Holmestead Acres Resident Looking For Handout
Posted by Jeff Pruitt - 8/28/08 @ 12:31 am - Filed Under Local Politics
In Wednesday’s NS there was a letter to the editor that really got under my skin. The author of the letter suggests the Canyon Cliffs developers are right to sue the individual plan commission members for not rubber-stamping their plans. But that’s not the part that irritated me - it was his insistence that somehow the taxpayers are obligated to bailout residents in Holmestead Acres because they have a failing septic system:
The Plan Commission committed an equal injustice to our need for a sewer system that was to be provided by the Canyon Cliffs development. Repeatedly, we demonstrated the need and willingness to address the public health concern from our current septic collection system. The health department and the regional sewer district both argued in our favor during the hearings.
However, because the Plan Commission felt that illegally blocking the Canyon Cliffs development was more important than addressing a public health concern, they left our subdivision with few avenues to pursue in solving our problem. To make matters worse, Bill Brown and the other county commissioners fired the county grant writer who was our last hope in getting funding for such a project after our defeat at the hands of the Plan Commission.
It’s not my problem you purchased a home with failing septic tank. And I definitely don’t want the city extending sewer services out to the edges of the county to help every resident who made a poor decision. You moved into the county, and you damn well knew there was no sewer services and likely wouldn’t be for a very, very long time. To bitch and moan now that everyone else won’t solve your problem for you is ridiculous.
And to blame the commissioners for getting rid of a grant writer? Surely you jest. The taxpayers should have to pay an increase in property taxes so we can pay somebody to write a grant for you to fix a problem that is all your own? Write your own frickin grant buddy and stop asking everyone else to bail you out for your poor decisions.
What really pisses me off is that the author is probably the type of guy that goes around railing about “big government” while simultaneously looking for his handout. If anyone should be getting sued here it’s YOU - the EPA should sue your ass for letting your failing septic system pollute our creek.
There, I feel better now…
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8 Responses to “Holmestead Acres Resident Looking For Handout”
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Jeff, many of the residents of Holmestead Acres purchased their homes in the early 60s when the septic systems were not failing. This is not a new development nor is there high turn-over in the homes. Forty years ago when Glenbrook Mall was a cornfield, no one dreamed the city would encroach this far north, so there was no expectation of sewers. When we purchased our home over 20 years ago, DuPont Road was a cornfield. As you might expect, there is a high percentage of elderly people in this neighborhood.
Many residents have upgraded their systems, but septic regulations have become increasingly onerous, making it impossible for a home on a small lot to comply. We live in metes and bounds and have the acreage to comply with current regulations.
That said, I did not sign the petition for or against Canyon Cliffs. I just didn’t want you to include us with all the new sewer-served developments in this area, including across the road from Holmestead Acres. Interesting how new developments get access to sewers but not existing developments.
Just another interesting observation: the second letter on your link speaking against the lawsuit was also written by a resident of Holmestead Acres.
Jeff,
It’s my belief that the author of the letter (who doesn’t actually live in Holmestead Acres but rather adjacent to it in what I believe was the original developers home on 6.85 acres metes and bounds) is responding out of total anger and frustration. Just like a caged dog that would chew the fingers off of someone trying to set it free he is lashing out at anyone that is standing in the way of his effort to obtain public sewer. He has actually been pushing for public sewer since 2001, the same year that the new development of Canyon Run was approved for it’s connection. Now he has fallen prey to the seductive offer of Oakmont Development III. If that proposal (bribe) was allowed, he would then be a part of the same failed land use planning system that blocked HIS initial request. The “two-for-one deal” devised by Oakmont and the Regional Sewer District, is a minimalistic and self serving scheme that could serve only an estimated 100 homes (and that’s probably on the high side).
Given the 300′ rule for mandatory connection to a sewer main (Indiana Code), and the path of the proposed sewer main, it’s not too dificult to come up with the 56 septics needed to satisfy the two-for-one deal to get the 28 new lots for Canyon Cliffs. BUT WAIT! There are 67 platted lots in Holmestead and somewhere around 16 lots in metes and bounds connected to Holmestead. Then figure in the 28 new homes, the homes on the north side of the creek, the homes along Richey Lane, the lots developed by Dr. Fisher (who also has been asking for several taps) the neighborhood of Woodcliff and a few other properties in that immidiate area and it sounds like it’s going to be something similar to the California gold rush and in the end would result in a tenfold increase in caged dogs.
“You moved into the county, and you damn well knew there was no sewer services and likely wouldn’t be for a very, very long time. To bitch and moan now that everyone else won’t solve your problem for you is ridiculous.”
On the other hand, those who have been required to put in the so-called “Mound” systems at a cost of about 15K, are not looking forward to having the County run sewer lines all over the place to make every intersection ripe for a gas station, mini-mart or strip mall (Lima Road, North Clinton, State Road One). The developers are rapidly becoming the distroyers!
And yes, we will have a tenfold increase in caged dogs.
Correction!
onehundred-fold
Jeff,
Right on!
Many of the parcels in Homestead could build new septic systems at a cost on their own property. They have the land. Some can not and would need to go to a large holding tank that would be pumped out monthly. So there is a fix.
In most building areas the developer puts in the sewer lines in the streets and then into the homes. He then pays for the connection to the City’s sewer system. The home buyers pay for the total cost via the price they paid for the lot they build their home on.
In our lake area the Feds allow for a combination of a grant and large loan to pay for a complete sewer systems to be installed around a lake. These lake owners pay for a line that goes from their home to the main sewer line and then sign up to pay a fee of 50-90 bucks a month for service. This covers the operation and the fed loan that covers lift stations and the main sewer lines.
It appears some of the residents out there want a “cheap ride!” They want the city to extend service and they want someone to pay for the main lines. It is nice of them to pay for the line from their house main line.
There is already a sewer district that covers that area that could have designed and had built sewer system for the area. It could be a stand alone system or one that would tie into the City’s. However, the homeowners would be the ones to pay for it. Gosh, what a novel idea!
Once again we find people wanting THEIR problem fixed on the dollars of OTHERS.
I am with you on the whole “buyer beware” thing. In South Bend, and again when we moved here, we told our real estate agents that we in no way wanted to look at anything but city sewer. Both agents looked at us as if we were nuts, but I respectfully disagree.
Signed,
A City of Fort Wayne (not annexed) resident with city sewer
I live across Chapman Road from Richey Lane and would most likely be within the 300′ for mandatory connection to the proposed sewer line.
Up until 2 years ago, I was in the same situation as many of the residents of Holmestead Acres. We wanted to put an addition on to our home but with a failing septic - we had no options. Pull a permit and you have to upgrade but - SORRY - you don’t comply with the rules (not enough land, not enough flat land, etc) Then we learned about a new septic system - not a mound system - that is fully contained, monitored by phone/internet 24-7 and produces drinking water quality at the end of the process, and was our only option to proceed with the addition of our home. We were told by several experts and the county that this was our only option.
After spending $17,000+ on a septic system that IS NOT failing, that the county told me I had to put in, I now fear I will be required to let it rot in the ground and spend another $10,000 plus to tap into a sewer that I don’t need or want.
So, I sympathize with Holmestead Acres - I do. They have been ignored for years and now they are a pawn in this ridiculous chess game.