By Jane Schutz, Stevensville
The new proposed Burnt Fork Place Apartments (formerly Nicole Court) is of much concern. We who live in the area are very aware of the ground water situation. It’s a routine that becomes all too familiar every spring to pump the crawlspace under the house. When Rod Lewis built those storage units to the east, the water just came in that much more.
The developers told us there won’t be any more water than before. Do they really expect us to believe that? They say they are still working with the DEQ on surface water mitigation but they don’t say that that really means. The engineer at the public meeting said they were storing the surface water on the property. What kind of a storage facility are they going to install and who will pay for its maintenance down the road and who is going to pay for the cleanup when it fails?
Speaking of water, the sewage treatment plant is at capacity. Who will pay for the upgrades that will soon be needed, the taxpayers of Stevensville? All these questions need to be answered.
But the biggest question is why is the Mayor trying to shove this project down our throats? It never went before the planning and zoning board or the Town Council for review. All the rest of the residential developments were scrutinized much more than this has been. Why is that?
The Mayor says they meet the codes and there is nothing to be done to stop this. Well, we are sure the developers met the same codes in both Darby and Hamilton and both of those cities shut down these apartments.
The citizens of Stevensville had a right to have a hand in the future of this town. The Mayor liked to speak in declarative sentences. We have a declarative sentence. The Mayor needs to be recalled.