The Southwest Licking Community Water and Sewer District has purchased nearly 100 acres in St. Albans Township as the utility continues to expand — and in the process, frustrate surrounding community leaders.
The utility district purchased 67.66 acres at the intersection of Outville and General Griffin Roads for $3,383,500. In another transaction, SWLCWSD purchased two properties adjacent to the south, which front Morse Road, that total 24.81 acres for another $1,241,380. The sales closed March 31, said the district's attorney, Nicholas Eippert.
As of now, Eippert said, the district has not determined a use for the land yet and is exploring all options. But the properties are large enough to hold both water and sewer treatment facilities, he said.
"We're still working on the logistics of what's going where, where are we providing service to. It's in a good location, generally for a lot of different options of things that we could do up there," he said. "We're optimistic but it's still a plan in progress."
Eippert did not have a timeline for when the district would built something on the site.
"A lot of what we're going to try to do up there is going to be contingent on funding and development that happens. It's really hard to say," he said. "We can't really put a cart before the horse but we're preparing for the development that's coming and you know, some of that development's already even here."
While the district doesn't have a specific purpose for the properties yet, Eippert said the district wanted to purchase land now instead of waiting a few years because the cost of Licking County land keeps rising.
"The closer you get to the Intel location, the more expensive that property is getting," he said.
In the meantime, Eippert said the properties will remain as farmland until the water and sewer district decides a purpose for them.
The purchase comes after the Licking County Commissioners voted in October to extend the district's service area. The amendment of a 2010 agreement between the commissioners and the district, expands the Southwest Licking service area for the Ohio 161 corridor from 8,769 acres to 18,223 acres. The expanded area includes 11,702 acres in Jersey Township, 3,439 in St. Albans Township and 3,041 acres in Monroe Township.
The deal brought a flood of complaints from representatives of St. Albans, Monroe, Granville and Harrison townships, as well as Johnstown and Alexandria, who vented their frustrations in November to the county commissioners and asked why they weren't consulted before the deal was completed.
At the time, representatives from Alexandria and Johnstown expressed frustrations that the deal would hinder their opportunities to expand their sewer and water treatment service areas. And the new purchases have reignited those frustrations and concerns among leaders in Alexandria, Johnstown and Granville.
Jim Lenner, who serves as a contracted administrator for St. Albans Township through his company Neighborhood Strategies, said Thursday he was not aware of the purchase until after it was completed. He said it's concerning that such a significant purchase was made in the township, especially coupled with the fact the service area was extended in the fall without the township's knowledge beforehand.
"One of the tools in which communities can control their destiny is through water and sewer, and having an autonomous entity such as the water and sewer district having a big presence — a-100 acre presence in the township — it should be concerning for not only St. Albans Township, but the future development of any of the incorporated areas in and around St. Albans Township," Lenner said.
Johnstown City Manager Sean Staneart said the city believes township and municipal representatives elected by residents should be the decision makers of any development within an area's boarders.
"A municipality's only leverage to negotiate with developers is typically water and sewer," he said. "If this is stripped away, we have limited oversight on our local planning and school district's growth. Johnstown believes a collaborative, multi-jurisdictional approach should be utilized for regional water and sewer planning."
Granville Village Manger Herb Koehler said the newly purchased properties are on the eastern edge of the utility district's service area, and he wondered if it could lead to another expansion. "I wouldn't know, because no one's talking about it. We small municipalities and townships have to constantly chase ghosts tofind answers," Koehler said.
The plan to service western Licking County's continued development has lacked transparency and inclusion, Koehler said. Adding that it is not really planning at all but rather random activity with no leadership.
"In 20 years, we're gonna have random results, and we're going to be scratching ourselves on the head thinking, 'Boy, how did we let this happen?' Well, this is why. We're in the middle of it. Now's the time to get it right," he said.
mdevito@gannett.com
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Twitter: @MariaDeVito13
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Southwest Licking water, sewer district buys St. Albans Township land
