https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Ballston-voters-hit-polls-for-15-8-million-sewer-12844780.php
Ballston voters hit polls for $15.8 million sewer vote
Updated 2:18 pm, Wednesday, April 18, 2018
BALLSTON — Voters are heading to the polls Wednesday to decide the fate of a controversial $15.8 million sewer line in Burnt Hills that every resident and business will be forced to hook into.
Voter turnout has been heavy for the vote at the Ballston Town Hall which runs from noon to 8 p.m.
The sewer system is opposed by many residents because the cost to every homeowner in this newly designated district is at least $926 a year, plus another one-time fee of $3,500 to $10,000 to hook-into the line. Those homes that will need a grinder, to help pump the sewage uphill, will be paying an additional fee of $3,500.
Resident who refuses to hookup, the draft sewer law indicates, could be fined $500 to $1,000 per day — or face jail time — until they do hook in.
But Ballston official say it's worth it for residents to vote yes on the new sewer district because it will reduce the sewage seeping into the Alplaus Kill and will promote development along Route 50 in Burnt Hills.
Many businesses along Route 50 are for the line, including Morris Ford and Burnt Hills Hardware.
But many residents question whether it's needed, especially those with new homes and new septics. They are also skeptical about sewage seeping into the Alplaus Kill because the state Department of Environmental Conservation has not found unacceptable levels in the creek.
Residents believe that the sewer line is being put in to lure developers. They fear overdevelopment and destroying the rural character of the community.
Town officials are split, 3-2, on the sewer line issue. Town Supervisor Tim Szczepaniak and Town Board members Bill Goslin and Kelly Stewart, whose husband works in construction, are in favor of the sewer district.
Town board members Chuck Curtiss and John Antoski are against it.
