Friday, July 09, 1999
Sewage-plant fight brews
Legislators meet, advise opponents
BY KRISTINA GOETZ
The Cincinnati Enquirer
BELLEVIEW — Residents opposed to a waste-water treatment plant here made a collective decision Thursday night: They're not going to give up until board members of Sanitation District No. 1 give in.
“We will win this,” said John Arrasmith, a resident who moderated the meeting. “I'm telling you. We will win this.”
Belleview Baptist Church was full as people talked strategy to fight the decision to put a waste-water treatment plant on a site between the Ohio River and Ky. 20 in northern Boone County, about 1.3 miles north of Burlington Pike.
And when the meeting was over, the group had a plan and support from three Kentucky legislators.
State Rep. Charlie Walton, R-Florence, suggested the group send up to six representatives to a meeting with the sanitation district.
“We have to decide an effective way to stop this plant,” Mr. Walton said.
Residents also got the backing of state Sen. Dick Roeding, R-Lakeside Park, and state Rep. Paul Marcotte, R-Union. Both agreed to attend the meeting.
“I'm really concerned about some of the things I've heard here tonight,” Mr. Marcotte said.
“This obviously does not have public support. We still have a lot of cards to play. We can play a lot of cards in Frankfort if they want to play hardball.”
The group also will meet with members of the Boone County Board of Education July 15 to voice concerns about the well-being of children at Kelly Elementary School, about a mile from the proposed site.
Jim Daugherty, Boone County's representative on the sanitation board, said he still thinks the site in Belleview is the best, but that he would help bring concerns to the board.
A new sewage treatment plant must be built because the Dry Creek plant in Villa Hills — which treats waste from Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties — will be at capacity by 2003. District officials say it is not financially feasible to enlarge the Dry Creek facility.
By not building a large pump station planned for Gunpowder Creek, substantial operation and maintenance costs would be eliminated, officials said. Board members also said initial estimates indicate the property can be bought well within the acquisition budget.
Opponents will meet again to discuss financing a lawsuit if necessary at 7 p.m. July 22 at Belleview Baptist Church.
“I'm feeling more positive,” said Don Stites, one of the property owners of the proposed site. “We're getting more publicity and we're getting the attention of the state legislators, which is the key to getting things done.”
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