters. Our suggestions need to be heard and evaluated. We need your support to stop this freight train! Send a contribution to:
C.A.R.E.S.
P. O. Box 1847
Marco Island , FL 34146
Thank you,
Ed Foster
Chairman, C.A.R.E.S.
Prepared by Citizens Advocating Responsible Environmental Solutions, Inc. (C.A.R.E.S.)