Protect the Partrick Wetlands
and our Community

NORWALK DOES NOT NEED THE SEWER EXTENSION Neither does Westport

I was amazed when I read the article in the November 4th Hour about the "confession" of the ARS Partner's property developers, admitting that they had sent letters to the residents of Norwalk's Cranbury area, that implied that Mayor Knopp supported the extension of the Norwalk sewers to Westport.

They asserted that they wanted to have the residents know that it was to their advantage to extend the sewers, but were unwilling to tell them who was writing the letter, because they were afraid that the residents would not read the letter and immediately put it in the trash.

It may be true that the developers claim "they will pay up to $1 million for the sewer line extension" and this may be an advantage to those who hook up to the system, but of course, it is not clear that this will be sufficient funding and that the tax payers may not still have to pay for the extension. Further is not really clear how many will hook up to the system, in light of increasing cost of the using the system.

There is no question that the sewer extension will change the character and "quality of life" of both the Westport and Norwalk areas.

This is what is likely to happen if the sewers are installed:

· Sewers will encourage more "cluster" home developments. Take a look at the cluster development on Newtown, near the intersection of Partrick and Newtown in Norwalk, where a "one home lot has become five".

· The roads will have to be expanded and individual home owners will not only lose land, but will have more traffic to contend with. These roads already have increasingly heavy and speeding traffic.

· The property taxes will be increased with the number of new homes. The "Partrick Wetlands Preservation Fund" has demonstrated that every new home increases educational costs that are not covered by increased property taxes.

· The Norwalk Sewer System is already overloaded and there is a major study being conducted to determine what it will cost to fix the current system and enable it to handle the already approved increase in housing, offices and commercial buildings in all parts of the City and in Wilton. Further, since Westport has its own sewer system why is Norwalk being requested to extend its system into Westport?

I hope that the task force appointed by Mayor Knopp will objectively and thoroughly evaluate the "total" impact of the sewer extension to Westport and conclude it doesn't add value to the citizens and taxpayers of either Norwalk or Westport and is likely to decrease the "quality of life" in the area.

Bill Rothschild
Norwalk