I was taking Jack to Little League when she walked up to me with a flyer and asked if I had a minute to talk about sewers. Did I know the Portsmouth Town Council was planning to install sewers in Island Park, and it was going to cost me $48,000?

Well, yes...and no.

We had a polite chat, and I think Angie, who said she was from Common Fence Point, was sincere in her concerns, but I did ask how she got her numbers. "From the paper," she said.

The reality — while it ain't pretty — is not quite that dire. According to the specs for Alternative 4A, which is what the Council approved for the bond, residents would be paying $160/month. If you run that out for 20 years, that's $38,400. Could you stretch the costs for a hookup and argue that it's going to be another $10K? Those aren't the estimates I heard. I suggested she give Bob Gilstein a call, and she said she wasn't going to distribute any more fliers until she checked.

Also not being mentioned is, "compared to what." Paying $38K over 20 years compared to zero dollars, sure, that's not so attractive. But given the cesspool phaseout act requiring replacement by 2013, and the end-of-life of all the 1960s septic tanks out there, and you're really comparing $38K to maybe $30K.

And how about the appreciation in the price of your house with a sewer connection compared to an aging septic system (which, for Portsmouth Park and Island Park, we already KNOW the DEM is saying are not long-term solutions.)

The town needs to get out in front of this.

Disclaimer: Just in case it isn't completely obvious from the above, I live in Island Park.

Update 9/13/07: Talked with Bob Gilstein tonight and the latest estimate from Woodard & Curran puts the final monthly cost higher than the number I used. We should know more on Monday night.