By: Stephanie Prokop
MANSFIELD Residents who have questions about the Lynwood Farms sewer project are encouraged to come to the Aug. 22 Township Committee meeting, where a representative will be present from Todd & Black, of Cherry Hill, the appraisers hired by the township.
The representative will be Allen Black, who is one of the principals in the firm, said Township Administrator Joseph Broski.
"He is one of the gurus in terms of assessments like this one," said Mr. Broski.
Certified letters were mailed to all 43 Lynwood Farm residents during the last week of July, telling them that the sewer project will cost each homeowner about $10,000 over the period of 20 years, significantly less than previously predicted.
In the past, many residents were divided about the sewer project, with some residents leaning toward it because it would abolish worries of septic problems.
Some residents had cited difficulties in the past with stagnant water too close to homes, while others had stated that they were perfectly content with the septic system.
In 2004, former Township Attorney Brian Guest estimated that the township’s share of the project should not exceed $500,000. This estimate would have put each household’s responsibility at around $11,600. This figure did not include the sewer hookup fee, slated to be in the $5,000 range, which according to some residents, is what they had been quoted in the late 1990s.
Earlier last year, it was estimated that the township would be expected to pay about $900,000 of the $1.8 million bill and then be reimbursed by the development’s 43 residents over the next 20 years. Based on that calculation, each house in the development would be responsible for paying about $21,000.
Now the township is estimating that the project will cost around $1.3 million, although that figure may be a bit higher because all of the bills aren’t compiled yet, said Mr. Broski.
"No one house is going to be worth more than another (in terms of the assessment for the sewer project) and that was one of the big questions that a lot of residents had," he said.
Approximately 15 of the 43 residents showed interest in hooking up to the sewer immediately, because of the poor condition of their septic systems.
Mr. Broski said he thinks the remaining people were hesitant to commit to hooking up to the project before they knew how much it would cost them.

