NORTHERN TOWNSHIP 鈥� Monday night鈥檚 public hearing regarding Northern Township's proposed sanitary sewer system brought forth an eclectic mix of opinions, concerns, opposition and support for the project.
The meeting kicked off with a report from Northern Township Administrator Chris Lahn regarding the need for a centralized sewer system that will eventually envelop the boundaries of Lake Bemidji.
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Mark Fuller, owner of Freeberg and Grund Consulting Engineers, then presented the project鈥檚 feasibility report, which the board approved at a Nov. 12 meeting.
Numerous iterations of systems have been drafted for adoption, but the township has ultimately landed on a gravity flow design. gravity service connections are inherently more cost-effective and easier to maintain for users than pump-assisted systems that require ongoing energy use and equipment maintenance.
鈥淭his approach minimizes the need for residents to invest in and maintain lift or grinder pumps, thereby reducing long-term costs and simplifying system use,鈥� the report states.
Due to certain topographical or locational challenges, however, some properties would still require pump-assisted connections.
The total anticipated cost for the project is estimated at $12.8 million, which includes expenses related to design, construction, treatment facility development and infrastructure installation.
The township has received $6 million in federal grants to offset the cost to local property owners, who would be responsible for 60% of the assessment value of non-treatment plant components of the project. Estimated assessments clock in at approximately $5.7 million.
All costs address phase one of the project, which would service properties extending from Northwoods Access on the northwest side of Lake Bemidji to Lavinia Access on the east side. Phase two of the project would complete the remainder of the shoreline to the edge of Bemidji鈥檚 Ward 5. The mechanical plant would have already been installed east of the lake along Big Bass Road.
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The public hearing
Numerous township residents expressed their thoughts following the reading of the feasibility report as well as submitted questions answered by the township board and staff.
Lavinia resident Paul Welle alluded to the ages of existing private septic systems, some of which have been recently installed.
In prior meetings, Lahn has noted that 63% of these systems are over 25 years old with an additional 30 properties having no records of installation. These 30 properties are grouped together with the over-25-year-old systems, which can be considered end-of-life systems.
Welle noted that 62 properties will be assessed in his area, 14 of which are year-round properties and 48 seasonal properties. In his comment, Welle said the average use of the seasonal properties is roughly four to six weeks 鈥� lowering the amount of usage of those respective septic systems.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e only using (a septic system) for two months a year, you could divide the 30 (years for an end-of-life system) by six, and you鈥檙e talking about an effective age of five years,鈥� Welle said. 鈥淭he actual effect of the age of these septic systems is probably quite a bit lower (than township data).鈥�
Lisa Boulay, who lives on Lavinia Road, expressed concerns over the equitability of the assessments as well as the implementation of a centralized system versus addressing individual properties that may be non-compliant.
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鈥淭est their septic systems, and if they鈥檙e not compliant, make them fix it,鈥� Boulay addressed the board. 鈥淒on鈥檛 make everybody fix the whole problem.鈥�
Dee Sweeney voiced her support for the project, citing environmental concerns she feels could be addressed with the construction of the new treatment plant.
鈥淭he lake is an important asset and we as a community have not always been good stewards,鈥� Sweeney said. 鈥淗aving a wastewater treatment plant is forward-thinking, and I support that action.鈥�
City connection
While supportive of the project, Birchmont Beach Road resident Rod Skoe presented an alternative option that would include connecting the township to the city of Bemidji鈥檚 treatment facility 鈥� an option that has been met with some resistance in the past.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to continue to bring this up, but we have a perfectly good functioning sewage treatment plant that the city of Bemidji is operating and is being utilized about 40% now,鈥� Skoe said. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 make sense to me to build another one on the other side of the lake.
鈥淚 know (the board) has tried to work with the city, but I would hope that people would talk to the city about how much common sense there would be if we could hook up to what the city already has.鈥�
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Conversations of connecting to the city鈥檚 system accelerated in 2021 when Ruttger鈥檚 Birchmont Lodge approached the city with the proposal due to issues with a failing septic system. The city drafted several options to address Ruttgers鈥� situation.
鈥淲e put out six different scenarios that might work and one of them did not include annexation,鈥� Bemidji Mayor Jorge Prince told the Pioneer following the meeting. 鈥淎t that time, we hadn鈥檛 vetted any of those options. They were just ideas to be explored.鈥�
Throughout a host of meetings, the city and township would inch closer to a Memorandum of Understanding that would鈥檝e allowed the township to connect to the city鈥檚 water and sewer infrastructure without being annexed into the city itself.
As the MOU became more fleshed out, however, the city would ultimately vote down the MOU due to engineering and legal concerns brought forth by staff.
鈥淭hat is what finally caused the council as a body to say 鈥榃e don鈥檛 want to change our longstanding policy of requiring annexation when extending services,鈥欌�� Prince added. 鈥淔rom my perspective, it鈥檚 not that we ever guaranteed an offer. It was an avenue for us to explore, but once we vetted it, we did not believe it was viable and that was reflected in the council vote.鈥�
An opportunity
Among other public comments, the board expressed appreciation for everyone who came forward on Monday to address several nuances of the project and its impact on the township beyond the two phases currently proposed.
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鈥淲ith most municipal projects, there are going to be people who are affected more than others,鈥� board supervisor Mike Kelly said, 鈥渂ut that doesn鈥檛 mean, by any means, that it鈥檚 not the best thing for the whole.鈥�
Township board chair Jess Frenzel shared similar sentiments as he hopes to create a system that will support the township in the long run.
鈥淲e understand that not everybody鈥檚 going to agree on this, but we see an opportunity to take care of this,鈥� Frenzel said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to represent our constituents the best we can, protect our tax base the best we can, do what we think is best for our environment, do what鈥檚 right for our people.鈥�
The board hopes to make a formal decision on the project at its Dec. 23 meeting.
The full recording of the public hearing and a copy of the feasibility report can be found on the
The Trust Project
