More than 240 homes and businesses in Woolmarket area have received access to city sewer in the past year or so, meaning that nearly 1,700 of the 3,100 homes and businesses in Woolmarket now have access to city water and/or sewer.
But, says Ward 7 Councilman Nathan Barrett, even with the progress and with plans in the offing for a new community center, county public library and fire station, there’s still much to be done in the city’s largest ward, which became part of the city in 1999 and accounts for more than half of the city’s 50-square miles.
“Woolmarket poses some unique challenges when it comes to water and sewer hookups,” Barrett said. “One of those problems is the cost, because many of the homes are farther from the road than in other areas of the city, and it’s the responsibility of the property owner to connect to their home or business. I proposed, and the council unanimously passed, the resolution changing the required amount of time for hook up from 60 days to 12 months, because it gives people more time to secure funds for the hookups.”
Barrett, who is seeking grants to help further reduce the cost of hookups, noted that drainage is another issue in Woolmarket. “We are currently working on a drainage plan that will go out for bid soon for East Woolmarket Road area. In the meantime, I would like to thank Mike Hosli and his Public Works crews for helping alleviate the flooding problem by going through the ward and cleaning out and re-digging ditches.”
Added Barrett: “We recently got our first sidewalks on a public road in Ward 7 and are about to open a new library and community center on Kayleigh Cove. I am encouraged that we are seeing progress, but there is still much to do. We will continue to work daily to meet the needs of Ward 7 one at a time.”
Maps: See Woolmarket water and sewer availability
