By Arthur Foulkes
Newport — The Vermillion County town of Newport is divided over a proposal to build a municipal sewer system.
About 30 people attended a sometimes-heated Monday night town board meeting in the Lions Club building on the town square.
Many present expressed support for at least looking into the feasibility of the idea. A few people, however, expressed strong opposition. Well over half of the approximately 40 people at a similar town meeting last week expressed opposition to the idea of a sewer system.
“We’re going to do what the people tell us to do,” said Paul Lee, president of the board. The board then voted 4-0 to mail a letter to the town’s approximately 270 water customers to ask whether they support hiring a consultant to conduct a feasibility study for the proposed system.
Lee, who said he personally will pay the postage costs for the mailing, said he hopes the letters will be sent this week.
The proposed feasibility study would cost approximately $5,000. However, some at the meeting suggested funding for the study could be at least partly provided by the Vermillion County Economic Development Council. Several people at the meeting objected to sending the letters until after town officials learned whether outside funding for the study could be obtained.
Indianapolis-based Commonwealth Engineers, which has worked on wastewater treatment systems in several Indiana towns, is proposing using federal stimulus funding to help cover the costs of a new sewer system.
Newport, the county seat of Vermillion County, has no municipal sewage system. All homes and other buildings have septic systems.
“I’m all for doing the feasibility study,” Lee told those at the meeting. However, Lee added, he is undecided on the idea of a sewer system until more information is available.
On a related note, as reported in a previous Tribune-Star story, some town residents believed engineers with Commonwealth Engineers arrived at the town meeting last week in a limousine. However, several people, including board president Lee, said Monday night that was not correct. A limousine parked outside the Lions Club last week belonged to someone visiting Newport from Terre Haute, they said.
Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.
