Methuen has concluded a major agreement on sewer infrastructure with the Town of Dracut that will bring enormous benefit to Methuen, as well as Dracut. In summary the highlights of this agreement are as follows.
1) Dracut will construct infrastructure to carry Dracut wastewater to the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District through Methuen at a cost of $7.6 million dollars. Dracut will then turn over ownership of that infrastructure to Methuen.
2) Dracut will construct, as part of the above mentioned infrastructure, a new pump station in Dracut that will handle flows from Methuen.
3) Dracut will pay Methuen $1.2 million dollars which will fund identification and removal of infiltration and inflow in this area. This “I&I” work will help to reduce stress on our system and will reduce our flows to the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District, thereby saving our sewer ratepayers by reducing our bill at the Sanitary District.
4) Dracut agrees to fund repairs to the Burnham Road and Bolduc Street pump stations on a percentage basis, comensurate with their flows through those stations. These repairs obviously would have to be funded, absent this agreement, 100 percent by Methuen ratepayers.
5) Dracut, in a separate contract, has agreed to join the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District and pay an entrance fee of $1.52 million dollars to the District. As a 40 percent owner of the facility Methuen derives a direct financial benefit from this capital charge to Dracut.
6) Dracut’s flows to the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District will not require a plant upgrade, as the GLSD has existing capacity. These flows will be paid for by Dracut, and help to reduce Methuen’s bill to the GLSD by spreading the plant expenses between a larger group of flows. It is another direct and tangible benefit to Methuen.
7) 40 Methuen homes, currently without sewer service, will now have sewer availability with no capital cost charged. Another major benefit to Methuen residents.
Those who have made the ridiculous charge that there is no benefit to Methuen from this agreement certainly must be looking at a different contract than the one I negotiated with Dracut. I have attached a pdf with some more detail. This agreement is in the best interest of the City of Methuen, and provides Dracut with needed additional capacity to serve their citizens. The City Council will be holding a workshop session on this proposal on Monday January 28 at 6:30.
Dracut Agreement
Bill Manzi.com 